UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTONOMA DE MEXICO (UNAM)

Their core work

UNAM is Latin America's largest and most prestigious public university, serving as the primary bridge between European and Mexican research communities in H2020. Their participation spans an exceptionally wide range of disciplines — from astrophysics and cosmology to urban sociology, ecology, and heritage science — reflecting the breadth of a major comprehensive university. In H2020, they primarily contribute domain expertise, regional data access, and Latin American research networks to European-led consortia, particularly through MSCA staff exchange programmes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015–2018), UNAM's H2020 involvement was broad and exploratory — spanning EU-Latin America policy relations, soil science, mechatronics, network algorithms, and middleware for virtual communities. From 2019 onward, the focus sharpened toward ecology and conservation (gypsum ecosystems, air quality), cultural heritage and archaeology (Maya urbanism, heritage science infrastructure), and Latin American social themes (gender justice, historical failure narratives). The shift suggests a deliberate move from general science collaboration toward regional specialisation where UNAM's Latin American context is itself the key asset.

UNAM is increasingly positioning itself as the go-to Latin American partner for European projects needing regional ecological data, heritage expertise, or social science perspectives rooted in the Americas.

How they like to work

UNAM never coordinates H2020 projects — all 22 participations are as partner, participant, or third party, consistent with its status as a non-EU international collaborator. With 277 unique consortium partners across 52 countries, they operate as a highly networked hub rather than a repeat-partner organization. Their dominance of MSCA-RISE projects (12 of 22) reveals a preference for staff exchange and mobility-based collaboration, meaning they bring people and knowledge rather than infrastructure or deliverables.

UNAM has collaborated with 277 distinct partners across 52 countries, making it one of the most broadly connected non-European participants in H2020. Their network spans all of Europe and Latin America, with particular strength in bridging these two regions.

What sets them apart

UNAM is arguably the single most important Latin American university for European research collaboration, and its 22-project H2020 portfolio proves consistent demand from European consortia. What sets UNAM apart is the combination of world-class research breadth (from cosmology to archaeology to ecology) with unmatched access to Latin American research networks, field sites, and datasets. For any consortium needing a credible, experienced Latin American partner — whether for ecological fieldwork, social science perspectives, or simply meeting international cooperation criteria — UNAM is a proven and low-risk choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LACEGAL
  A dedicated EU-Latin America galaxy formation network combining dark matter simulations with high-performance computing across continents — shows UNAM's strength in computational astrophysics.
• GYPWORLD
  A global initiative on gypsum ecosystem ecology where UNAM contributes Latin American biodiversity data to a worldwide conservation effort — their most ecologically significant project.
• MAYURB
  Combines archaeology, architecture, and archaeoastronomy to study Classic Maya urban planning — a uniquely Latin American topic where UNAM holds irreplaceable expertise.