Pillar 01
Research
understand systemsWe study how communities, ecosystems, and regional networks work. These are the entities shaping trust, collaboration, and resilience.
The approach
Turning ecosystems into shared understanding
Research as a way of making sense of what's actually happening, by working directly with grassroots, offline communities and ESOs.
Embedded
We work inside communities and ecosystems over time, not through one-off surveys or second-hand data.
Patterns across regions
We look for dynamics that appear across different contexts, to understand what makes one ecosystem adaptive that others aren't.
Built to be used
Research measured by its impact on community coordination and practice.
What we produce
Research outputs
Reports & essays
Long-form analysis. We do deep dives and look for factors normally overlooked and not collected.
Frameworks & models
Reusable mental models for understanding participation systems, trust dynamics, and coordination patterns.
Ecosystem maps & datasets
Visual and open data representations of real ecosystems.
Strategic analysis for partners
Tailored deep dives for ecosystem builders and funders who need specific insight.
Selected work
Recent research
Global Ecosystem Map
Interactive map of founders, communities, organisations, and connectors across the world.
Venues Map
A map of the physical spaces where communities gather, like coworking, event venues, and informal hubs.
Community Map
Art installation of communities in the Algarve ecosystem and how they are connected.
Focus areas
Commission research
Funders, agencies, and program operators commission us to evaluate a program against comparable ones — and to answer the questions their own reporting obligations put to them. Evaluations typically run €15,000–50,000 over 6–10 weeks.
Not commissioning yet? Follow our signals or read the manifesto.