ISTITUTO PER L'INTERSCAMBIO SCIENTIFICO

Their core work

ISI Foundation is a Turin-based research institute specializing in computational modeling of complex systems, with deep expertise in epidemic modeling, network science, and data-driven social science. They build mathematical and statistical models that help governments and health authorities understand disease spread, predict pandemic impacts, and design response strategies. Their work bridges pure mathematics (game theory, dynamical systems) with real-world public health applications, making them a go-to partner for projects requiring rigorous quantitative analysis of large-scale societal phenomena.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015–2018, ISI focused broadly on complex systems science, big data analytics, human-computer interaction, and even assistive technology for visual impairments (Sound of Vision). From 2020 onward, their work sharply converged on pandemic preparedness and epidemic intelligence — four of their five most recent projects directly address COVID-19 response, disease surveillance, and crisis management. This pivot reflects both the global pandemic context and ISI's underlying strength in mathematical modeling, which they redirected from general complex systems toward urgent public health applications.

ISI is consolidating around epidemic intelligence and AI-driven crisis prediction, making them a strong candidate for future health security and disaster preparedness consortia.

How they like to work

ISI operates exclusively as a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, preferring the role of specialist contributor bringing quantitative modeling expertise to larger teams. With 145 unique partners across 26 countries, they maintain a remarkably broad network for an institute of their size, suggesting they are valued for specific technical contributions rather than project management. Their consistent involvement in medium-to-large consortia (averaging ~15 partners per project) indicates they integrate well into complex multi-partner setups.

ISI has collaborated with 145 distinct organizations across 26 countries, giving them one of the wider partner networks relative to their project count. Their reach spans most of the EU with no strong geographic bias, though their pandemic-era projects connected them heavily with public health agencies and universities across Europe.

What sets them apart

ISI occupies a rare niche: a mathematics-first research institute that applies rigorous computational modeling to urgent societal challenges, particularly epidemic forecasting and crisis response. Unlike universities that spread across many departments, ISI concentrates its modeling expertise — game theory, dynamical systems, network science — into focused contributions that strengthen any consortium's quantitative backbone. For anyone building a health security or complex systems project, ISI brings both the mathematical depth and the track record of delivering within large European collaborations.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CIMPLEX
  Largest single grant (EUR 540,000) and a foundational project connecting citizens, models, and data in participatory social exploratories — set the template for ISI's later pandemic work.
• STAMINA
  Demonstrates ISI's evolution toward applied AI, combining machine learning, NLP, and early warning systems for real-time pandemic crisis management.
• EvoGamesPlus
  Their most recent project and a return to pure mathematical theory — evolutionary game theory applied to epidemiology and mathematical oncology, signaling future research directions.