Besides recruiting post-doctoral scholarship holders, through an international public tender, in the areas of Archaeozoology and Geoarcheology, the work team, laboratory and documentary technical equipment and projects from the Palaeobotanic nucleus (operating informally in the Museum, Laboratory and Botanical Garden of the Classical University of Lisbon) were transferred to the IPA/CIPA. Two other nuclei were added later: Lithic Paleotechnology and Bioantropology. The Centre was entitled to a building, a budget, a number of technical and scientific appliances, documentary infrastructure, and reference collections. Apart from producing knowledge in different speciality areas, either resulting from specific problems or within pilot projects (Côa Valley and Lapedo Valley), the CIPA team developed experimental projects, organised training and dissemination activities, participated in the design and development of programmes and museum projects, and organised scientific and educational activities.
After the IGESPAR was set up, DIED was charged with the responsibilities contemplated in clauses a) to q), of article 3, No. 1, of the Ministerial Order no. 376/2007 of 30 March. They contemplate the following CIPA’s initial research areas and programme objectives:
a) to promote the development of studies and training activities in architectural and archaeological heritage areas;
f) to propose and coordinate cooperation with educational and research areas in the areas attributed to IGESPAR;
j) to provide consultancy and technical support services;
l) to encourage collaboration with research units specialised in natural and exact sciences applied to archaeology;
m) to promote the development of the archaeological activity in its different aspects through the introduction of new work practices and methodologies, as well as research;
n) to develop actions in cooperation with other public or private bodies so as to promote preventive archaeology through project structures;
o) to support and develop priority intervention lines for the archaeological heritage;
p) to support and monitor the development of the archaeological activity within the Ministry of Culture’s different departments;
q) to promote the training and updating of professional staff in priority archaeological areas or those showing shortages;
Currently, the IPA/CIPA only operates in three Archaeological science laboratories – Archaeozoology, Palaeobotanics and Lithic Paleotechnology – as well as a Scientific Photography Nucleus. Each one of them works in collaboration with external researchers as a Centre for the development of Archaeological science research projects.





