BRITISH SCHOOL AT ATHENS

Their core work

The British School at Athens is a long-established UK-based research institute focused on the archaeology and history of Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. Their H2020 work centers on archaeological science — analyzing ancient ceramics, plasters, and material culture through laboratory techniques — and on deciphering ancient writing systems, particularly Linear B tablets from Mycenaean Greece. They provide both fieldwork infrastructure in Greece and specialized expertise in combining scientific analysis with classical archaeology.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

BSA's early H2020 involvement (2017-2019, TRACT) focused on ceramic technology as a proxy for ancient human mobility — a question rooted in material science applied to archaeology. From 2020 onward, their scope broadened in two directions: deep into textual scholarship with WRAP's study of Linear B scripts and scribal practices, and outward into structured training of next-generation archaeological scientists via the PlaCe network. The trajectory shows a move from individual researcher projects toward building wider research capacity and combining lab-based materials analysis with humanities disciplines.

BSA is expanding from solo fellowship-based research into multi-partner training networks, suggesting growing ambition to anchor broader archaeological science programs around their Greek fieldwork base.

How they like to work

BSA predominantly leads its projects — coordinating 2 out of 3 H2020 grants. Their earlier projects were individual Marie Curie fellowships (small, focused teams), while PlaCe marks their entry into a larger MSCA training network as a participant. With only 7 unique partners across 5 countries, their network is small but internationally distributed, typical of a specialist institution that attracts researchers rather than building large industrial consortia.

BSA has collaborated with 7 unique partners across 5 countries, reflecting a compact but geographically diverse network centered on Mediterranean and European archaeological research communities.

What sets them apart

BSA occupies a rare niche as a UK-funded research institute physically based in Greece, giving it direct access to Aegean archaeological sites, collections, and local expertise that most European universities lack. Their combination of hands-on fieldwork access with laboratory materials analysis makes them an ideal host for researchers needing both site proximity and scientific infrastructure. For consortium builders in cultural heritage or archaeological science, BSA offers something few partners can: an operational base in Greece with a century-long institutional reputation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PlaCe
  Largest budget (EUR 243,018) and their only MSCA training network, signaling a shift toward structured capacity-building in archaeological science across multiple institutions.
• WRAP
  Highly specialized study of Linear B palaeography at Pylos — a niche where very few research groups worldwide have active EU-funded programs.