UNIVERSITE DU QUEBEC A MONTREAL*UQAM

Their core work

UQAM is a major Canadian public university contributing humanities, social sciences, and environmental research expertise to European consortia. Their H2020 involvement spans cultural studies and digital humanities (encyclopedias of European sociability, intercultural theatre, history of philosophy) as well as applied environmental decision-making for forest ecosystems under climate change. They primarily serve as a non-EU third-party partner, bringing North American academic perspectives and cross-cultural comparative analysis to European research networks. Their work bridges social and cultural theory with practical concerns like energy citizenship and ecosystem management.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

UQAM's early H2020 engagement (2019-2020) was rooted in cultural studies, digital humanities, and 18th-century European sociability, alongside initial involvement in energy citizenship research. From 2021 onward, their portfolio broadened significantly into environmental sciences (forest ecosystem decision support, climate adaptation) and the philosophy of knowledge networks, while maintaining a cultural studies thread through psychology of the arts. The shift suggests a university expanding from purely humanities-based EU collaboration toward interdisciplinary environmental and social science partnerships.

UQAM is diversifying from its humanities core into climate-related environmental research and interdisciplinary social science, making them increasingly relevant for projects needing North American perspectives on global environmental challenges.

How they like to work

UQAM operates almost exclusively as a third-party partner (5 of 6 projects), meaning they are typically brought in by a European consortium member rather than joining directly. They have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is expected for a non-EU institution. With 44 unique partners across 20 countries from just 6 projects, they connect to broad, diverse consortia — indicating they are valued for specific expertise contributions rather than administrative or leadership roles.

Despite only 6 projects, UQAM has collaborated with 44 unique partners across 20 countries, reflecting participation in large MSCA networks that span much of Europe and beyond. Their geographic reach is genuinely global, linking Canadian research capacity to European consortia.

What sets them apart

UQAM offers something rare in H2020 consortia: a strong North American humanities and social science perspective integrated into European research networks. Their combination of cultural theory, digital humanities methods, and emerging environmental research makes them a versatile third-party partner for projects needing transatlantic academic collaboration. For consortium builders, they provide a credible non-EU partner with proven MSCA experience and no administrative overhead concerns typical of first-time international participants.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DecisionES
  Represents UQAM's pivot into environmental science — a long-running project (2021-2026) on forest ecosystem decision support under climate change, their most applied and longest H2020 engagement.
• DIGITENS
  A digital encyclopedia of 18th-century European sociability — showcases UQAM's core strength in digital humanities and cultural history with a major collaborative reference work.
• INTERPHIL
  Their most recent project (2023-2025), studying the transnational shaping of philosophy through international congresses, combining network analysis with intellectual history.