CIEP is the Research Centre of the Institute for Political Studies of Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

CIEP brings together researchers from various specialist fields, including:

• European Studies;
• Comparative Politics;
• Politics of the Sea;
• Public Policies;
• International Relations;
• Defence and Security;
• Political Theory.

CIEP fosters and encourages, as is the case throughout the IEP, the internationalisation of its researchers and their research projects. CIEP is currently a member of The Network of Democracy Research Institutes and Europaeum.

Currently, CIEP is an R&D unit funded by the FCT - Science and Technology Foundation [Ref. UID/CPO/04597/2013].