UNIVERSITY OF NAMIBIA UNAM

Their core work

The University of Namibia is the country's leading public university, and its researchers bring direct field access to the South Atlantic and Benguela Current coastal ecosystem — one of the world's most productive yet understudied marine environments. In EU research, UNAM contributes regional scientific data, local species expertise, and on-the-ground monitoring capacity that European partners cannot replicate from a distance. Their work spans two complementary areas: climate-driven ecosystem modelling for the tropical and South Atlantic, and practical aquaculture development focused on low trophic species such as sea urchins, sea cucumbers, mussels, and macroalgae. As a partner, they provide geographic and ecological reach that extends H2020 marine science beyond European waters into the African Atlantic.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects began in 2019 and ran concurrently, so the keyword split here reflects thematic breadth within a single cohort rather than a genuine change in focus over time. That said, the project-to-project contrast is telling: TRIATLAS represents a more observational and modelling orientation (climate prediction, ecosystem services), while AquaVitae moves toward applied production science (IMTA, specific target species, biosensors). If UNAM follows this trajectory, the natural next step is applied aquaculture technology and blue economy product development, building on climate knowledge as a foundation.

UNAM appears to be moving from observational marine science toward applied production systems — a logical path for a university in a country where the fishing industry is a cornerstone of the national economy.

How they like to work

UNAM has exclusively joined projects as a participant, never as coordinator — consistent with a university in a non-EU country entering the H2020 ecosystem through established Atlantic research networks. They operate within large, multi-country consortia: 69 distinct partners across 20 countries from just two projects is a notably wide network for such a small portfolio. This suggests they were brought in as a valued regional access point rather than a generalist partner, and that the relationships they have built span a substantial share of Europe's marine science community.

UNAM has built a network of 69 unique partners across 20 countries through only two projects — an unusually high ratio that reflects the large, Atlantic-wide consortia they joined. Their connections span European marine science institutions and extend into Latin America and Africa through the Atlantic Basin focus of both TRIATLAS and AquaVitae.

What sets them apart

UNAM is, to date, the only Namibian university in H2020, and their value proposition is geographic: they provide direct scientific access to the Benguela Current ecosystem and the southern African coastline — environments central to Atlantic Ocean modelling but difficult for European institutions to access independently. For any consortium working on Atlantic-wide marine science, food security from the sea, or climate-ecosystem interactions in the southern hemisphere, UNAM fills a gap that no European partner can substitute. Their participation in the Belém Statement framework also signals alignment with the broader international Atlantic research agenda.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TRIATLAS
  The larger of the two grants (EUR 83,016) and the one that most clearly defines UNAM's role as a southern hemisphere anchor for pan-Atlantic climate and ecosystem prediction research.
• AquaVitae
  Demonstrates UNAM's applied science range — from ecosystem modelling into species-level aquaculture production, covering echinoderm, macroalgae, and biosensor technologies in an IMTA framework.