CICANT - Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies

What CICANT - Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies does

CICANT is a non-profit university research center hosted by COFAC/Universidade Lusófona, operating from Lisbon and Porto, Portugal. Founded in 2004, it conducts interdisciplinary research across two main areas: Media, Society and Literacies (MSL) and Media Arts, Creative Industries and Technologies (MACIT). The center coordinates a network of specialized laboratories (MagLab for magazine media, Early Visual Media Lab, MeLCi Lab for AI and media literacy, AISIC Lab, CREA Heritage Lab, LabClip, GLOW Games and Social Impact Lab, and Pop-up Labs) and publishes five open-access peer-reviewed journals (IJFMA, IJSIM, IJGSI, IJMS, Caleidoscópio) plus a book series. It supports doctoral and master's programs through Lusófona University and operates technical infrastructure including a 9m x 4m LED wall, Cintel film scanner, film production kits, and NVIVO/MAXQDA qualitative analysis software.

The center's revenue model is institutional rather than commercial. It is funded primarily through competitive grants from Portugal's Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), including multi-annual UID funding (UID/05260/2025) and Recovery and Resilience Plan support (€378,391.92 for 2025-2026), supplemented by European programs (Erasmus+, FP7, H2020, Media Programme, ISF) and national foundations (Calouste Gulbenkian, EEA Grants). Its principal stakeholders are doctoral and master's students, academic and research institutions (notably the FilmEU Alliance and consortium partners such as Queen Mary University of London, PUC-SP, University of Turku, Universidade de Évora), cultural and creative organizations, and Portuguese public bodies (Direção-Geral de Educação, IPDJ). Distribution occurs through open-access publishing, academic conferences, the Pure research portal, newsletters, and knowledge-transfer activities (artistic residencies, workshops, exhibitions).

Strategically, CICANT is repositioning around AI and digital literacy as a research and training focus, with active projects in generative AI upskilling (AI-LITERATE), virtual production and AI in audiovisual production (CUTTING EDGES), algorithmic mediation studies (YouNDigital, AIDiAL), and computer vision for sign language recognition. Governance was refreshed in 2025 with a new External Advisory Board (2025-2029), and three CICANT-led projects received the highest "Excellent" rating from FCT in 2024, supporting continued eligibility for European and national competitive funding.

Name

CICANT - Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies

Legal name

CICANT – Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture and New Technologies

Website

https://cicant.ulusofona.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CICANT is a non-profit university research center at Universidade Lusófona (Lisbon and Porto) that conducts interdisciplinary research on media, communication, culture, and digital technologies, publishes five open-access journals, and trains doctoral and master's students through European-funded projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE), Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Applied communication research
• Media literacy research
• Media arts research
• Academic publishing services
• Doctoral research training

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CICANT is a university research centre that conducts interdisciplinary applied research in communication, culture, media, and digital technologies, organised around two axes: Media, Society and Literacies (MSL) and Media Arts, Creative Industries and Technologies (MACIT). It delivers research outputs through five peer-reviewed open-access journals, a book series, specialised research labs, doctoral and master's training, and knowledge transfer services to industry, cultural organisations, and public bodies.

