UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MINAS GERAIS

Their core work

UFMG is one of Brazil's leading public research universities, based in Belo Horizonte, with broad multidisciplinary capacity spanning health sciences, humanities, and cultural heritage. In H2020, they contributed to a major global Zika virus research alliance, participated in a European research infrastructure for heritage science, and engaged in philosophical research on Kantian thought in Latin American context. Their EU involvement reflects a university that brings Southern Hemisphere perspectives and expertise to international research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

UFMG's H2020 participation began in 2016 with a strong health sciences focus through the ZIKAlliance project, reflecting Brazil's frontline role in the Zika epidemic. From 2018 onward, their involvement shifted decisively toward humanities and cultural heritage — Kantian philosophy (KANTINSA) and heritage science infrastructure (IPERION HS). This trajectory suggests an institution broadening its European engagement from urgent public health needs toward longer-term academic and cultural research partnerships.

UFMG is moving from health-driven emergency collaborations toward sustained engagement in cultural heritage and humanities research with European partners.

How they like to work

UFMG has never coordinated an H2020 project — they join as participant or third-party partner, consistent with their role as a non-EU institution bringing regional expertise to European-led consortia. Their 129 unique partners across 34 countries indicate they plug into very large international consortia rather than small focused teams. This makes them an accessible partner for coordinators seeking Latin American representation or Brazilian domain knowledge.

Despite only 3 projects, UFMG has connected with 129 unique partners across 34 countries, a result of joining large-scale consortia like ZIKAlliance and IPERION HS. Their network is genuinely global, reflecting both the pandemic-response nature of ZIKAlliance and the pan-European scope of heritage science infrastructure.

What sets them apart

UFMG stands out as a rare Brazilian partner in H2020 with an unusually broad disciplinary range — from virology to philosophy to heritage conservation. For consortium builders, they offer access to Brazilian research capacity and Latin American perspectives that few other H2020 participants can provide. Their willingness to engage across very different fields suggests institutional flexibility and strong international office support for EU partnerships.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ZIKAlliance
  Large global health consortium addressing the Zika crisis — UFMG's only funded H2020 project and their entry point into EU research collaboration.
• IPERION HS
  Major European research infrastructure for heritage science, notable for including a Brazilian university as participant — signals UFMG's expanding role in cultural heritage research.
• KANTINSA
  Unusual MSCA-RISE project connecting European and South American philosophy departments, highlighting UFMG's strength in humanities alongside sciences.