OLISSIPO – Fostering Computational Biology Research and Innovation in Lisbon – is an international research project funded by the European Commission within its H2020 Research and Innovation programme “Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation – Twinning”. Its main aim is to enhance the competences in Computational Biology at INESC-ID (Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Lisboa), which, due to their strong link, will easily be extended to Instituto Superior Técnico/Universidade de Lisboa, towards the creation of an international pole of excellence in multi-disciplinary science in Portugal. More specifically, OLISSIPO will enhance INESC-ID research profile and innovation competence in Computational Biology, provide training to staff and Early Stage Researchers to build critical mass at the interface of computer science and health research and strengthen the collaborative network between the Twinning partners. The OLISSIPO institutions will reinforce their expertise in theoretical modeling, computer science and statistical learning and with direct impact on biology, medicine and health applications. These correspond to research topics such as single-cell analysis, modeling and simulation; mathematical modeling of inter-cell and communities’ interactions; computational phylogenetics of cells and communities; and translational bioinformatics, data management and software development. This project will also support regional initiatives under the SMART specialization strategy for Lisbon and Portugal.