The CIES is a research centre of ISCTE (University Institute of Management, Social Sciences and Technologies), created in 1985.  The CIES has been ranked "Excellent" by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through a process of external evaluation held before an international jury. The centre maintains a close relationship with its host institution, ISCTE, and in particular with the Department of Sociology and UNICS, a unit for scientific co-operation founded together with other centres and departments at the ISCTE in 1994.

The CIES main focus is on projects of fundamental research in sociology and social sciences in general. Most of these projects are funded through competitive calls for proposals with scientific evaluation by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the European Commission and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Researchers also carry out applied research projects on the basis of the scientific competences developed at the Centre. The aim of these projects is mainly to provide scientific support to public policies and to assess their implementation.
CIES develops scientific research projects in sociology, political science, education studies, communication studies and urban anthropology.

These projects are funded through open calls with scientific evaluation promoted by national and European agencies/foundations.

Researchers also carry out applied research projects on the basis of the consolidated scientific skills of the centre, many of which are public-policy oriented.

The CIES research lines are:

• Line I - Processes of Social Recomposition and Cultural Reconfiguration
• Line II - Knowledge Society and Patterns of Competencies
• Line III - Ways of Life and Public Policies
• Line IV - Politics and Citizenship: Institutions, Cultures and Behaviour
• Line V - Work, Occupations and Organisations
• Line VI – Europe/Latin America Research Program (ELARP)

The Centre practices a wide range sociology based on high theoretical, methodological and empirical standards.  The ultimate goal of CIES is to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and the development of society.  The CIES promotes advanced training of human resources in R&D through the participation in fundamental and applied scientific research projects on various thematic lines.  In the last years, the number of grant-holders integrated in projects, PhDs and Post-Doc grant-holders has increased.
CIES publishes Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas (link to http://sociologiapp.iscte.pt)
since 1986, a scientific journal whose main purpose is the publication of sociological research.