The mission of Iscte is to create and convey scientific knowledge according to the best international standards, training highly skilled professionals, mainly at the postgraduate level, in the areas of management, information technology and architecture, social sciences and public policy, for the advancement of society.

This mission is achieved by improving the research-teaching nexus with a strong applied focus, by fostering multidisciplinary learning, and by maximizing the interplay between entrepreneurship, technology and innovation to prepare competent professionals able to deal effectively with the forthcoming challenges of society, within profit and non-profit organizations.

The three main vectors of this mission - research, teaching and learning, and service provided to community - embody the vision of Iscte as a research university focused on continuous improvement dynamics of the institution in the various fields of its management and activity, such as:

• A board of highly skilled faculty and researchers representing the best international standards;
• The internationalization of research, teaching and knowledge transfer, and the academic mobility of faculty members and students, which fulfills the integration of Iscte in international research and education networks;
• The transfer and exchange of the produced scientific and technological knowledge, particularly through development of products, provision of services to society, lifelong education and promotion of entrepreneurship and employability; 
• The implementation and promotion of activities that grant access and fruition of cultural and scientific goods to individual users and groups inside and outside Iscte;
• The continuous interaction with society, contributing to the analysis and resolution of problems at national and local levels, as well as establishment of partnerships with organizations committed to the cultural, social and economic development of the country;
• The professionalization of infrastructure management and qualification by means of creating a culture of excellence that provides effective support to research, teaching and knowledge transfer activities in order to ensure institutional sustainability.