CUBE, CATÓLICA-LISBON's Business and Economics Research Unit, has been awarded the highest rating of “Excellent” by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the areas of Economics and Management, in the most recent international evaluation of R&D units. This distinction reaffirms CATÓLICA-LISBON’s leadership in delivering outstanding research in Portugal, maintaining the top rating from FCT for over 25 years.
The evaluation highlights CUBE’s world-class performance across three key criteria: the quality, merit and relevance of its research; the excellence of its scientific team; and the centre’s strategic vision and organisational structure for the next five years. Among the strengths recognised are the significant number of publications in top-tier international academic journals, a high degree of internationalisation, a strong link between research and societal challenges, a commitment to multidisciplinary research, and the quality of the faculty and research staff, all of which position the school as a leading reference in Economics and Management research.
Between 2020 and 2024, CUBE produced around 190 publications in scientific journals and organised approximately 70 international conferences. The centre also fostered collaborations with researchers and institutions worldwide. Its scientific output has earned several international awards.
CUBE’s internationalisation strategy was deemed a key driver of its performance, with global collaborations, academic mobility programmes, and active contributions to business strategies and public policy design.
According to Professor Wilson Bastos, Director of CUBE, “The ‘Excellent’ rating awarded by the Foundation for Science and Technology is clear recognition of the quality, consistency, and relevance of the research conducted at CATÓLICA-LISBON in recent years. It also reflects our commitment to producing knowledge that makes a real impact. As members of CATÓLICA-LISBON, we are deeply proud of this result, which further motivates us to raise the bar of our research in the years ahead”.
Filipe Santos, Dean of CATÓLICA-LISBON, adds, “As a business school committed to excellence and world-class research in Economics and Management, we are extremely proud to once again receive the ‘Excellent’ rating from the Foundation for Science and Technology for our performance in the 2020–2024 period. CATÓLICA-LISBON is, now more than ever, a hub for attracting top global talent dedicated to research, teaching, and positive societal impact. Congratulations to the entire CATÓLICA-LISBON community for their commitment to science at a time when the world needs it more than ever”.