UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES FUNDACION

Their core work

Universidad de los Andes is Colombia's leading private research university, bringing Latin American research expertise into European consortia across a surprisingly broad range of disciplines. Their H2020 participation spans computational astrophysics, nanomedicine, geotechnical engineering, cyber-physical systems, and urban nature-based solutions — reflecting a large university with multiple strong research departments rather than a single-focus lab. They primarily contribute as a third-party or partner in MSCA-RISE staff exchange networks, enabling researcher mobility between Europe and Latin America while adding Southern Hemisphere perspectives and datasets to consortium work.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 involvement (2017-2018) centred on fundamental science — computational cosmology, nanomedicine, and geomaterials — all through MSCA-RISE researcher exchange networks. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted toward applied engineering and urban challenges: cyber-physical systems validation and nature-based urban planning with ICT tools. This trajectory suggests a university moving from pure research mobility partnerships toward more application-oriented, funded project roles.

Moving from passive researcher-exchange roles toward active participation in applied urban and engineering projects, signalling readiness for more hands-on consortium contributions.

How they like to work

UNIANDES operates almost exclusively as a third-party or junior partner — they coordinated none of their 5 projects and received direct EC funding in only one (EuPOLIS). Their 84 unique consortium partners across 30 countries indicate they plug into large, geographically diverse networks rather than leading them. This makes them a low-risk addition to consortia needing a Latin American partner for international dimension or specific regional expertise.

With 84 unique partners across 30 countries, UNIANDES has an exceptionally wide but shallow network built through large MSCA-RISE consortia. Their connections span Europe and Latin America, providing a bridge for intercontinental research collaboration.

What sets them apart

As one of Latin America's top-ranked universities, UNIANDES offers European consortia something most partners cannot: genuine Southern Hemisphere reach with research capacity across multiple disciplines. Their Bogotá base provides access to Colombian and Andean research contexts — valuable for projects needing tropical climate data, Latin American urban testbeds, or non-European validation sites. Their multidisciplinary spread, while a weakness for deep specialisation, is a strength for consortia needing a versatile international partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EuPOLIS
  Their only project with direct EC funding (EUR 138,875) and their only non-MSCA project — marks a shift from exchange networks to active implementation work in urban nature-based solutions.
• ADVANCE
  Addresses the high-demand field of cyber-physical systems V&V, connecting UNIANDES to Industry 4.0 applications and systems engineering expertise across Europe.
• LACEGAL
  Built a tri-continental research network (Latin America, China, Europe) for computational cosmology — demonstrates UNIANDES's role as a bridge between research communities.