THE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CORPORATION

Their core work

Washington University in St. Louis is a major US research university contributing specialized expertise to European research networks through Marie Skłodowska-Curie staff exchange and fellowship programs. Their H2020 involvement spans mathematics, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and geochemistry — reflecting the breadth of a large research-intensive institution. They serve as a third-party knowledge provider, offering US-based research capabilities and facilities to EU-led consortia without directly receiving EC funding.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 involvement (2016-2018) centered on mathematical sciences — harmonic analysis, PDEs, minimal surfaces, and quantum wave theory. From 2018 onward, the focus broadened significantly into neuroscience (dopamine, Parkinson's, brain imaging), cognitive psychology, and geochemistry. This shift suggests a university-wide engagement pattern where individual researchers in diverse departments independently joined EU mobility programs, rather than a deliberate institutional pivot.

Their participation reflects individual researcher mobility rather than an institutional strategy, so future collaboration potential depends on identifying specific faculty members with relevant expertise.

How they like to work

Washington University participates exclusively as a third party — never as coordinator or direct partner — which means they provide specialized expertise and facilities without taking on project management responsibilities. Across 5 projects they connected with 35 unique partners in 14 countries, indicating broad but light-touch engagement. This is typical of US universities in H2020: they join MSCA mobility actions to enable transatlantic researcher exchanges rather than deep consortium integration.

Connected to 35 unique partners across 14 countries through MSCA mobility programs, giving them a wide but shallow European network. Their reach spans well beyond any single geographic cluster, reflecting the diverse origins of MSCA consortia they joined.

What sets them apart

As a top-tier US research university, Washington University in St. Louis offers European consortia access to American research infrastructure, faculty expertise, and a transatlantic dimension that strengthens MSCA mobility proposals. Their involvement across mathematics, neuroscience, and geochemistry means they can contribute to a wide range of disciplinary exchanges. For consortium builders, they are a credible US partner for staff exchange and fellowship hosting.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GHAIA
  Longest-running project (2017-2023), combining pure mathematics with applied domains like satellite navigation and visual cortex modeling — an unusual interdisciplinary bridge.
• Motivageing
  Combines neuroimaging (fMRI, PET), drug trials, and brain stimulation to study Parkinson's disease motivation — high translational relevance for health and pharma sectors.
• MicroS
  Their most recent project (2020-2023), representing a move into geochemistry and Earth sciences — a completely different domain from their earlier work.