diff --git a/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/rstudio_wrapper_portlet/server/RStudioServiceImpl.java b/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/rstudio_wrapper_portlet/server/RStudioServiceImpl.java
index ccb1675..ad20cc3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/rstudio_wrapper_portlet/server/RStudioServiceImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/gcube/portlets/user/rstudio_wrapper_portlet/server/RStudioServiceImpl.java
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ public class RStudioServiceImpl extends RemoteServiceServlet implements RStudioS
 		return toReturn;
 	}
 
-	
+
 	/**
 	 * new method
 	 * @param pContext
@@ -169,66 +169,72 @@ public class RStudioServiceImpl extends RemoteServiceServlet implements RStudioS
 	 * @param token
 	 * @return
 	 */
-	private String getRStudioGCoreEndpoint(PortalContext pContext, long userId, GCubeUser curUser, String scope, String token) {
+	private String getRStudioGCoreEndpoint(PortalContext pContext, long userId, GCubeUser curUser, String context, String token) {
 		String toReturn = "";
 		UserManager um = new LiferayUserManager();
 		_log.debug("Checking if user " + curUser.getFullname() + " has already an RStudio Instance set ... ");
 		String hostedOnSet = null;
 		try {
-			//check if an RStudio instance was previously set (RETRO-COMPATIBILY)
-			if (um.readCustomAttr(userId, RSTUDIO_URL) != null && um.readCustomAttr(userId, RSTUDIO_URL).toString().compareTo("") != 0) {
-				_log.debug("User had already an RStudio Instance set, upgrading to new version ");
-				hostedOnSet = (String) um.readCustomAttr(userId, RSTUDIO_URL);
-				writeRStudioInstanceInScope(um, curUser, scope, hostedOnSet);
-				um.saveCustomAttr(userId, RSTUDIO_URL, ""); //reset the old value to blank so that from now on it will read from the new  field
-			}
-			hostedOnSet = getUserRStudioInstances(um,curUser).get(scope);
-			_log.info("**** Checking if the user instance " + hostedOnSet+" exists in the VO for this VRE: " + scope);
+			Map<String, String> userRStudioInstances = getUserRStudioInstances(um, curUser);
+			hostedOnSet = userRStudioInstances.get(context);
+			_log.info("**** Checking if the user instance " + hostedOnSet+" exists in the VO for this VRE: " + context);
 			//if the instance exists and is still available in the given context
-			List<GCoreEndpoint> gCoreResources = getRStudioGCoreEndpoints(scope);
+			List<GCoreEndpoint> gCoreResources = getRStudioGCoreEndpoints(context);
 			if (hostedOnSet != null && checkRStudioGCoreInstanceExistence(curUser, hostedOnSet, gCoreResources) ) {
 				toReturn = getRConnectorURL(hostedOnSet, token);
 				_log.info("User " + curUser.getFullname() + " has RStudio Instance set and is valid, returning rConnector URL " + toReturn);					
 			}
 			else {//need to find the RStudio
-				_log.info("User " + curUser.getFullname() + " DOES NOT have RStudio Instance set or the instance previous set no longer exists, calculating allocation ... ");
-				HashMap<String, Integer> rStudioDistributionMap = new HashMap<>();
-				for (GCoreEndpoint res : gCoreResources) {
-					String hostedOn = extractGCoreEndpointHostAndPort(res);
-					rStudioDistributionMap.put(hostedOn, 0);
+				//check first if there is an instance allocated on another scope
+				_log.info("User " + curUser.getFullname() + " DOES NOT have RStudio Instance set for this context "+context + " check if she as an instance assigned on another context");
+				if (! userRStudioInstances.isEmpty()) {
+					String theFirstInstance = userRStudioInstances.values().iterator().next();
+					toReturn = getRConnectorURL(theFirstInstance, token);
+					_log.info("Found instance: "+ theFirstInstance);
