About us

The Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), hosted by the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB) and the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo (IPVC), is a multidisciplinary R&D unit awarded Excellent by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and dedicated to addressing the challenges and opportunities of mountain systems. CIMO has strong national and international visibility and delivers a clear impact on regional development, fully aligned with institutional strategies and regional ambitions and needs.

CIMO is organized into two research groups: 1. Socio-Ecological Systems and 2. Sustainable Processes and Products, which conduct research across four main thematic areas: 1.1. Socio-ecological resilience, 1.2. Sustainable agriculture and innovative agri-food chains, 2.1. Processes and products engineering, and 2.2. Natural and bio-based ingredients.

This organisational model provides flexibility and supports a fully integrated interdisciplinary strategy, encompassing the entire value chain from natural resources (including raw materials, biodiversity, agriculture, and forest management) to the development of food products and bio-based ingredients and materials.

CIMO, together with the Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), forms the Associate Laboratory for Sustainability and Technology in Mountain Regions (SusTEC LA), rated Excellent, complementing CIMO’s research scope, particularly in areas related to digitalisation and artificial intelligence.