THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Their core work

Penn State is a major US research university that participates in EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions as a third-party host, providing its world-class research infrastructure and faculty expertise to European researcher mobility and exchange programs. Their H2020 involvement spans remarkably diverse fields — from quantum wave physics and computational genomics to forest ecosystem management and bone biomechanics — reflecting the university's broad departmental strengths. They serve as a transatlantic bridge, enabling European early-career researchers and staff to access US-based labs, datasets, and interdisciplinary environments across multiple scientific domains.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Penn State's early H2020 involvement (2015–2016) centered on fundamental physics (quantum dynamics, non-Hermitian wave systems) and photosynthesis engineering, with no recorded keywords suggesting broad exploratory participation. From 2020 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward life sciences and environmental topics — computational genomics (PANGAIA), climate-driven ecosystem management (DecisionES, MICROBIOCLIM), and biomechanics (BABY PACE). This evolution reflects a move from pure physics toward applied, data-intensive environmental and biological research with clearer societal relevance.

Penn State is increasingly drawn into climate change and bioinformatics collaborations, suggesting future EU partnerships will center on environmental data science and ecological resilience.

How they like to work

Penn State participates exclusively as a third party in MSCA exchange and fellowship schemes — they have never coordinated or been a direct partner in their nine H2020 projects. This means they function as a prestigious host institution that European consortia invite to provide access to US-based research capacity. With 63 unique consortium partners across 27 countries, their network is exceptionally broad but shallow — each project brings a different set of collaborators rather than deepening ties with repeat partners.

Penn State has collaborated with 63 unique partners across 27 countries, making it one of the more internationally connected third-party participants. The geographic spread is genuinely global, reflecting the MSCA programme's emphasis on international researcher mobility rather than any single regional cluster.

What sets them apart

As a top US research university, Penn State offers something most H2020 participants cannot: a transatlantic dimension that strengthens MSCA proposals by adding a non-European partner with deep disciplinary expertise and extensive research infrastructure. Their willingness to host across wildly different fields — from quantum physics to soil microbiology to agricultural sociology — means consortium builders can tap them for almost any MSCA-RISE or MSCA-IF proposal where a credible US institution adds value. The trade-off is that they operate strictly as third parties, so expect a hosting and exchange role rather than active project management.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PANGAIA
  A five-year computational genomics project (2020–2025) tackling pan-genome graph algorithms — Penn State's most technically specialized and longest-running H2020 involvement.
• DecisionES
  A large-scale MSCA-RISE project (2021–2026) on ecosystem services under global change, combining forest planning, fire management, and climate adaptation decision support.
• MICROBIOCLIM
  Addresses biocrust microbiome responses to climate change in drylands — a niche intersection of molecular ecology and climate science with growing relevance.