THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO

Their core work

Western University (UWO) is a major Canadian research university contributing international expertise to European research consortia across a surprisingly broad range of disciplines — from agricultural pest management and vaccine research to digital health and local governance. Their H2020 involvement is primarily as a non-EU partner or third-party expert, bringing North American perspectives and research capacity to EU-led projects. Their work spans biological sciences, public health, and social sciences, reflecting a large multi-faculty institution rather than a single specialized lab.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

UWO's early H2020 involvement (2015-2018) centred on life sciences — environmental stress biology (TePaChe), AIDS vaccine research (EAVI2020), and agricultural pest control (SuperPests), with keywords like biopesticide, insecticide resistance, and biological control. From 2018-2019 onward, their focus shifted markedly toward social sciences and digital health — local governance, sports event human rights, and eHealth for ageing. This pivot suggests the university's EU engagement broadened from natural sciences labs to social science and public policy faculties.

UWO is moving toward social sciences, public policy, and digital health — future partners should look beyond their life sciences roots to these growing areas of EU engagement.

How they like to work

UWO never coordinates H2020 projects — all seven involve them as a partner or third-party contributor, consistent with their position as a non-EU institution. With 84 unique consortium partners across 27 countries, they operate in large, diverse consortia rather than small focused teams. This broad network and third-party role makes them a reliable international contributor who adds non-European perspective without seeking to drive project direction.

UWO has collaborated with 84 unique partners across 27 countries — an exceptionally wide network for an institution with only 7 projects, reflecting their participation in large international consortia. As a Canadian university, they provide a key transatlantic bridge for EU projects requiring non-European expertise.

What sets them apart

As one of Canada's top research universities, UWO offers EU consortia something most partners cannot: a North American institutional perspective combined with genuine research depth across multiple faculties. Their willingness to join as third-party contributors makes them a low-friction option for projects needing international reach beyond Europe. The breadth of their involvement — from pest biology to governance to digital health — means consortium builders can tap different departments depending on the project's needs.

Highlights from their portfolio

• IDIH
  Their only directly funded H2020 project (EUR 106K), focused on international digital health collaboration — signals where the university invested most commitment.
• SuperPests
  Large-scale research initiative on difficult-to-manage agricultural pests, combining biopesticides, green chemistry, and integrated pest management across a wide consortium.
• LoGov
  Unusual topic for a Canadian university in H2020 — comparative local government research across urban-rural divides, suggesting strong public policy expertise.