The INDEST is an own institute of the University of Lleida (UdL) that focuses in the investigation of social sciences and humanities. In this sense, and for this first Congress, in this it will be deepened in the four major research topics that the institute agglutinates to cover the wide range of areas of knowledge that unites the institute. The description and objectives of these four research topics are:

• T1. Sustainable socio-economic and territorial activity

The objective of this topic is the interdisciplinary study of the sustainability of the various social, economic, legal, communicative, political, historical, linguistic, patrimonial, educational, tourist, etc. actions that can be carried out on a community or territory. Sustainability has not only an environmental and ecological aspect, but also social aspect. Therefore, the interrelation between the two mentioned aspects is necessary to have a sustainable socio-economic and territorial activity.

• T2. Mobilisations, transitions and social relations

This topic focuses on the study of the social, economic, historical, legal, communicative, educational, technological and cultural processes that imply the geographical displacement of individuals with different purposes, from the forced displacement by a situation of beautiful conflict to tourism, through mobility circumstances of students such as economic migration and academic mobility of students.

• T3. Leisure society and cultural consumption

Included within this topic is theoretical and applied research on a wide range of human activities that are part of what could be defined as a leisure society or culture, including communication, literature, visual arts, tourism, history, education, cultural, informal and virtual cultural activities, urban and rural recreation, sport and outdoor activities or festive events. Leisure has a social context and, therefore, must be studied in relation to the political, social, educational, economic, legal, linguistic and cultural elements that make up this context.

• T4. Generations: childhood, youth and aging

The objective of this research topic is the interdisciplinary study of the stages of life, from its economic, legal, communicative, linguistic, historical, technological, social, cultural and educational aspects. Children, youth and aging are processes and a situation that is common to our present and future societies. Therefore, the study of the generational components of a human group becomes a socio-economic, cultural and educational need for social and territorial development.