Shanghai University

Their core work

Shanghai University is a large Chinese comprehensive university engaged in engineering and applied sciences research, participating in H2020 as an international third-country partner in Marie Skłodowska-Curie staff exchange programmes. Their H2020 footprint reveals active research groups in three distinct engineering domains: plasma and antenna technologies, DC microgrid systems with fuel cell integration, and fracture mechanics across materials including biomaterials and civil engineering applications. They function as the non-European anchor that allows EU consortia to exchange researchers with a major Asian university and tap into Chinese expertise in power electronics, solid mechanics, and communication technologies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

All three H2020 engagements started in 2017 under MSCA-RISE, so there is no meaningful early-versus-late shift; the organisation's Horizon 2020 footprint is a single concentrated 2017-2023 wave rather than an evolving trajectory. The three projects run in parallel across unrelated engineering domains, indicating breadth of participating research groups rather than a directional change in focus.

A proven gateway for EU consortia that need a Chinese engineering partner for staff exchange in power electronics, mechanics or electromagnetics — future collaborations will likely extend these same three engineering tracks.

How they like to work

Shanghai University participates exclusively as a non-EU third-party partner, never as coordinator — structurally typical for Chinese universities under MSCA-RISE rules. Across three projects they connected with 34 distinct partners in 15 countries, indicating a broad rather than loyal network that plugs into different consortia per topic. They are a flexible add-on partner for EU-led projects rather than a driver of their own Horizon agenda.

They have collaborated with 34 unique partners across 15 countries, with their role concentrated in MSCA-RISE staff-exchange consortia where European universities and research organisations form the core. The geographic spread reflects EU-wide consortia rather than a single bilateral corridor.

What sets them apart

Shanghai University is one of the few Chinese universities with a documented H2020 track record spanning three unrelated engineering disciplines under MSCA-RISE simultaneously — power systems, mechanics and electromagnetics. For a European coordinator who needs a Chinese partner for staff mobility in any of these fields, they offer a ready-made EU-compatible administrative interface. Their value is reliable third-country integration into EU networks, not scientific leadership within them.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RDC2MT
  Covers the full chain from research through demonstration to commercialisation of DC microgrids with fuel cells — rare scope for a staff-exchange project.
• FRAMED
  Unusually wide disciplinary span connecting fracture mechanics to biomaterials, civil and mechanical engineering under one roof.
• PATH
  Plasma antenna technologies is a niche electromagnetics domain with defence, space and telecoms relevance, making Shanghai University's involvement distinctive.