What A3S does

A3S (Associação A3S) is a non-profit research and development association founded in 2006 and headquartered in Porto, Portugal, delivering consulting, evaluation, action-research, and education & training services for the social and solidarity economy. The organization operates four core service lines — Investigação-Acção (Action-Research), Avaliação & Monitorização (Monitoring & Evaluation), Consultoria, and Educação e Formação — targeted at social economy organizations, Portuguese municipalities, European public institutions, and vulnerable populations. Its work emphasizes participatory methodologies and co-construction with stakeholders, blending academic rigor with field experience across labor inclusion, gender equality, cultural inclusion, and local development themes. The team is built around 13 voluntary associates with social sciences expertise, supplemented by project-based staff, and includes co-founder Carlota Quintão.

The business model is professional-services-based and project-funded rather than subscription or product-based. A3S generates revenue through consulting engagements with social economy organizations, external monitoring and evaluation contracts from public institutions, applied research commissions, and certified training programs (it holds DGERT trainer certification). The organization sits inside a dense European network ecosystem: it is a member of ENSIE, co-created RESIT Portugal, and participates as a partner or work-package lead in multiple EU-funded consortia (Erasmus+, COSME, EEA Grants, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions). It also delivers academic programs through ISCAP-Politecnic do Porto (a Master's in Social Economy and a Postgraduate in Innovation and Management of Social Organizations) and runs the MOOC Networks digital educational product.

A3S's product surface combines service engagements with a publication and intellectual-output portfolio (the 'A Urgência de Ler o Mundo' collection, the AMTCC guide, the Mutantes das Comédias do Minho book) and a project portfolio spanning Net-Works, JustGreen, B-WISE, ED-Comunicar, Causa Maior, ENFEM, Collectitude, Entre Danças, Campilhas Internacional, and Projecto Mutantes. Geographically it operates primarily in Northern Portugal with European project reach across Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Romania, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Serbia, Germany, Austria, UK, Spain, and a UNDP training engagement in Angola. Underlying technology is not a differentiator — A3S relies on participatory social-science methodology rather than proprietary software.

Name

A3S

Legal name

Associação A3S

Website

https://a3s.webnode.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A3S is a Porto-based non-profit research and development association founded in 2006 that provides consulting, monitoring & evaluation, action-research, and training services to social economy organizations, municipalities, and EU programs in Portugal and across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Porto

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: A3S generates revenue through providing consulting services to organizations of social and solidarity economy, including organizational development, strategic planning, and management support.
2. Evaluation & Monitoring Services: External monitoring and evaluation of projects and initiatives for public and private organizations.
3. Education & Training: Training-action for organizational, sectoral, and territorial development, including certified training programs and capacity building activities.
4. Applied Research & Action-Research: Research services commissioned by public institutions, European programs, and development organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

A3S is a non-profit R&D association that delivers four core professional services to organisations: Action-Research (applied participatory research), Monitoring & Evaluation (external evaluation of social projects), Consultancy (organisational and territorial development), and Education & Training (certified capacity building). It serves social economy entities, municipalities, and public/European programmes in Portugal and selected European markets.

