MASSEY UNIVERSITY

Their core work

Massey University is a comprehensive New Zealand research university that brings Southern Hemisphere and Pacific expertise into European research consortia. Their H2020 contributions span three distinct domains: respiratory health research (particularly childhood asthma mechanisms), human migration and population genetics across Oceania and Southeast Asia, and climate-adaptive farming systems. As a non-EU partner, they typically provide access to unique datasets, populations, and environmental conditions unavailable in Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early H2020 involvement (2015-2019) centered on plant science and food structure preservation — applied agricultural and food research. From 2019 onward, the portfolio shifted markedly toward two new directions: human population history across the Pacific region (OCSEAN) and climate-adaptive farming systems (CALENDARS, ClieNFarms). The asthma research thread runs throughout, with AsthmaPhenotypes starting in 2016 and CAMERA continuing from 2021, suggesting a sustained institutional commitment to respiratory health.

Massey is increasingly positioning itself at the intersection of climate science and agricultural systems, while maintaining a distinctive niche in Pacific population research — expect future projects combining Southern Hemisphere climate data with farming resilience.

How they like to work

Massey never coordinates H2020 projects — they join as participant or third party, consistent with their non-EU status which makes coordination impractical. Despite this supporting role, they connect with a remarkably broad network: 94 unique partners across 29 countries from just 7 projects, indicating they join large, geographically diverse consortia rather than small focused teams. This pattern suggests they are valued for bringing a unique geographic and scientific perspective that European-only consortia lack.

Exceptionally broad network for a non-EU institution: 94 partners across 29 countries from only 7 projects. Their connections span well beyond the Pacific, reaching deeply into European research networks through large MSCA and ERC-funded consortia.

What sets them apart

Massey is one of very few New Zealand institutions active in H2020, offering access to Southern Hemisphere climate conditions, Pacific Island populations, and Australasian agricultural systems that European partners simply cannot provide. Their dual strength in respiratory health and Pacific population genetics is unusual — few universities bridge biomedical and anthropological genomics this way. For consortium builders, Massey is the partner that extends your project's geographic and environmental scope beyond Europe.

Highlights from their portfolio

• OCSEAN
  Rare interdisciplinary project combining linguistics, archaeology, and medical genetics to trace human migration across Oceania — uniquely suited to Massey's Pacific location.
• CAMERA
  Builds directly on AsthmaPhenotypes, showing a sustained multi-project commitment to understanding non-atopic childhood asthma — a line of research spanning nearly a decade.
• CALENDARS
  Addresses climate adaptation through co-production of seasonal knowledge with local institutions — relevant to global South perspectives on climate resilience.