THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

Their core work

The University of Sussex is a research-intensive UK university with deep strengths in neuroscience, brain simulation, sensory perception, and climate transition research. Their scientists build computational models of the brain, develop neuromorphic computing architectures, and study human perception — from colour vision to haptic feedback — bridging fundamental neuroscience with applied technologies. They also run influential programmes in climate policy modelling, migration studies, and social innovation, making them a rare institution that spans hard science and social science with equal credibility in both.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2014–2018), Sussex spread across diverse topics — higher education equity, mHealth for HIV, spectroscopy, time perception in robotics, and molecular magnetism. From 2019 onward, a clear consolidation emerged: neuroscience and brain simulation became dominant (human brain, neuromorphic computing, neuroinformatics), alongside stronger climate policy work and social innovation themes like resilience, agency, and co-creation. The university shifted from broad exploratory research toward two focused corridors: brain-inspired computing and socio-ecological transitions.

Sussex is converging on neuromorphic computing and brain-inspired AI as its flagship research direction, while maintaining a strong secondary line in climate and sustainability transitions — expect future proposals to combine computational neuroscience with real-world applications.

How they like to work

Sussex balances leadership and partnership almost evenly — coordinating 46 projects (45%) while participating in 56 — suggesting a confident institution that can lead large efforts but also integrates well into existing consortia. With 590 unique partners across 54 countries, they operate as a hub rather than relying on a fixed circle of collaborators. Their high proportion of ERC and MSCA grants (33 of 103 projects) shows that individual principal investigators drive much of their portfolio, meaning partnerships often form around specific researchers rather than institutional agreements.

Sussex has built an exceptionally wide network of 590 unique consortium partners spanning 54 countries, making them one of the more broadly connected UK universities in H2020. Their reach extends well beyond Western Europe, though the network density is strongest across EU member states.

What sets them apart

Sussex occupies a distinctive niche by combining world-class neuroscience and brain simulation research with equally strong social science programmes — few universities can credibly contribute to both a Human Brain Project workpackage and a climate policy consortium. Their sensory perception research (colour, haptics, vision) has unusually direct commercial applications in display technology, accessibility tools, and human-computer interaction. For consortium builders, Sussex offers the rare advantage of an institution where a single partnership can access both hard-science computing expertise and rigorous social impact assessment under the same roof.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HBP SGA1
  Part of the EU's billion-euro Human Brain Project flagship, Sussex contributed neuroinformatics and neuromorphic computing expertise to one of Europe's most ambitious research endeavours.
• TRANSrisk
  Coordinated by Sussex with EUR 1.34M, this project tackled climate transition risk analysis and directly informed European climate policy pathways.
• SOGICA
  A EUR 1M ERC-funded project coordinated by Sussex that broke new ground on LGBTQ+ asylum claims across Europe — an unusual intersection of law, human rights, and migration research.