Unit Overview

Founded in 1994, the Business Research Unit (BRU-Iscte; UNIDE-Iscte in Portuguese) is a multidisciplinary research centre of Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon, whose scope spans various Business areas.

BRU-Iscte is accredited by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the Portuguese national research agency, having ranked Excellent in the latest evaluation. Our research is funded by FCT core funding, by international and national competitive research grants, as well as by other research contracts with public and private entities.

BRU-Iscte’s main goal is to promote research at the highest international standards based on our four core pillars:

  • Boost a Multidisciplinary International Research Environment
  • Advance Cutting-edge Research & Innovation
  • Nurture Top-Quality Business Researchers
  • Ensure Societal Impact and Ethical Practices


BRU-Iscte currently hosts a total of 176 members of several nationalities, organised in 7 Research Groups. The team comprises 146 PhD holders, 99 integrated members and 47 associate members. BRU-Iscte has 35 research assistants and is supported by 7 administrative staff members.

At present, BRU-Iscte runs 4 accredited doctoral programmes, totally taught in English, in which around 80 students of several nationalities enrol every year.


Multi and interdisciplinary research is encouraged within BRU-Iscte as a key strength that builds in-house knowledge across several disciplines and leverages the academic programmes, as well as corporate and industry relations. The Unit believes its strength lies in its diversity, with the common goal of improving managerial and policy-level decision-making.

BRU is part of Iscte CI (Iscte Knowledge and Innovation Association), an umbrella structure within Iscte that houses Research Units, Labs, and Observatories, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative workspaces. Here, a shared Data Center is available to provide our research community their required computing and data storage needs, making this a fully functioning and secure technology and knowledge transfer hub.

Within Iscte CI, BRU has been involved in several funded multidisciplinary projects with other Iscte Units and non-academic partners, having had the opportunity to showcase its work to Government, media, and other stakeholders. Together with other research units at Iscte, BRU is a founding member of the SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy (SDLab), an accredited FCT Associate Lab.


The BRU-Iscte Regulations are published in Diário da República here.

BRU-Iscte Strategic Objectives

Strengthen comprehensive quality-assurance framework (audits, peer review, benchmarking) to keep raising publications in ABS 4*/4/3-rated journals.

Strengthen interdisciplinary research clusters within BRU and with Iscte CI-CVTT / SocioDigital Lab.

Forge additional strategic partnerships with leading international academic and non-academic institutions.

Develop transparent, inclusive open-science practices aligned with FAIR principles.

Collaborate with public/private sector representatives to inform research priorities and translate research into practice.

Promote entrepreneurship among researchers and PhD students (networking, business-model development).

Establish knowledge/technology-transfer mechanisms with Iscte CI-CVTT (IPR management).

Launch targeted research initiatives on societal challenges (sustainability, inequality, public health).

Implement monitoring/evaluation frameworks to assess societal impact of research.

Develop a comprehensive science-communication and public-engagement strategy.

Establish labs/innovation hubs with local communities, government and NGOs, building on SmartVitiNet and INITIATE.

Targeted recruitment/retention strategies: research grants, professional development, performance-based bonuses.

Comprehensive support for doctoral students, postdocs and early-career academics (funding, mentorship, career counselling).

Targeted recruitment/retention for technical and administrative staff; professional development.

Diversify funding sources: competitive grants, industry contracts, philanthropy, consultancy, licensing.

Optimise resource allocation via regular cost-benefit analyses and risk assessments.