TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

Their core work

Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University, renamed 2022) is a Canadian public research university serving as a non-EU academic partner in Horizon 2020 consortia. In the H2020 context they contribute expertise in two distinct domains: human factors and ergonomics in advanced manufacturing (ageing workforce, collaborative robotics), and critical social research on migration, asylum, and humanitarian governance. Their participation brings a North American research perspective and international mobility opportunities to European consortia through MSCA exchange programmes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their earliest H2020 engagement (MAIA, 2020) centred on industrial engineering themes — ageing workforce, collaborative robots, and Industry 4.0 ergonomics. By 2020-2022 their profile shifted decisively toward social sciences and humanities, with PROTECT and VIGO focused on migration, asylum, refugees, and humanitarian visual studies. This reflects either a deliberate expansion into social-science consortia or two parallel research groups within the university contributing independently.

Momentum is clearly in migration, asylum and visual humanitarian governance — their most recent project runs until 2026 in this area.

How they like to work

They exclusively join consortia as a non-coordinating partner or third party, never leading. Across 3 projects they have connected with 25 partners in 14 countries, suggesting a broad rather than loyal network — each project brings a different partner circle. They are the type of collaborator you invite for a specific disciplinary contribution or to add a Canadian leg to an international mobility scheme.

25 unique consortium partners spread across 14 countries, with no dominant geographic cluster. As a Canadian institution they function as an extra-European node in otherwise EU-centred consortia.

What sets them apart

They offer something most H2020 partners cannot: a North American university base that legitimises "international" framing for MSCA-RISE exchanges and global-scope social research. Their split profile between manufacturing ergonomics and migration studies is unusual — partners get access to two very different Toronto Metropolitan research communities depending on the project theme. For EU coordinators building consortia that require non-EU partners or transatlantic mobility, they are a ready-made option.

Highlights from their portfolio

• VIGO
  Their most recent and ongoing project (2022-2026), marking a clear pivot into visual studies of humanitarian governance.
• MAIA
  The only project combining their manufacturing/ergonomics expertise with Industry 4.0 and ageing workforce research — a rare intersection.
• PROTECT
  An MSCA Individual Fellowship on international protection law, signalling their role as a host institution for EU-funded researchers.