INSTITUT TEKNOLOGI SEPULUH NOPEMBER

Their core work

Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) is a leading Indonesian technical university based in Surabaya, bringing Southeast Asian academic expertise into European research consortia. Their H2020 participation spans two distinct technical domains: hydrogen storage materials for mobility applications (metal hydrides, fuel cell systems) and human factors in transport safety across aviation and maritime sectors. As a non-European partner, ITS contributes regional knowledge, academic research capacity, and connections to Indonesian industry and maritime networks. Their involvement through both MSCA-RISE (knowledge exchange) and RIA (collaborative research) formats shows engagement at different levels of international cooperation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ITS entered H2020 through hydrogen technology — specifically metal hydrides, fuel cell systems, and hydrogen infrastructure for utility vehicles (HYDRIDE4MOBILITY, starting 2017). By 2019 their active participation shifted to transport safety, with a focus on human factors in aviation and maritime operations (SAFEMODE). Whether this reflects a genuine strategic pivot or simply the availability of consortium invitations is unclear given only two data points; however, the shift from materials science to behavioural safety science is notable.

ITS appears to be moving toward transport safety and human factors research, a direction that aligns well with Indonesia's growing aviation and shipping sectors, though the sample size is too small to confirm this as a deliberate strategic direction.

How they like to work

ITS has never led an H2020 project — both participations were as partner or third party within large, multi-country consortia. With 41 unique partners across 19 countries from just two projects, they consistently join broad international networks rather than smaller focused teams. This suggests they are valued as specialist contributors or regional nodes rather than project drivers, and that working with them means integrating into an existing consortium relationship rather than building a bilateral collaboration from scratch.

ITS has built connections with 41 unique consortium partners across 19 countries through just two projects, indicating participation in large, well-networked consortia. Their geographic reach extends well beyond Europe, positioning them as a bridge between EU research networks and Southeast Asian academic and industrial communities.

What sets them apart

ITS is one of very few Indonesian technical universities present in the H2020 ecosystem, making them a rare entry point for European consortia seeking to extend relevance into Southeast Asia. Their combination of hydrogen technology background and transport safety expertise is unusual, and their location in Surabaya — Indonesia's second city and a major maritime hub — gives them natural relevance to port, shipping, and logistics research that European partners rarely have direct access to. For consortium builders needing a credible Asian academic partner, ITS offers institutional standing and a track record of completing EU-funded projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HYDRIDE4MOBILITY
  A long-running (2017–2024) MSCA-RISE project on hydrogen mobility using metal hydrides — ITS's involvement suggests staff exchange and knowledge transfer between European hydrogen research groups and Indonesian engineering academia.
• SAFEMODE
  ITS received EUR 60,000 as a funded RIA participant in a transport safety project that linked aviation and maritime human factors — unusual topic combination and the only project where ITS held a formal funded role.