SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Their core work

Syracuse University is a major US research university that has participated in EU H2020 research as a third-party host institution for Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellows. Their H2020 involvement spans two distinct disciplines: the social science of transnational law and diaspora communities, and the physics of active matter systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium. In both cases, SU served as an outgoing host — providing its facilities, expertise, and academic environment to European researchers conducting part of their MSCA fellowship in the United States. Their real-world value to EU consortia is as a bridge to North American academic infrastructure and expertise.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 involvement (2017), Syracuse contributed through the social and legal sciences — specifically research on transnationalism and unofficial legal norms in migrant communities. By 2019, their participation shifted entirely toward hard science, specifically the physics of self-propelled particles and non-equilibrium systems. These two projects are thematically unrelated, suggesting SU is not pursuing a single EU research agenda but rather responding opportunistically to MSCA fellowship applications from individual researchers who chose SU as their host.

No coherent trend is detectable — SU's EU engagement appears driven by individual MSCA fellows selecting it as a host rather than by any institutional strategy, making future collaboration direction difficult to predict.

How they like to work

Syracuse University participates exclusively as a third party, meaning it never leads or formally joins EU consortia — it serves as a host institution for individual researchers. With 22 unique partners across 9 countries despite only two projects, the network breadth reflects the multi-node structure of the MSCA-ITN ActiveMatter consortium rather than direct bilateral relationships SU developed itself. Working with SU means engaging a large US academic institution that is experienced in hosting foreign researchers but has no track record of driving EU project strategy.

SU has touched 22 consortium partners across 9 countries, almost entirely through the large ActiveMatter training network. Their geographic reach extends to Europe and the US, but their network is inherited rather than self-built.

What sets them apart

Syracuse University's value to EU consortia is specific and narrow: it is a credible, research-active US university capable of hosting MSCA Global Fellows during their outgoing phase, providing access to North American academic environments in physics, law, and social sciences. It is not a technology provider or industry connector — its differentiation is geographic and institutional, not thematic. Consortia considering SU should have a specific researcher or research group in mind at SU, rather than approaching the institution as a general partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ActiveMatter
  A long-running (2019-2024) MSCA Innovative Training Network connecting active matter physics from fundamental science to applications, with SU providing the US academic node.
• TRANSNATIONALaw
  An interdisciplinary MSCA Global Fellowship blending legal anthropology and migration studies — unusual combination that shows SU's breadth across social sciences.