Swiss convening institute for international space science teams; specialist in planetary science, cometary research, and solar system data analysis.
ISSI (International Space Science Institute) is a Swiss foundation based in Bern that functions as a global convening centre for space science research — hosting international teams of scientists to collaborate on data analysis, interpretation, and synthesis from space missions and observatories. In H2020, ISSI contributed to planetary science infrastructure through Europlanet and to multi-instrument analysis of Rosetta comet mission data, reflecting their core strength in facilitating cross-disciplinary space data science. Their value lies not in running a traditional laboratory but in assembling leading researchers from across Europe and beyond to produce high-quality collaborative scientific outputs. They are a trusted neutral ground in the European space science community, with strong ties to ESA and planetary science networks.
Participated in EPN2020-RI (Europlanet 2020 Research Infrastructure), covering planetary science, solar system geology, astrobiology, and space weather across a large multi-national consortium.
Contributed to MiARD, a focused project applying multi-instrument analysis to Rosetta spacecraft data to establish mechanisms of cometary activity.
EPN2020-RI keywords explicitly include analytical chemistry, spectrometry, and cosmochemistry — core techniques for planetary sample and remote sensing analysis.
EPN2020-RI was a dedicated research infrastructure action; ISSI's role as a convening institute for international scientific teams aligns directly with RI-type participation and data tools development.
Both H2020 projects fall within a narrow 2015–2019 window, making meaningful longitudinal trend analysis impossible — there is no distinct early versus recent split in topic. Across this period, ISSI's focus was consistently on planetary and solar system science, combining physical infrastructure provision (Europlanet) with targeted mission data analysis (Rosetta/MiARD). No post-2019 H2020 activity is recorded, so any evolution after that point must be inferred from sources beyond this dataset.
With only two projects in a single early period and no post-2019 H2020 record, ISSI's future direction cannot be reliably projected from this data — their ongoing activity almost certainly continues through ESA-linked programmes and non-H2020 international channels.
ISSI participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their identity as a specialist convening institute rather than a project-managing body. Their two projects produced 42 unique consortium partners across 20 countries, indicating they join very large, multi-institutional European frameworks where their scientific prestige and network access add value. They are a reliable specialist contributor in broad collaborative consortia rather than a project lead.
Despite only two H2020 projects, ISSI accumulated 42 distinct partner organisations across 20 countries — a wide network that reflects their global standing in the space science community well beyond what project count alone would suggest. Their reach extends across Europe and internationally, fitting their role as a globally oriented convening institution.
ISSI occupies a rare niche: an institute whose primary output is not in-house research publications but facilitated international collaboration — bringing the right scientists together around specific space mission datasets or open scientific questions. Based in Bern with strong historical ties to ESA and the European planetary science community, they serve as a trusted neutral venue for high-level scientific working groups. For consortium builders in planetary science or space data synthesis, ISSI adds institutional credibility, broad network access, and scientific coordination capacity that few other small institutes can provide.
