SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Their core work

Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) is a major Chinese research university in Shenzhen that serves as the non-EU research partner in Horizon 2020 collaborations. Within H2020 they contribute laboratory expertise in environmental pollution research — specifically the detection and fate of microplastics, antibiotics, pesticides and other emerging contaminants in urban water systems using advanced analytical chemistry (Micro-FTIR, SEM, LC-MS, Pyrolysis-GC). A secondary thread connects them to digital logistics and transport modelling through Physical Internet and digital twin work. For European consortia they act as the Asian gateway: offering access to Chinese megacity case studies, analytical infrastructure, and researcher exchange under MSCA-RISE.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only three H2020 projects starting between 2020 and 2022, there is not enough history to speak of a long-term shift. What the data does show is a consistent environmental-pollution core (pesticides in RECYCLE, then microplastics and antibiotics in SPONGE) paired with a one-off foray into transport digitalisation through LEAD. The most recent project, SPONGE (2022–2025), is the most technically specific and suggests deepening specialisation in analytical detection of emerging contaminants in Chinese urban water systems.

They are moving toward more specialised analytical work on emerging contaminants in megacity water systems, which makes them a strong future partner for environmental monitoring and sponge-city research.

How they like to work

SUSTech never coordinates — across all three projects they appear as partner, participant or third party, which is typical for non-EU institutions in Horizon 2020. Despite the small project count they have already connected with 43 distinct partners across 15 countries, meaning each project plugs them into a large, diverse consortium. For European partners they function as an international gateway rather than a project driver: you bring the agenda, they bring Chinese case studies, labs and researcher mobility.

43 unique consortium partners across 15 countries from just three projects, indicating wide European reach per project. As a Shenzhen-based university they act as the default Chinese partner in EU–China research exchanges.

What sets them apart

SUSTech is one of the few Chinese research universities actively embedded in Horizon 2020 consortia, which gives European partners legitimate access to Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta as a megacity testbed. Their combination of analytical chemistry infrastructure (Micro-FTIR, LC-MS, Pyrolysis-GC) with urban water and sponge-city expertise is hard to replicate inside Europe for Chinese-context studies. For consortia that need a credible non-EU anchor for MSCA-RISE staff exchanges, they are a pragmatic choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SPONGE
  Most technically defined project — brings together sponge-city hydrology, microplastics, antibiotics and a full analytical toolkit on Chinese megacity aquifers.
• LEAD
  Only non-environmental project in the portfolio; shows a secondary competence in digital twin and Physical Internet approaches to urban logistics.
• RECYCLE
  Longest-running engagement (2020–2026) and their entry point into EU pollution-mitigation research under MSCA-RISE.