Product overview

CICANT operates as a university research center (not a commercial software company) offering a portfolio of five open-access academic journals (IJFMA, IJSIM, IJGSI, IJMS, Caleidoscópio), a book series (CICANT eBooks/Book Series), and specialized research laboratories (MeLCi Lab, MagLab, Early Visual Media Lab, Pop-up Labs). The MeLCi Lab serves as the primary technology-oriented lab, conducting AI and media literacy research including AI literacy, chatbots, and sign language recognition. These offerings are interconnected through CICANT's research infrastructure, with journals and books serving as dissemination channels for lab-generated research, and labs providing the technical capacity for projects involving AI, immersive media, and digital literacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IJFMA - International Journal of Film and Media Arts Open-access, semiannual peer-reviewed journal covering animation, television, media arts, and videogames; for academic researchers and media arts professionals.
• IJSIM - International Journal on Stereo & Immersive Media Open-access, double-blind peer-reviewed journal reflecting on immersive media culture from historical, critical, and contemporary perspectives; for academic researchers in immersive and stereoscopic media.
• IJGSI - International Journal of Games and Social Impact Semiannual open-access journal focused on games research and critique on social change, inclusion, education, and human rights; for academic researchers and game studies professionals.
• IJMS - International Journal of Magazine Studies Open-access, double-blind peer-reviewed journal publishing articles in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish on the evolving nature and significance of magazine formats; for magazine studies scholars.
• Caleidoscópio - Communication and Culture Journal CICANT-affiliated academic journal covering communication and culture studies.
• CICANT Book Series / eBooks Published eBooks including the YouNDigital Toolkit, ethics in research with children guides, No Barriers employment strategies, Pandemic Memories, and Media Literacy and Assistive Technologies for Autism; for academic and professional readers.
• Doctoral Programmes Doctoral training in communication, media, and digital technologies offered at Universidade Lusófona campuses; for prospective PhD candidates.
• Master's Degree Programmes Master's programs including Communication Networks and Media/Digital Citizenship; for graduate students in communication, media, and digital citizenship.
• Knowledge Transfer Services Artistic residencies, exhibitions, festivals, film/documentaries, performances, podcasts, webinars, and workshops/training delivered to industry, cultural organisations, and public bodies.
• MeLCi Lab Training Schools (Autumn and Summer Schools) Annual training schools on AI applications in communication and media research, including the VI MeLCi Lab Autumn School 2026 and the MeLCi Lab Summer School 2026; for researchers, doctoral candidates, and media professionals.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Universidade LusófonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution providing administrative, infrastructure, and academic support for CICANT's research activities at campuses in Lisbon and Porto. CICANT is part of COFAC/Universidade Lusófona.
• ECREA (European Communication Research and Education Association)coreOthersInstitutional membership providing access to European communication research networks and conferences
• CILEETcoreOthersInstitutional membership in international communication and media education association
• SOPCom (Portuguese Communication Association)coreOthersInstitutional membership in national communication association
• ELIA (European League of Institutes of the Arts)coreOthersInstitutional membership in European arts institutions network
• IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communication Research)coreOthersInstitutional membership in international media and communication research association
• FilmEU AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Universities Alliance for Film and Media Arts. CICANT participates through Lusófona University in consortium with 7 other European institutions including Luca School of Arts (Belgium), Tallinn University (Estonia), and others.
• Universidade de ÉvoramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in DigiPlArt project on digital platform artistic visualities
• Universidade do MinhomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in DigiPlArt project on digital platform artistic visualities
• University of TurkumajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational consortium partner in DigiPlArt project
• Turku University of Applied SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead consortium partner in CUTTING EDGES project on virtual production and AI in audiovisual production
• Direção-Geral de Educação (DGE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtocol partner for Clubs de Informação e Comunicação (Information and Communication Clubs) initiative supporting media literacy in schools
• Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude (IPDJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtocol partner for youth-oriented research and cultural initiatives
• PúblicominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia partnership for news literacy and journalism education initiatives
• Queen Mary University of LondonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership for research collaboration and exchange
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership with Brazilian university for Lusophone research collaboration

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights11 records

Direct peers

• ICNOVA - Instituto de Comunicação da Nova: Lisbon-based research centre at Universidade Nova de Lisboa focused on communication studies; directly comparable as a Portuguese non-profit academic research unit covering journalism, media, and digital cultures.
• CECC - Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Cultura: Research centre at Universidade Católica Portuguesa dedicated to communication and culture studies; closely comparable as a Portuguese academic research unit with FCT-evaluated status and similar thematic focus on media and cultural studies.
• LabCom - Laboratório de Comunicação e Conteúdos Online: Portuguese research unit at Universidade da Beira Interior focused on online communication and digital content; comparable as a small-to-midsize FCT-evaluated research centre with overlapping media/communication research lines.
• Erasmus Research Centre for Media, Communication and Culture (ERMeCC): Research centre at Erasmus University Rotterdam studying media, communication and culture; directly comparable as an established European academic research unit with similar interdisciplinary media/communication mandate.
• Centre for Media Studies, Stockholm University: Nordic academic research environment in media and communication studies; comparable as a European university-based research group with overlapping media literacy, journalism, and digital culture research.
• Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London: UK university department with overlapping research in media, communication, and cultural studies; comparable as a European academic research environment with similar interdisciplinary orientation and journal-publishing activity.

Broad incumbents

• Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California: One of the largest and most established US schools of communication research; comparable as a comprehensive academic research environment covering media, communication, and journalism, though operating at much larger scale and with broader scope.
• ELIA - European League of Institutes of the Arts: European network of arts and media higher education institutions; comparable as a broader institutional ecosystem where CICANT participates, with overlapping arts and media research orientation.

Emerging players

• Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society: German research institute studying digital society, internet policy, and media literacy; comparable as a publicly-funded interdisciplinary research organization examining digital transformation, AI, and societal impact.

Others

• IAMCR - International Association for Media and Communication Research: Global professional association for media and communication research; comparable as a peer ecosystem where CICANT holds institutional membership, with overlapping scholarly publishing and conference activities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CICANT - Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies