THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM

Their core work

The University of Wisconsin System — primarily UW-Madison — is a major US research university that participates in European research through hosting Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellows and contributing specialist expertise to ERC-funded projects. Their H2020 involvement spans remarkably diverse fields including geosciences, food systems, climate engineering, social robotics, and history of science. Rather than leading EU consortia, they serve as an international knowledge hub where European researchers conduct secondments and collaborative work, bringing American research infrastructure and expertise into EU-funded programmes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early H2020 involvement (2017-2019) centred on social sciences and humanities — environmental conflict, political ecology, history of biology, and social robotics alongside applied chemistry (catalysis). From 2020 onward, the portfolio shifted markedly toward Earth sciences, climate engineering, and food systems, reflecting growing engagement with planetary-scale environmental challenges. The university's role also evolved from exclusively third-party hosting of MSCA fellows to direct participation in large ERC Synergy Grants.

Moving toward large-scale environmental and Earth system research, with increasing direct participation in flagship ERC projects rather than just hosting individual fellows.

How they like to work

UW-Wisconsin almost never leads EU projects — zero coordinator roles across 11 projects, with 9 of 11 as third-party contributors. This reflects their position as a non-EU institution that primarily hosts MSCA fellows for secondments or provides specialist expertise to European-led consortia. With 51 unique partners across 15 countries, they connect broadly rather than deeply, making them a useful transatlantic bridge partner but not a consortium driver.

Broad but shallow European network spanning 51 partners in 15 countries, built primarily through hosting individual Marie Curie fellows from diverse institutions rather than repeated collaboration with the same partners.

What sets them apart

As one of the top US public research universities, UW-Madison offers European consortia access to world-class American research infrastructure and faculty without the complexity of partnering with private US institutions. Their unusual breadth — from geodynamics to history of science to climate policy — means they can contribute specialist expertise across disciplines that rarely overlap. For consortium builders, they provide a credible transatlantic dimension that strengthens proposals, particularly for MSCA and ERC schemes that value international mobility.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MEET
  Largest project by far (EUR 3.2M ERC Synergy Grant running to 2027), studying Earth evolution through geochemical analysis — one of only two projects where UW is a direct participant rather than third party
• GENIE
  Addresses the politically sensitive intersection of geoengineering and European climate policy, with UW bringing American climate research perspectives to a European policy question
• SPECIMEN
  Unusual interdisciplinary project bridging history of science, visual studies, and museum collections across a 200-year timespan (1750-1950)