UNIVERSITAT ZURICH

Their core work

The University of Zurich is Switzerland's largest university and a powerhouse in neuroscience, life sciences, and computational research. Their H2020 portfolio reveals deep strength in brain research (from molecular neuroscience to large-scale brain simulation), biomedical science (cancer, epigenetics, infectious disease), and increasingly in machine learning and data-driven approaches. They bring world-class fundamental research capacity combined with strong translational ambitions — particularly in medical applications like spinal cord injury treatment, diagnostics, and drug screening. With over 50 ERC grants in this dataset alone, they are one of Europe's top destinations for investigator-driven frontier research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014-2018), UZH focused heavily on brain simulation, neurorobotics, cancer biomarkers, and building open access research infrastructure. The later period (2019-2022+) shows a clear pivot toward data-driven and computational approaches — machine learning, neuromorphic computing, and bioinformatics became dominant themes, alongside a deepening focus on microbiome science, epigenetics, and genomics. There is also an interesting broadening into citizen science, earth observation, and digital humanities (legal and intellectual history), suggesting the university is increasingly applying computational methods across traditionally non-digital disciplines.

UZH is converging its neuroscience heritage with modern AI/ML methods and expanding into data-intensive life sciences — expect future projects at the intersection of machine learning, brain-inspired computing, and precision medicine.

How they like to work

UZH coordinates slightly more projects than it joins as a partner (119 coordinated vs 109 as participant), which is exceptional for a university — most universities participate far more than they lead. This reflects strong grant-writing capacity and PI-driven research culture, particularly through the 52 ERC grants (Consolidator and Starting combined) and 28 Marie Curie fellowships. With 1,324 unique consortium partners across 79 countries, they function as a major hub rather than a loyal-partner institution, connecting to a vast and diverse European research network.

UZH has built one of the most extensive collaboration networks in H2020, partnering with 1,324 unique organizations across 79 countries — spanning virtually all of Europe plus significant global reach. Their network breadth reflects both large-scale consortium participation in health and infrastructure projects and the natural mobility flows from their Marie Curie and ERC programs.

What sets them apart

UZH stands out for its extraordinary density of ERC and MSCA grants — over 80 individual excellence grants in a single framework program — placing it among Europe's top-tier research-intensive universities. Unlike many large universities that participate broadly but lead rarely, UZH coordinates over half its projects, indicating PIs who drive agendas rather than fill consortium slots. For potential partners, this means access to world-class investigators with proven track records in securing and managing competitive EU funding, particularly at the frontier of neuroscience, computational biology, and machine learning.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Filmcolors
  EUR 2.9M ERC grant on film color history — showcases UZH's strength in digital humanities and interdisciplinary research far beyond its STEM core.
• BRAINCOMPATH
  EUR 2.5M ERC grant on mesoscale brain dynamics and neuronal pathway computing — exemplifies their flagship neuroscience expertise.
• NISCI
  Coordinated clinical project on Nogo-A antibodies for spinal cord injury recovery — demonstrates translational ambition from basic neuroscience to patient treatment.