UNIVERSIDAD DE ANTIOQUIA

Their core work

Universidad de Antioquia is one of Colombia's leading public research universities, contributing specialized expertise across remarkably diverse fields — from archaeological and palaeoclimate research on early human colonization of South America, to green chemistry for corrosion-resistant coatings, plant biology, and public health data science. In H2020, they primarily participate through MSCA staff exchange programmes, embedding their researchers in European consortia to provide Latin American field expertise, biological collections access, and regional research perspectives. Their contributions span natural sciences, humanities, and health — reflecting a large, multi-faculty institution rather than a single focused lab.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early H2020 participation (2016–2019) centered on natural sciences — crop seed biology, green chemistry for corrosion protection, and deep-time archaeological research on human colonization of South America. From 2020 onward, the university diversified into health data science (COVID-19 cohorts), arts and migration studies, and continued plant biology work on fruit development. This shift shows a university broadening from its core natural science strengths into social sciences, humanities, and rapid-response public health — likely reflecting growing institutional capacity for international collaboration.

Moving toward more socially engaged research (migration, pandemic response) while maintaining natural science roots — expect future interest in interdisciplinary projects linking science with social impact in Latin America.

How they like to work

Universidad de Antioquia never coordinates H2020 projects — they join as a partner or third party, typically through MSCA-RISE staff exchange schemes that facilitate researcher mobility between Europe and Latin America. With 75 unique consortium partners across 31 countries from just 6 projects, they connect to very large, geographically distributed networks. This makes them an excellent bridge partner for consortia needing Latin American research access, field sites, or regional expertise without the administrative burden of coordination.

Despite only 6 projects, they connect to 75 partners in 31 countries — a remarkably wide network driven by participation in large MSCA-RISE consortia. Their geographic bridge between Europe and Colombia/Latin America makes them a valuable node for intercontinental research collaboration.

What sets them apart

As a major Colombian research university in H2020, Universidad de Antioquia offers something few European partners can: direct access to Latin American research infrastructure, biodiversity, archaeological sites, and clinical cohorts. Their participation in an ERC Advanced Grant (LASTJOURNEY) signals that top European researchers trust them as a serious scientific partner. For consortium builders needing a credible Latin American partner across diverse disciplines, this is one of Colombia's strongest options.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LASTJOURNEY
  ERC Advanced Grant on Late Pleistocene colonization of South America — the highest-prestige funding scheme in their portfolio, combining archaeology, molecular biology, and palaeoecology across the Andes and Amazon.
• unCoVer
  COVID-19 rapid response project contributing real-world clinical data from Colombian cohorts — demonstrates capacity for urgent health research and international data sharing.
• TransMigrArts
  Unusual interdisciplinary project using performing arts to address migration and vulnerability — shows the university's breadth beyond traditional STEM fields.