UNIVERSITETET I OSLO

Their core work

The University of Oslo is Norway's largest and oldest research university, with deep strengths in neuroscience, brain research, life sciences, and earth sciences. Within H2020, they have been a prolific generator of fundamental research — particularly through ERC and Marie Skłodowska-Curie grants — while also playing a major infrastructure role in building Europe's open science and FAIR data ecosystem (EOSC, ELIXIR, OpenAIRE). They bridge basic science with applied health research (biomarkers, diabetes, drugs in pregnancy) and increasingly contribute to AI, ethics, and climate adaptation research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), UiO focused heavily on neuroscience (human brain, mouse brain, neuroinformatics, simulation), biomedical research (biomarkers, biobanks, transcriptomics), and building open access infrastructure. By the later period (2019–2022), the emphasis shifted markedly toward FAIR data principles, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), artificial intelligence, and research ethics — reflecting Europe's broader push for responsible, data-driven science. Earth sciences (tectonics, climate sensitivity) and social research (refugees, multilingualism) also gained prominence in the second half.

UiO is positioning itself as a European leader in responsible AI and open research infrastructure, making it an increasingly strategic partner for data-intensive, ethics-aware projects.

How they like to work

UiO coordinates roughly half its H2020 projects (136 of 274), demonstrating strong leadership capacity, particularly in ERC and MSCA individual grants where they are the sole or lead institution. With 1,836 unique consortium partners across 78 countries, they function as a major network hub rather than a loyal-partner organization — they connect widely and bring different teams together for different topics. This makes them a flexible, well-connected partner who can open doors across disciplines and geographies.

With 1,836 unique partners spanning 78 countries, UiO operates one of the largest collaboration networks among European universities. Their reach extends well beyond the Nordic region into all major EU research nations and includes significant partnerships in Africa and beyond through projects like mHealth4Afrika.

What sets them apart

UiO combines world-class fundamental research (24 ERC Starting Grants alone) with a leading role in Europe's open science infrastructure — few universities match this dual strength. Their unusual breadth across neuroscience, earth sciences, social sciences, and digital infrastructure means they can contribute meaningfully to interdisciplinary consortia that others cannot staff internally. For partners, UiO offers both scientific depth and a 78-country network that is hard to replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DIME
  Largest single project at EUR 2.9M as coordinator, a 7-year ERC grant on lithosphere metamorphism — reflects UiO's strength in long-term, high-budget fundamental research.
• DrugsInPregnancy
  EUR 1.5M ERC grant tackling medication safety during pregnancy — exemplifies their ability to connect basic neurodevelopmental science with direct public health impact.
• OpenAIRE2020
  Part of the flagship European open access infrastructure project, positioning UiO at the center of the continent's open science movement.