LEAF was created in 2013 from the merging of four previous R&D Units of Instituto Superior de Agronomia

• CBAA-Centro de Botânica Aplicada à Agricultura
• CEER-Centro de Engenharia dos Biossistemas
• CEAPCC- Centro de Estudos de Arquitetura Paisagista "Prof. Francisco Caldeira Cabral"
• UIQA-Unidade de Investigação em Química Ambiental>

Synergies among researchers were reinforced.

In 2020 the merging was complete. Started the work on the fusion of the groups to achieve foccus on the distinctive areas of competence.