The Institute

The Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) is a transdisciplinary institution that promotes advanced research, education and knowledge transfer in the fields of Life and Earth Sciences applied to the study of Human and Social Evolution. Its aim is to promote a prospective knowledge about both ancient human species and the current human being.

IPHES was created in December 2004 as a non-profit foundation by initiative of the Catalan Government, the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) and the City of Tarragona.

Our foundational goals are:

• The study of changes and transformation in human evolution and behavior through fieldwork, laboratory analysis and research.
• The development and application of scientific thought and action, based on the evolutionary continuum of human history and on the interactions between the human species and its environment.
• Preferential work in the fields of empirical knowledge in archaeology, geology, biology, botany, in an open and trans-disciplinary scientific framework.
• The development of evolutionary concepts and models, where species-based knowledge is directly applied to the social realm.
• In order to fulfill its foundational goals IPHES will follow three lines of work: Research, Training and Foresight.
• IPHES wishes to collaborate with other institutions, universities, research centers, at an international level.

We finance our activities combining funds and subsidies from public institutions, competitive grants, donations and services offered to the private sector, mainly to the experience based industry (cultural heritage, sustainability, management, digital multi-media…)

We train the future generation of scientists by offering high-quality educational programs from bachelors to master and PhD students.

IPHES belongs to the Catalan Research Centres Network (CERCA)