UNIVERSITE CHEIKH ANTA DIOP

Their core work

Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) is Senegal's leading public university and a major hub for West African research, bringing deep regional expertise to international consortia studying Africa-specific challenges. Their H2020 contributions span climate-migration dynamics, marine resource governance, demographic data quality, and the socio-economic legacies of slavery in Africa. They serve as a critical African partner providing on-the-ground knowledge, field research capacity, and local institutional networks that European-led projects cannot access otherwise.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

UCAD's early H2020 involvement (2014-2017) focused on urgent health response (Ebola drug trials) and African social sciences — slavery heritage, citizenship, demographic data, and post-colonial inequalities. From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward environmental and resource governance: climate-migration links, marine spatial planning, fisheries, and the water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus. This trajectory reflects a move from primarily humanities and health topics toward applied environmental and climate research with direct policy relevance.

UCAD is increasingly positioning itself as a key African partner for climate adaptation and natural resource governance research, with growing funding levels that suggest stronger integration into future consortia.

How they like to work

UCAD has never coordinated an H2020 project, participating exclusively as a partner or third party — a role consistent with African institutions joining European-led consortia. They work in large, diverse consortia (102 unique partners across 32 countries), indicating they are well-connected but function as a regional expertise provider rather than a project driver. Their broad partner network and repeat involvement through MSCA-RISE schemes suggest they are valued for field access and local knowledge rather than project management capacity.

UCAD has collaborated with 102 unique partners across 32 countries, reflecting an exceptionally wide network for an institution with only 7 projects — this breadth comes from joining large international consortia. Their geographic connections span Europe, Africa, and Brazil, with a natural strength in West African partnerships.

What sets them apart

UCAD is one of West Africa's most established universities and offers something European institutions simply cannot: direct access to Senegalese and West African research infrastructure, field sites, and institutional partnerships. For any consortium needing an African partner with genuine research capacity — not just a token presence — UCAD brings decades of academic credibility and cross-disciplinary reach. Their combination of environmental science, social science, and health research makes them unusually versatile for Africa-focused projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GoNEXUS
  Their largest single EC contribution (EUR 200,000) and most recent project, signaling UCAD's growing role in integrated environmental resource governance.
• HABITABLE
  Directly addresses the politically urgent topic of climate-driven migration, combining climate modeling with social tipping point analysis — high policy relevance.
• PADDLE
  Rare EU-Africa-Brazil trilateral collaboration on marine spatial planning, reflecting UCAD's capacity to bridge continents on ocean governance.