The SMEL Network (Socio Management & Economic Lusophone) was established as a research group, under the inter-institutional agreement signed for the first time in 2010, by the initiative of Professor Cristina Parente (University of Porto) and Professor Allan Barbosa (Federal University of Minas Gerais) who, since then, have ensured the coordination and promotion of the research and teaching project "Socio-economic development in a comparative perspective between Portugal and Brazil".

Networks' consolidation and expansion have been based on the exchange of teachers and students from both countries, with a predominance of Brazilian graduate students coming to the University of Porto hosted by the Institute of Sociology of the University of Porto (IS-UP).

The SMEL Network, formalized in 2019, results from the collaborative consolidation of relationships between many professors, graduate students, and researchers extended to various institutions over the years. That has been achieved mainly through postgraduate training in thematic areas that mobilize the crossing of interdisciplinary knowledge between Sociology, Economics, and Management.

Besides the members of IS-UP (listed below), the exchange work developed has been led by some members of Brazilian universities founders of the SMEL network, particularly Ana Hermeto and Frederico G. Jayme Jr of the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Noteworthy are members of other Brazilian teaching and research organizations that are members of the SMEL network, Glauciene Silva Martins from the Federal Center of Technological Education of Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG), Naldeir dos Santos Vieira from the Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys (UFVJM), Marcus Vinicius Cruz  from João Pinheiro Foundation (FJP), Amyra Sarsur  also from Fundação João Pinheiro (FJP) and GEDI/PUC Minas, Wilson Amorim from University of São Paulo (USP), José Roberto Pereira and Stefania Becattini Vaccaro  from Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Reginaldo de Jesus Carvalho Lima from Fundação Pedro Leopoldo (FPL) and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Anielson Barbosa da Silva from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Vitor Garcia Miranda from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS). In Portugal, researchers Viviana Meirinhos and Ana Claudia Rodrigues from the Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e administração do Politécnico do Porto (ISCAP) are also part of this network. 

The SMEL Network has developed in its trajectory three international Seminars held in 2018, 2019, and 2022 (programs below) at the University of Porto with the attendance of its members and guests. In addition, it is highlighted the publication in 2019 of the work intituled “Sociologia, Gestão e Economia: diálogos transversais entre Brasil e Portugal” (Sociology, Management, and Economics: transversal dialogues between Brazil and Portugal) authored by several network members.

The SMEL Network intends to deepen the work developed a decade ago and strengthen its training and research capacity by incorporating new institutions and strengthening the partnership networks with new faculty and student members.