90% of the University of Coimbra’s Research Centres Rated ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’

The latest evaluation by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology reveals that 90% of the University of Coimbra's R&D units were rated Very Good or Excellent, well above the national average of 80%.

23 april, 2025≈ 3 min read

© UC | DCM

The provisional results of the latest evaluation of the University of Coimbra's (UC) Research and Development (R&D) units by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), within the framework of the Multiannual Programme for the Financing of R&D Units 2023/2024, reveal that 90% of the University's research units received an overall rating of Excellent or Very Good.

The University of Coimbra stands well above the national average: 80% of the 313 R&D units evaluated by FCT received a rating of Very Good or Excellent. This result underlines the excellence of the research conducted at the UC and secures more than €124 million in funding for the next five years.

In this highly positive evaluation, most of UC’s research centres achieved the highest ratings: 27 were rated Excellent and 10 Very Good, out of 41 units approved for funding.

Compared to the previous evaluation (2017/2018), the University of Coimbra has seen a significant improvement in its classifications: 112 R&D units have now been awarded the highest rating, Excellent.

FCT’s evaluation of Portugal’s scientific and technological activities carried out by R&D units over the previous five-year period determines the funding to be awarded for the next five years (2025–2029 call). This independent, international peer-review process assessed 336 Portuguese research centres, of which 313 have been approved for funding.

The provisional results of the evaluation of R&D units under the 2023/2024 Multiannual Programme for the Financing of R&D Units are available here.

List of R&D Units of the University of Coimbra Rated ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’


  • Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre
  • Centre for Functional Ecology
  • Centre for Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Processes
  • Chemical Engineering and Renewable Resources for Sustainability
  • Centre for Classical and Humanistic Studies
  • Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning
  • Centre for the Study of General and Applied Linguistics
  • Centre of Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Centre for Social Studies
  • Centre for Physics of the University of Coimbra
  • Centre for Geosciences
  • Centre for the History of Society and Culture
  • Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research
  • Centre for Informatics and Systems of the University of Coimbra
  • Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology
  • Research Centre for Territory, Transport and Environment
  • Research Centre for Anthropology and Health
  • Centre for Business and Economics Research
  • Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention
  • Centre for Portuguese Literature
  • Centre for Mathematics of the University of Coimbra
  • Coimbra Chemistry Centre
  • Centre for Anthropology Research
  • Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Human Performance
  • Institute for Astrophysics and Space Sciences
  • Institute for Systems Engineering and Computers at Coimbra
  • Institute of Systems and Robotics
  • Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT)
  • Instituto Dom Luiz
  • Institute for Legal Research
  • Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering
  • Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability
  • Associate Laboratory for Energy, Transports and Aeronautics
  • Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry
  • Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics
  • Laboratory for Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics
  • Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing