Private Universitaet Witten/Herdecke gGmbH

Their core work

Witten/Herdecke is a private German university with research strengths in clinical medicine and social sciences. In H2020, their medical faculty contributed to hepatology (liver cirrhosis treatment strategies), cardiology (preventive risk prediction), and endocrinology (polycystic ovary syndrome in adolescents). They also secured an ERC Starting Grant in political science, studying democratic resilience and political violence. This dual profile — clinical medicine plus political science research — reflects the university's interdisciplinary character.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 involvement (2017) focused on clinical hepatology, joining the LIVERHOPE consortium as a third party studying cirrhosis treatment. From 2021 onward, the portfolio diversified significantly: they entered preventive cardiology (TIMELY), reproductive endocrinology (SPIOMET4HEALTH), and — most notably — won an ERC Starting Grant in political science (DANGER). This shift from a single clinical niche to a broader interdisciplinary footprint suggests growing research ambition and successful individual-driven grant capture.

The university is expanding from a narrow clinical contributor role toward PI-driven research excellence, as evidenced by the ERC grant in political science — expect further diversification driven by individual researchers rather than institutional strategy.

How they like to work

UWH operates primarily as a specialist contributor rather than a consortium leader — three of four projects are as participant or third party. Their single coordination role is an ERC Starting Grant (DANGER), which is PI-driven rather than consortium-managed. With 54 unique partners across 14 countries, they integrate well into large European consortia but do not appear to anchor them.

UWH has collaborated with 54 distinct partners across 14 countries, indicating solid European integration for a university of its size. Their network spans clinical research consortia in health and a political science research community, but there is no sign of a concentrated geographic cluster.

What sets them apart

As one of Germany's oldest private universities, Witten/Herdecke combines medical research with strong social science capabilities — an unusual pairing in the H2020 landscape. Their ERC Starting Grant in political science demonstrates individual research excellence that goes beyond their institutional size. For consortium builders, they offer a compact, flexible partner with clinical expertise in hepatology and metabolic disease alongside unexpected depth in democracy research.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DANGER
  Their only coordinated project, an ERC Starting Grant worth EUR 1.5M studying democratic survival and political violence — a surprising departure from their medical profile.
• LIVERHOPE
  Large-scale clinical trial for a new cirrhosis therapy combining simvastatin and rifaximin, where UWH contributed as a third-party clinical site.
• TIMELY
  Bridges digital health and preventive cardiology, positioning UWH at the intersection of clinical medicine and health technology.