BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

Their core work

Colorado State University is a major US research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, that serves primarily as a third-party host institution for EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellows and research exchanges. Their H2020 involvement spans diverse fields — from synthetic chemistry and metalloenzyme design to mathematical physics and soil science — reflecting the breadth of departments that host visiting European researchers. Rather than driving EU project agendas, they provide world-class lab facilities, supervisory expertise, and a transatlantic research dimension that strengthens European fellowship applications.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early involvement (2015-2017) centered on experimental chemistry, specifically metalloenzyme design for catalysis (METENZ), alongside agricultural soil science (CIRCASA). From 2018 onward, the focus shifted toward pure mathematics — integrable systems, random matrices, and Painlevé equations (IPaDEGAN) — and microbiology (LEPVORS). This scatter across unrelated fields is characteristic of a large university hosting individual MSCA fellows across different departments rather than pursuing a unified EU research strategy.

No clear directional trend — their EU participation is driven by whichever departments attract MSCA fellows, making future topics unpredictable but broadly versatile.

How they like to work

Colorado State almost exclusively participates as a third party (4 of 5 projects), meaning they are named as a secondment host rather than a full consortium member. They have never coordinated an H2020 project. Despite this light-touch involvement, they connect to 35 unique partners across 20 countries, reflecting the wide international networks that MSCA mobility actions create. Working with them means hosting arrangements for researcher mobility rather than deep co-development partnerships.

Connected to 35 partners across 20 countries through MSCA mobility actions, giving them a remarkably broad but shallow network for an institution with only 5 projects. Geographic reach is truly global, spanning Europe and beyond as a US-based host institution.

What sets them apart

As a US-based research university, Colorado State offers something most H2020 partners cannot: a transatlantic secondment destination with strong departments in agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, and life sciences. For MSCA applicants, listing CSU as a third-party host adds international credibility and access to American research infrastructure. Their value lies not in EU project management experience but in providing a prestigious non-European research environment for fellowship mobility.

Highlights from their portfolio

• IPaDEGAN
  A 5-year MSCA-RISE staff exchange (2018-2023) in mathematical physics — the longest-running and most recent project, suggesting sustained departmental interest in EU mobility.
• CIRCASA
  Their only project as a direct participant (not third party), a Coordination & Support Action on soil carbon sequestration — signals genuine institutional engagement with agricultural sustainability research.