UNIVERSIDAD DE BUENOS AIRES

Their core work

The Universidad de Buenos Aires is Argentina's flagship public university, contributing deep disciplinary expertise across an unusually wide range of fields — from biomedicine and computational science to human rights and social memory studies. In H2020, UBA primarily serves as a Latin American research node in international staff exchange and mobility networks (MSCA-RISE), bringing specialized knowledge in areas like Chagas disease vaccines, organ-on-chip technology, advanced numerical methods, and transitional justice. Their strength lies in connecting European research consortia to South American scientific communities, clinical populations, and regional policy contexts.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), UBA's projects centred on computational modelling, bio-inspired systems, agrifood genetics (tomato breeding), and fundamental science — a technically diverse but largely STEM-oriented portfolio. From 2018 onward, a pronounced shift occurred toward social sciences and humanities: human rights, gender-based violence, cultural memory, transitional justice, and LGBT activism became dominant themes, while biomedical projects (Chagas vaccine, COVID-19 cohorts) and microfluidics emerged as a secondary health-oriented track. The overall trajectory shows UBA moving from dispersed technical contributions toward a clearer identity as a bridge between European research and Latin American social and health challenges.

UBA is consolidating around social justice research and Latin American health priorities (Chagas, COVID-19), making them an increasingly valuable partner for projects needing South American societal or clinical perspectives.

How they like to work

UBA never coordinates H2020 projects — all 26 participations are as partner or third party, with 19 of 26 as third-party contributors in MSCA-RISE staff exchange networks. This means they function as a specialized knowledge node rather than a project driver, contributing domain expertise and access to Latin American research contexts. With 307 unique consortium partners across 52 countries, they have an exceptionally broad but shallow network — they join many different consortia rather than deepening ties with a few repeat partners.

UBA has collaborated with 307 distinct partners across 52 countries, one of the widest geographic spreads possible for a non-European institution. Their network is globally dispersed but anchored in EU-Latin America cooperation channels, particularly through MSCA-RISE mobility programmes.

What sets them apart

As Argentina's largest and most prestigious university, UBA offers something few European institutions can: direct access to Latin American research populations, policy contexts, and scientific communities. Their dual strength in social sciences (transitional justice, human rights, gender) and biomedical research (Chagas disease, rare diseases) makes them uniquely positioned for projects that need both technical rigour and deep regional understanding of South America. For consortium builders, UBA is the go-to partner when a project requires credible Latin American participation with genuine research capacity rather than token representation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CRUZIVAX
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 745,500) — developing a Chagas disease vaccine through preclinical validation, directly relevant to a neglected tropical disease endemic in Argentina.
• SPEME
  Connects European and Argentine memory sites and museums to address traumatic heritage — a rare project bridging cultural studies with Argentina's specific history of political violence.
• CISTEM
  Heart-on-chip using iPSC technology for personalized medicine — demonstrates UBA's capacity in advanced biomedical engineering alongside their more visible social science portfolio.