The IEF – the Institute for Family Studies represents the research and teaching unit undertaking the development of the Family Studies field at Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

Established under the auspices of UCP and integrated into the Faculty of Human Sciences, the IEF stands out as a differentiated and differentiating unit within the current higher education panorama in Portugal and the only academic institution specifically dedicated to research and teaching in the Family Studies field.

Structure around a scientific and pedagogical approach, interdisciplinary in nature, to the core and most prominent questions regarding the Family in contemporary society, generating opportunities and the specific means for research and the training of students, researchers and professionals from various different sectors seeking to adopt the specialist academic approaches of this field.