Product overview

A3S is a non-profit Research & Development association providing four core services: Action-Research, Monitoring & Evaluation, Consultancy, and Education & Training. These services support social economy organizations, municipalities, and vulnerable populations in achieving sustainable and inclusive development. The organization operates various projects including social inclusion initiatives (Projecto Mutantes), education for development (ED-Comunicar), European networking projects (Net-Works, JustGreen, B-WISE), and academic programs (Master's and Postgraduate courses in Social Economy). The portfolio includes publications, MOOCs, and collaborative research projects focused on labor inclusion, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Action-Research (Investigação-Acção) Applied research service using participatory action-research methodologies to study social phenomena, intervention contexts, and development processes for social economy organisations, municipalities, and European programmes.
• Monitoring & Evaluation (Avaliação & Monitorização) External project monitoring and evaluation service for social initiatives, organisational interventions, and EU/Portuguese public-funded projects, producing scientific knowledge alongside accountability evidence.
• Consultancy (Consultoria) Organisational development, strategic planning, and management-support consultancy for social-economy organisations, delivered through training-action and co-construction methodologies.
• Education & Training (Educação e Formação) DGERT-certified training-action programmes, workshops, certified professional training and capacity-building activities for individuals, leaders, volunteers and organisations in the social economy.
• Master's in Social Economy Management and Legal Framework (Mestrado em Economia Social) Academic Master's programme on social-economy management and legal framework, jointly offered with ISCAP-Porto for working professionals and leaders in social-economy organisations.
• Postgraduate in Innovation and Management of Social Organisations (Pós-Graduação em Inovação e Gestão das Organizações Sociais) Postgraduate diploma programme on innovation and management of social organisations, developed with ISCAP-Porto, providing applied training and connections to the Portuguese social economy.
• MOOC Networks (Networks of work-based adult education providers capacity building) Free Massive Open Online Course teaching how to build and sustain networks of work-based adult education providers; hosted at mooc-networks.eu and open to practitioners across Europe.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• ENSIE - European Network of Social Integration EnterprisescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA3S is a member of ENSIE and works regularly with its member organizations from all over Europe. ENSIE is the European Network of Social Integration Enterprises, and A3S participates in various European projects through this network.
• Academic Partners (Various Portuguese Universities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA3S collaborates with different academic partners including ISCAP-Politecnico do Porto, Instituto de Sociologia da Universidade do Porto, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and others for research and educational programs.
• Local Authorities from PortugalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA3S works with various Portuguese municipalities on local development projects, strategic planning, and social economy initiatives.
• Arts OrganizationssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerA3S partners with arts organizations working with vulnerable groups and for territorial development, including Comédias do Minho, Mala Voadora, Alkantara, and others.
• CICANT - Universidade LusófonasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the 'Vozes em Rede' project studying women's participation in local development processes.
• Comédias do MinhocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA3S collaborated on the Mutantes project, providing external monitoring and evaluation with a logic of reflection and critical intervention. Jointly edited the book 'Mutantes das Comédias do Minho'.
• ADRA PortugalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA3S is responsible for producing 6 formative studies on Global Citizenship Education themes in the ED-Comunicar project coordinated by ADRA Portugal.
• Net-Works Project PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ coordinated by ENSIE: Partners include A3S (Portugal), ENSIE (Belgium), ISEN (Ireland), AFF (Romania), GP (Hungary), CDI (North Macedonia), ASSE (Slovakia), IDC (Serbia). Objective to create/strengthen national or regional networks in work integration.
• Just Green Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean COSME project coordinated by Câmara Municipal de Vila Nova de Famalicão. Partners: Municipality of Famalicão (PT), Comune di Mozzo (IT), Terézváros Municipality (HU), Gmina Świętochłowice (PL), ENSIE (BE). Focus on green transition of social economy organizations.
• AMTCC Project PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project: CHANTIER École (FR-coordinator), RES (BE), Galileo Progetti (HU), A3S (PT). Focused on key competencies for vulnerable adults in work integration settings.
• B-WISE Project ConsortiumsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project coordinated by EASPD. A3S responsible for national study on Work Integration Social Enterprises in Portugal.
• Causa Maior PartnerssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFundação Calouste Gulbenkian and Fundação la Caixa through PARTIS & Art For Change program. Partners include Companhia Maior, Câmara Municipal do Porto, Câmara Municipal de Coimbra, and others. A3S conducts biographical research and impact studies.
• Campilhas Internacional PartnerssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEEA Grants project with MVAC - Mala Voadora Associação Cultural. Partners include municipalities, international theaters, and cultural organizations. A3S responsible for territory diagnosis and strategic monitoring.
• ENFEM Project ConsortiumsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational project coordinated by ISCAP/Polytécnico do Porto involving 13 partners from 10 EU countries. Focus on Female TCNs Integration through employability strategies.
• SymfoS for Youth Care ConsortiumsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerErasmus+ project with partners from Germany, Austria, UK, Spain, and Portugal. A3S and ISCAP are Portuguese partners. Focus on symbol-based methodology for vulnerable youth vocational guidance.
• Collectitude Project - ESS/IPPsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarie Skłodowska-Curie Actions project analyzing precarity and social transformation with ESS - Escola Superior de Saúde do Politécnico do Porto.
• Entre Danças PartnerssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortugal2020 project with Atelier 3, Association Pais em Rede, CECD, Cercitop, Jangada D'Emoções, Fundação Aga Khan. A3S develops self-assessment methodology and external evaluation.
• Sim, Somos CapazessecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsultancy for competence development model in Portugal Inovação Social project, following Chantier École pedagogical model.
• RESIT PortugalsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerA3S co-created RESIT Portugal - Network of Social Integration Enterprises and represents it at ENSIE European Network.
• PNUD AngolasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerA3S delivered 'Women and Transformative Leadership for Local Authorities' training in Luanda, Angola, under UNDP Angola Technical Assistance project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ENSIE — European Network of Social Integration Enterprises: Brussels-based European network that A3S is a member of. ENSIE provides similar research, evaluation, and project coordination services for Work Integration Social Enterprises across Europe — a direct peer in scope and customer base.
• CIRIEC International: International research and information network on the public, social, and cooperative economy. CIRIEC produces applied research, evaluations, and training events that directly mirror A3S's research and consulting work, especially at European level.
• CASES — Cooperativa António Sérgio para a Economia Social: Portuguese cooperative that supports social economy organizations through research, training, and consulting — directly overlapping A3S's mission and service portfolio in the Portuguese market.
• Social Value International: International network focused on social value and SROI methodology. SVI's evaluation frameworks and training programs directly parallel A3S's monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment services for social projects.
• EMES International Research Network: European research network focused on social enterprise and the third sector. EMES's research, training, and methodological work on social enterprises overlaps directly with A3S's action-research on Work Integration Social Enterprises.

Broad incumbents

• Social Economy Europe: European-level umbrella representing social economy stakeholders in EU policy. Comparable to A3S in its engagement with social economy networks but operating at a broader advocacy and policy level.
• RREUSE: European network of social enterprises active in reuse, repair, and recycling. Like A3S, RREUSE works with Work Integration Social Enterprises and participates in EU-funded projects on social inclusion and circular economy.
• Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian: Portuguese foundation with major social innovation programs (PARTIS, Art For Change) that overlap with A3S's cultural and social inclusion work. A3S is a partner through the Causa Maior project, and the foundation funds adjacent domains to A3S's portfolio.

Emerging players

• NESsT: International organization supporting social enterprises through consulting, training, and impact investing. NESsT's work with vulnerable populations and social enterprises mirrors A3S's social inclusion and WISE-focused consulting.
• Euclid Network: European network supporting social enterprise development through capacity-building programs and EU project work. Comparable to A3S's training and capacity-building activities for social economy organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/associacao3s
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a3s

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about A3S