+					writeRStudioInstanceInScope(um, curUser, context, theFirstInstance);
+					_log.debug("User " + curUser.getFullname() + " RStudio gCore Instance set reused = " + theFirstInstance + " for new context " + context);
 				}
-				List<GCubeUser> vreUsers = um.listUsersByGroup(pContext.getCurrentGroupId(getThreadLocalRequest()), false);
-				_log.debug("VRE " + scope + " has totalUsers = " + vreUsers.size());
-				for (GCubeUser gCubeUser : vreUsers) {
-					if (getUserRStudioInstances(um,gCubeUser).get(scope) != null) {
-						String hostedOn = getUserRStudioInstances(um,gCubeUser).get(scope);
-						if (rStudioDistributionMap.containsKey(hostedOn)) {
-							int noToSet = rStudioDistributionMap.get(hostedOn)+1;
-							rStudioDistributionMap.put(hostedOn, noToSet);
+				else { 	//no instance allocated on another scope
+					_log.info("User " + curUser.getFullname() + " DOES NOT have RStudio Instance set or the instance previous set no longer exists, calculating allocation ... ");
+
+					HashMap<String, Integer> rStudioDistributionMap = new HashMap<>();
+					for (GCoreEndpoint res : gCoreResources) {
+						String hostedOn = extractGCoreEndpointHostAndPort(res);
+						rStudioDistributionMap.put(hostedOn, 0);
+					}
+					List<GCubeUser> vreUsers = um.listUsersByGroup(pContext.getCurrentGroupId(getThreadLocalRequest()), false);
+					_log.debug("VRE " + context + " has totalUsers = " + vreUsers.size());
+					for (GCubeUser gCubeUser : vreUsers) {
+						if (getUserRStudioInstances(um,gCubeUser).get(context) != null) {
+							String hostedOn = getUserRStudioInstances(um,gCubeUser).get(context);
+							if (rStudioDistributionMap.containsKey(hostedOn)) {
+								int noToSet = rStudioDistributionMap.get(hostedOn)+1;
+								rStudioDistributionMap.put(hostedOn, noToSet);
+							}
 						}
 					}
-				}
-				_log.debug("VRE - RStudio allocaiton map as follows: ");
-				int min = 0;
-				int i = 0;
-				String host2Select = "";
-				for (String host : rStudioDistributionMap.keySet()) {
-					_log.debug("Host " + host + " has # users=" + rStudioDistributionMap.get(host));
-					if (i==0) {
-						host2Select =  host;
-						min = rStudioDistributionMap.get(host);
-					} else {
-						int usersNo = rStudioDistributionMap.get(host);
-						if (usersNo < min) {
-							_log.debug("Host " + host + " has LESS users than " + host2Select + " updating");
-							host2Select = host;
+					_log.debug("VRE - RStudio allocaiton map as follows: ");
+					int min = 0;
+					int i = 0;
+					String host2Select = "";
+					for (String host : rStudioDistributionMap.keySet()) {
+						_log.debug("Host " + host + " has # users=" + rStudioDistributionMap.get(host));
+						if (i==0) {
+							host2Select =  host;
+							min = rStudioDistributionMap.get(host);
+						} else {
+							int usersNo = rStudioDistributionMap.get(host);
+							if (usersNo < min) {
+								_log.debug("Host " + host + " has LESS users than " + host2Select + " updating");
+								host2Select = host;
+							}
 						}
+						i++;						
 					}
-					i++;						
+					writeRStudioInstanceInScope(um, curUser, context, host2Select);
+					_log.debug("User " + curUser.getFullname() + " RStudio gCore Instance set calculated = " + host2Select + " for context " + context);
+					toReturn = getRConnectorURL(host2Select, token);					
 				}
-				writeRStudioInstanceInScope(um, curUser, scope, host2Select);
-				_log.debug("User " + curUser.getFullname() + " RStudio gCore Instance set calculated = " + host2Select + " for context " + scope);
-				toReturn = getRConnectorURL(host2Select, token);
 				_log.debug("User " + curUser.getFullname() + " has RStudio gCore Instance set, returning rConnector URL " + toReturn);
 			}