ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

Their core work

Addis Ababa University is Ethiopia's flagship research university, contributing African perspectives and ground-level data to large European research consortia. Their H2020 work centers on migration and displacement studies, climate adaptation in the Horn of Africa, and African food systems development. They bring essential local knowledge, field research capacity, and regional networks that European-led projects need to produce credible results on African development challenges.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

AAU's early H2020 involvement (2015–2018) focused on diaspora economics, slavery heritage, and humanitarian displacement — largely historical and social science topics connected to African identity and mobility. From 2019 onward, the portfolio shifted decisively toward applied challenges: climate-migration modeling, renewable energy partnerships, sustainable food systems, and biological sciences. This evolution reflects a move from descriptive social research toward action-oriented work on climate resilience, food security, and Africa-EU cooperation.

AAU is positioning itself as the go-to African university partner for applied climate adaptation, food system transformation, and EU-Africa research cooperation — moving beyond purely academic social science.

How they like to work

AAU never coordinates H2020 projects — all 13 participations are as partner or third party, typically in large consortia (245 unique partners across 62 countries). This makes them an accessible, low-friction partner: they bring African field capacity and local knowledge without competing for coordination roles. Their wide network across dozens of countries suggests they are a trusted node in Africa-focused research, frequently invited by different European consortia rather than tied to a single lead institution.

With 245 unique consortium partners across 62 countries, AAU has one of the broadest geographic networks of any African H2020 participant. Their connections span Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East, making them a bridge institution for any consortium needing African research presence.

What sets them apart

AAU is Ethiopia's most internationally connected university and one of the few sub-Saharan African institutions with sustained H2020 participation across multiple thematic areas. For any consortium that needs credible African field research — whether on climate migration, food systems, water resources, or governance — AAU provides institutional legitimacy, local research infrastructure, and established relationships with communities and governments across the Horn of Africa. Their breadth across social sciences, natural sciences, and applied research is unusual for an African H2020 partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• InnoFoodAfrica
  AAU's largest single grant (EUR 202,500) — co-developing plant-based food value chains for sustainable African food systems, directly relevant to agribusiness.
• HABITABLE
  Major climate-migration project (EUR 180,688 to AAU) linking climate science with social tipping points — high policy relevance for climate adaptation planning.
• NGTax
  An ERC Advanced Grant on ciliate taxonomy and microbial symbiosis — a surprising pivot into hard biological sciences, signaling expanding research capacity.