HANDELSHOGSKOLAN I STOCKHOLM

Their core work

The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) is one of Europe's leading business and economics universities, contributing social science expertise to EU research on governance, public health policy, and institutional transformation. In H2020, they applied quantitative methods — statistical modeling and epidemiological analysis — to pandemic response, while also driving research on gender equality implementation and the future of European social science research infrastructure. Their strength lies at the intersection of rigorous data analysis and policy-relevant social science.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SSE's H2020 involvement is concentrated in 2020–2021 starts, making evolution analysis limited. Their earliest project (TARGETED-MPI) focused on gender equality implementation and monitoring — an organizational governance topic. Their later entry into CIVICA RESEARCH signals a broadening toward macro-level European challenges: democratic erosion, digital revolution, and climate change through collaborative research infrastructure.

SSE is moving from focused policy topics toward positioning itself as a node in pan-European social science research networks, suggesting future projects will emphasize cross-institutional collaboration on large societal challenges.

How they like to work

SSE participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, bringing specialist social science expertise into larger consortia. With 42 unique partners across 17 countries from just 3 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia — typical for a prestigious institution that is sought after for its analytical credibility rather than project management capacity. This makes them a reliable, low-friction partner to invite into a consortium.

Despite only 3 projects, SSE has built a remarkably broad network of 42 partners across 17 countries, reflecting participation in large pan-European consortia. Their reach spans most of the EU, with no narrow geographic clustering.

What sets them apart

SSE brings elite business school rigor to social science research — a combination rare in H2020 where most social science partners are public universities or policy institutes. Their quantitative strength (statistical modeling, epidemiology) combined with governance expertise makes them especially valuable for projects that need to translate research findings into actionable policy or business-relevant insights. For consortium builders, SSE adds both analytical depth and institutional prestige from a top-ranked Scandinavian business school.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TARGETED-MPI
  SSE's largest H2020 investment (EUR 348,200), addressing gender equality through integrated monitoring — an unusual topic for a business school, signaling interdisciplinary reach.
• PERISCOPE
  A high-profile pan-European COVID-19 response project where SSE contributed statistical modeling and epidemiological expertise to pandemic impact analysis.
• CIVICA RESEARCH
  Part of a European University Alliance of social science institutions, positioning SSE within a strategic long-term research network beyond typical project-based collaboration.