STICHTING ONDERZOEK MULTINATIONALEONDERNEMINGEN

Their core work

SOMO — the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations — is a Dutch non-profit research organization based in Amsterdam that investigates the social, economic, and environmental impact of multinational companies worldwide. Their core work covers corporate accountability, responsible supply chains, trade and investment policy, and the effects of corporate behavior on communities and natural resources. They contribute to European and international policy debates by producing independent research used by advocacy networks, policymakers, and civil society organizations. In H2020 projects, they serve as expert contributors bringing knowledge of corporate governance, global value chains, and multi-stakeholder engagement to large international consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2017), SOMO contributed to academic policy research on EU trade and investment frameworks, with no specific sustainability keywords recorded. By 2019, their focus shifted explicitly toward environmental sustainability and responsible sourcing of raw materials — a natural extension of their corporate accountability work into global supply chains. The trajectory points clearly from abstract policy analysis toward applied, on-the-ground responsible business conduct.

SOMO is moving from trade policy research into applied responsible sourcing and supply chain transparency — areas of growing regulatory importance under the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

How they like to work

SOMO never leads EU projects as coordinator — they join as a partner or participant, contributing specialist expertise to larger consortia. Despite only two H2020 projects, they worked with 45 distinct partners across 15 countries, which means they consistently join large, multi-stakeholder platforms rather than small bilateral collaborations. This makes them a reliable specialist contributor who brings civil society credibility and corporate research depth without requiring project management responsibilities.

SOMO's two H2020 projects brought them into contact with 45 unique partners across 15 countries, indicating they join large, internationally distributed consortia. Their network is predominantly European but carries global dimensions given their focus on multinational corporations and international value chains.

What sets them apart

SOMO is one of the few European NGOs that combines rigorous independent research on corporate behavior with direct policy credibility — a profile that universities and industry partners cannot replicate. Consortia working on supply chain transparency, corporate due diligence, or trade policy legitimacy gain access to civil society networks and advocacy channels that purely academic partners lack. Their independence from industry funding is itself a differentiator in politically sensitive areas like responsible sourcing of critical raw materials.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RE-SOURCING
  The only funded project for SOMO (€199,895), building a global stakeholder platform for responsible raw material sourcing — strategically important under current EU supply chain due diligence regulation.
• EUTIP
  An MSCA-ITN doctoral training network on EU trade and investment policy, demonstrating SOMO's role in shaping early-career research at the intersection of corporate governance and European trade law.