LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

Their core work

LSE is one of Europe's leading social science universities, producing foundational research in economics, political science, public policy, and behavioural science. Their H2020 portfolio reflects deep strengths in economic theory and modelling (inflation, labour markets, fiscal policy), democratic governance and political behaviour, and the social dimensions of major challenges like climate change, mental health, and security. They translate complex social phenomena into evidence-based policy frameworks, making them a go-to partner when EU projects need rigorous social science analysis, behavioural insights, or policy evaluation components.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), LSE's portfolio was broadly anchored in macroeconomics, fiscal policy, institutional reform, and applied topics like aviation safety and marine biocatalysis — reflecting its role as a participant in diverse consortia. By 2019–2022, the focus shifted markedly toward behavioural and identity-driven research: political polarisation, election dynamics, gender, ethics, animal cognition, and the social dimensions of climate change became dominant themes. This evolution mirrors a broader discipline-wide turn toward understanding how individual beliefs and values shape collective outcomes.

LSE is moving toward research on polarisation, belief formation, and ethical dimensions of emerging issues — expect future projects at the intersection of behavioural science and societal challenges like AI ethics or democratic resilience.

How they like to work

LSE leads more often than it follows: 55 of 95 projects (58%) are coordinator-led, a very high ratio for a university. However, the coordination is concentrated in individual-excellence grants (37 ERC + MSCA fellowships), where "coordination" means hosting a principal investigator rather than managing a large consortium. In multi-partner RIA projects, LSE typically contributes as a specialist social science partner within large consortia. With 501 unique partners across 59 countries, LSE is a hub institution — it rarely repeats the same consortium, instead connecting to a vast and diverse network.

LSE has collaborated with 501 distinct organisations across 59 countries, making it one of the most broadly connected social science institutions in H2020. While its network is pan-European by nature, the geographic spread across 59 countries indicates significant engagement beyond EU borders, including Middle East and global development contexts.

What sets them apart

LSE stands apart as a pure social science powerhouse in H2020 — while most top-funded universities earn their grants in STEM, LSE's €69M came almost entirely from economics, political science, and policy research. This makes them the ideal partner when a technically-oriented consortium needs rigorous socio-economic impact assessment, policy design expertise, or behavioural analysis that reviewers demand but engineering-led teams struggle to deliver. Their ERC success rate (37 individual grants) signals world-class researchers who attract top talent and produce high-impact publications.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GGTMI
  Largest single grant at nearly €2M, an ERC project on technological and managerial innovation as drivers of economic growth — core to LSE's identity.
• TransCrisis
  One of LSE's flagship coordinated multi-partner projects on EU crisis management, demonstrating their capacity to lead policy-relevant consortia beyond individual ERC grants.
• BPI
  Running until 2022, this ERC grant on Bayesian belief formation, polarisation, and segregation represents LSE's cutting research frontier at the intersection of economics and political behaviour.