Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research CORPORATION

Their core work

The Sloan-Kettering Institute (SKI) is the basic science arm of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York — one of the world's foremost cancer research institutions. SKI conducts molecular, cellular, and translational cancer research spanning early-stage tumor biology through clinical application, with particular depth in oncology diagnostics and experimental therapeutics. In the H2020 context, SKI served exclusively as a non-EU third-party host institution for Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellows, meaning European researchers spent part of their funded period working inside SKI's research environment. This role reflects the institution's global standing as a destination for advanced cancer researchers rather than an active project coordinator.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SKI's first H2020-linked project (2017) centred on liquid biopsy and precision diagnostics for lung cancer — a clinically immediate application aimed at informing therapy choices from a blood sample. By 2019, the second project shifted toward a more experimental therapeutic territory: engineering immune cells loaded with nanoparticles to fight cancer, a field that sits closer to basic research and future cell therapies. Although only two data points exist, the trajectory moves from diagnostic tools with near-term clinical utility toward frontier combination approaches merging immunology and nanotechnology.

SKI appears to be expanding from diagnostic oncology into engineered therapeutic platforms that combine cell therapy and nanomedicine, reflecting broader momentum in the field toward personalised and precision cancer treatments.

How they like to work

SKI did not coordinate or formally participate in either H2020 project — it entered both as a third-party host under MSCA mobility rules, which means it received European researchers into its labs rather than managing project deliverables or budgets. This pattern is typical of a prestigious non-EU anchor institution: European consortia bring it in to give fellows access to world-class infrastructure and expertise, not to share administrative responsibility. Working with SKI in this model means engaging a prestigious scientific address rather than a conventional project partner.

Despite only two projects, SKI touched 17 unique consortium partners across 14 countries — a sign that both consortia were large, multinational MSCA networks rather than bilateral collaborations. The geographic spread (14 countries for just 2 projects) suggests SKI was embedded in broad European research alliances, likely spanning Southern and Eastern Europe alongside major research hubs.

What sets them apart

SKI is not a typical H2020 partner: it is a US-based world-tier cancer research centre that offers European-funded researchers access to an environment ranked among the top two or three oncology institutions globally. For consortium builders, including SKI as a third-party host adds significant scientific credibility and opens access to clinical and laboratory infrastructure that no European institution can fully replicate. The cost of that access is that SKI operates on its own terms — it hosts, it does not lead.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LungCARD
  Addresses a high-value clinical need — replacing invasive biopsies with a blood test to guide therapy in the most common form of lung cancer, making it immediately relevant to diagnostics companies and oncology clinicians.
• CellularNanoMachines
  Combines two frontier fields — engineered T lymphocytes and stimuli-responsive nanoparticles — in a single cancer-fighting platform, placing it at the frontier of next-generation immunotherapy research.