CISA Centro de Investigación Social Aplicada UMA

What CISA Centro de Investigación Social Aplicada UMA does

CISA (Centro de Investigación Social Aplicada) is an applied social research center established in 2020 and structurally embedded within the Universidad de Málaga (UMA), operating from the Ada Byron Research Building on the Campus de Teatinos. It serves public administrations, foundations, and academic institutions — primarily in Andalusia — with mixed-method social research that combines traditional survey instruments (its flagship Encuesta Social Malagueña, ESMA, conducted in at least four editions since 2020) with big data analytics, social network analysis, and AI-assisted opinion mining and sentiment analysis. Its research lines span health and aging, leisure and quality of life, innovation and ICT, social networks and family, security and gender violence, and electoral sociology.

The center's core offerings are an I+D+I research service line, a Consultoría (consulting) line, a Digital Society Network focused on smart cities and urban sustainability, and a Banco de Datos (data bank) that exposes survey microdata on request. Technically, CISA operates a Multichannel Survey-Big Data Laboratory and a Communication and Qualitative Analysis Laboratory, and develops AI capabilities including anomaly detection, knowledge retrieval / reputation intelligence, predictive analytics, and multi-criteria decision optimization co-developed with international partners.

CISA's revenue mechanics are non-commercial: it acquires work through competitive public funding calls (Spanish Plan Nacional I+D, regional PAIDI programs, FEDER co-financed projects such as PID2020-115673RB-I00 and UMA20-FEDERJA-015) and through direct commissioned research from institutional clients including Junta de Andalucía-linked foundations and Fundación BBVA. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and no commercial sales motion exists; the go-to-market is event-driven and relationally negotiated with public-sector counterparties.

Name

CISA Centro de Investigación Social Aplicada UMA

Legal name

Centro de Investigación Social Aplicada de la Universidad de Málaga (CISA)

Website

https://cisa.uma.es

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CISA is an applied social research center at the Universidad de Málaga that combines traditional surveys with big data and social network analysis to serve Andalusian public administrations, foundations, and academic institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Applied Social Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

Keywords

• Applied social research
• Social survey services
• Big data analytics
• Public opinion research
• Academic consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Málaga

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public research grants and project funding: Funded through competitive national (Plan Nacional I+D) and regional (PAIDI) research grant programs, including FEDER-funded projects. Project references include PID2020-115673RB-I00 (La emoción racional a través de redes de sociabilidad presenciales y ecosistemas digitales) and UMA20-FEDERJA-015.
2. Commissioned research and consultancy services: CISA provides consultancy and applied research services to public administrations, foundations (Fundación BBVA, Fundación Pública Andaluza Centro de Estudios Andaluces), and other institutional clients. This covers deliverables such as surveys, reports, and data analyses commissioned by government and third-sector organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CISA is a university-affiliated applied social research center that conducts commissioned social surveys (notably the Encuesta Social Malagueña / ESMA), applied research combining traditional methods (surveys, interviews) with big data and social network analysis, and consulting services for public administrations, foundations, and academic partners. Its core deliverables include longitudinal regional social datasets, opinion mining reports, peer-reviewed publications, and consultancy on digital society, family, health, and civic participation in Andalusia.

Product overview

CISA (Centro de Investigación Social Aplicada) is a research center at Universidad de Málaga offering a portfolio of applied social research services centered around its core survey product, the Encuesta Social Malagueña (ESMA), combined with I+D+I research services, consulting, and a data bank. The center differentiates itself by combining traditional sociological methods (surveys, interviews) with advanced technologies including big data analysis, social network analysis, and AI-powered opinion mining and sentiment analysis. Its Digital Society Network provides a collaborative framework for research on digital transformation and urban sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Encuesta Social Malagueña (ESMA) Annual social survey of Malaga residents providing statistical data on opinions, attitudes, and social behaviors; multiple editions (ESMA 2021, ESMA 2023) supply longitudinal data on well-being, family, digital habits, and civic participation in Andalusia.
• I+D+I (Research, Development and Innovation Services) Applied social research services combining traditional methods (surveys, interviews) with advanced technologies including big data analysis and social network analysis, delivered to public institutions and foundations.
• Consultoría (Consulting Services) Professional consulting services for applied social research, data analysis, and methodological support for research projects commissioned by public administrations and foundations.
• Digital Society Network Research network focusing on digital society research, including studies on society digitalization and smart cities for sustainability decision-making.
• Banco de Datos (Data Bank) Repository of research microdata available upon request, containing survey data from CISA's various social research projects, with a dedicated request form on the CISA website.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, key and core.

