The Social Investment Laboratory was launched with the objective to establish a research unit with an applied excellence in the area of Social Investment. The concept of social investment ranges from the social mission of philanthropy to the financial investment models that measure returns (in this case, the social benefits). The Laboratory supports the development and growth of such innovative social projects and allocates societal resources to the social economic sector in an efficient, effective, and sustainable way. The Laboratory is promoted by the Institute of Social Entrepreneurship (Instituto de Empreendedorismo Social) in partnership with Social Finance UK, an internationally-acclaimed institution in the field of partnership and collaboration agreements established with national and foreign business schools and universities. This partnership will allow for the exchange of a wide range of skills and knowledge about social investment and its adaptation to the national context.

The project launched on February 25^th, 2014 at the Gulbenkian Foundation and included the participation of over 400 people in a conference and policy workshops. The first three research publications were titled Glossary for the converging economy (Glossário para a economia convergente), The Fundamentals of Social Investment (Fundamentos do Investimento Social), and Bonds of Social Impact (Títulos de Impacto Social).