LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE ROYAL CHARTER

Their core work

LSHTM is one of Europe's leading institutions for public health and tropical medicine research, specializing in infectious disease epidemiology, vaccine development, and global health policy. They conduct large-scale clinical trials for vaccines (Ebola, pertussis, Chlamydia, malaria), build mathematical models of disease transmission, and evaluate health interventions across low- and middle-income countries. Their work spans from bench science (bacterial pathogenesis, autophagy mechanisms) to population-level studies on health inequalities, air pollution impacts, and mental health systems. They are a go-to partner when a consortium needs rigorous epidemiological evidence, clinical trial expertise, or health economics analysis.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014-2018), LSHTM was heavily focused on emergency infectious disease response — particularly Ebola vaccine development and deployment, alongside clinical trials for cardiovascular prevention and pandemic preparedness. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted toward chronic exposure risks (air pollution appearing in three projects), health equity concerns (HPV access, underserved communities), and computational approaches like mathematical disease modelling. The recent period also shows deeper engagement with social determinants of health, including sickle cell disease, climate change impacts, and participatory research with adolescents.

LSHTM is expanding from acute infectious disease response toward the intersection of environmental exposures, climate change, and health inequalities — positioning them for the growing field of planetary health.

How they like to work

LSHTM operates primarily as an active partner (39 of 53 projects), bringing specialized epidemiological and clinical trial expertise to large consortia. However, when they coordinate (14 projects), they tend to lead high-impact efforts — most notably the €47M EBOVAC1 program. With 463 unique partners across 64 countries, they function as a major hub in European health research, connecting institutions across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia with European research networks.

LSHTM has collaborated with 463 distinct organizations across 64 countries, making them one of the most broadly connected health research institutions in H2020. Their network is genuinely global, with strong links to sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America through tropical medicine and vaccine deployment projects.

What sets them apart

LSHTM sits at a rare intersection: they combine deep laboratory science (microbiology, cell biology) with population-scale epidemiology and health policy expertise, all under one roof. Unlike most universities that specialize in either basic or applied health research, LSHTM can take a pathogen from bench characterization through clinical trials to deployment strategy and health economics evaluation. Their tropical medicine heritage gives them unmatched field networks in low-resource settings, making them the natural partner for any consortium that needs to demonstrate global health impact.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EBOVAC1
  LSHTM's largest coordinated project at €47.2M — one of the biggest single-institution grants in H2020 health, developing a prophylactic Ebola vaccine through Phase II/III clinical trials.
• TBornotTB
  Challenges fundamental assumptions about tuberculosis natural history using mathematical modelling — a high-risk ERC-funded project that could reshape TB control strategies.
• VENUSCANCER
  Coordinated study investigating why cancer survival varies so dramatically worldwide, combining population registries with health system analysis across multiple continents.