• Alejandro PortesminorOthers · 9 October 2024Alejandro Portes, one of the most influential figures in migration studies and recipient of the Premio Princesa de Asturias de Ciencias Sociales 2019 and Doctor Honoris Causa from UMA, participated as a guest speaker in CISA's International Forum on Digital Society and Cities of the Future (October 2024), contributing academic prestige to the event.
• Luis G. Vargas (Universidad de Pittsburgh)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2024Professor Luis G. Vargas from the Universidad de Pittsburgh and Director of the Centro Internacional de Resolución de Conflictos participated in CISA's forum, contributing expertise in decision-making, artificial intelligence, and urban sustainability planning. Co-authors papers with CISA researchers (Peláez-Sánchez, Vaccaro Witt et al.) on decision-making methodologies and social media analysis.
• Asociación Andaluza de Sociología (AAS)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2024The Asociación Andaluza de Sociología (AAS) collaborates with CISA on the organization of academic events, including the 'Jornadas de Difusión: Sociedad Digital y Ciudades del Futuro' (October 2024) and the Día Andaluz de la Sociología (November 2024). AAS is also involved in awarding quality recognitions to outstanding sociological research works in the Andalusian region.
• Universidad de Málaga (UMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCISA is an official research center of the Universidad de Málaga. The university provides institutional affiliation, academic oversight, facilities (Ada Byron building), and administrative support. CISA's director Félix Requena and other researchers hold academic positions at UMA. The partnership is fundamental to the center's operations and identity.
• Fundación BBVAkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerFundación BBVA collaborated with CISA researchers (Requena and Ayuso as editors) on the publication 'La Gestión de la intimidad en la Sociedad Digital. Parejas y rupturas en la España actual' (2022), a research book on intimacy management and couple separations in contemporary Spain.
• Fundación Pública Andaluza Centro de Estudios Andaluces (Junta de Andalucía)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fundación Pública Andaluza Centro de Estudios Andaluces commissioned CISA researchers to produce multiple surveys and reports, including 'Jóvenes andaluces 2021', 'Los cuidados y la conciliación de la vida laboral y familiar en Andalucía', and 'La realidad familiar en Andalucía'. These projects represent significant commissioned research engagements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Sigma Dos: One of Spain's longest-established polling firms, performing election studies, social barometers, and commissioned surveys. Comparable in combining survey research with public-sector commissioning, though with a primarily commercial business model.
• GAD3: Spanish socioeconomic and political research firm producing large-scale surveys and sociological studies. Comparable in mixing traditional polling with social research, but with broader national reach and commercial client base.
• Metroscopia: A leading Spanish polling and market research firm conducting national opinion studies and social research. Comparable in survey methodology and impact but commercially oriented and operating at national scale.
• Ipsos Spain: Spain operations of global market research firm Ipsos, conducting public opinion polling and social research. Comparable in offering large-scale survey capabilities plus analytical services, but with a global commercial infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Instituto de Estudios Sociales Avanzados (IESA-CSIC): A CSIC-affiliated social research institute based in Andalusia, conducting applied social research on regional dynamics, public opinion, and electoral sociology. CISA co-publishes and operates in overlapping thematic domains (family, digital society, civic participation) within the same geography.
• Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS): Spain's national public opinion research center, conducting national-level social surveys and serving as the country's primary government-linked sociology research body. Directly comparable to CISA in combining survey methodology with government commissioning, but operating at national rather than regional scale.
• Centro de Estudios Andaluces: A Junta de Andalucía public foundation commissioning applied social research on Andalusia. Overlaps with CISA as both a partner and a comparable commissioned-research entity serving the same regional government client base.

Others

• Fundación BBVA: Spanish foundation funding social research and publishing major studies. Already a partner of CISA (publication of 2022 book) and a comparable enabler/funding counterpart rather than a competitor.
• Asociación Andaluza de Sociología (AAS): Regional sociological association that co-organizes CISA's academic events (Día Andaluz de la Sociología). Comparable as a peer academic body within the Andalusian sociology ecosystem, though focused on member services rather than applied research.

Emerging players

• Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) – Universidad de Málaga: Other UMA-affiliated research entities that CISA can collaborate with on university-wide projects. Comparable as embedded academic research units within the same institution, though with different disciplinary focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCH1LI7_LeVYfV3BvGWM6zww
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centro-de-investigaci%C3%B3n-social-aplicada-cisa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 CISA Centro de Investigación Social Aplicada UMA