VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

Their core work

Vanderbilt University is a major US research university in Nashville, Tennessee, that serves as a host institution for European researchers through Marie Skłodowska-Curie mobility programmes. Their H2020 involvement spans remarkably diverse fields — from kidney disease and nanomedicine to mathematical physics and malaria immunology — reflecting the breadth of their research departments. As a third-party host in all five projects, Vanderbilt provides world-class laboratory infrastructure and supervision for visiting European fellows and staff exchanges. Their role is to receive researchers rather than lead EU consortia, acting as a transatlantic research bridge.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Vanderbilt's early H2020 involvement (2016-2019) centred on mathematical logic (SYSMICS) and nephrology research (DIE_CKD), reflecting established departmental strengths in pure mathematics and renal medicine. From 2020 onward, their participation broadened significantly into nanomedicine for aging-related diseases, algebraic quantum field theory, and infectious disease genomics. Rather than showing a strategic pivot, this evolution reflects Vanderbilt's nature as a large multi-faculty university where individual MSCA fellows choose to visit different departments based on supervisor expertise.

Vanderbilt's recent projects show growing involvement in translational biomedical research (nanomedicine, immunogenomics) alongside continued strength in theoretical mathematics, suggesting future MSCA fellows will likely target their biomedical and life science departments.

How they like to work

Vanderbilt participates exclusively as a third-party host institution in MSCA actions — they do not lead or formally partner in EU consortia. Despite only 5 projects, they connect to 36 unique partners across 17 countries, indicating that each MSCA network they join is large and multinational. Working with Vanderbilt means sending your researcher to a top-tier US university environment; they are a destination for talent mobility, not a consortium-building partner.

Connected to 36 partners across 17 countries through MSCA mobility networks, giving them a surprisingly broad European network for a US institution. Their connections span multiple disciplines and geographies, though they are always the non-EU receiving end of researcher exchanges.

What sets them apart

As one of the top US research universities participating in H2020, Vanderbilt offers European researchers access to American research infrastructure, funding ecosystems, and academic networks that few EU-based partners can provide. Their value lies not in EU project management experience but in the calibre of their labs and supervisors across medicine, mathematics, and life sciences. For MSCA applicants, listing Vanderbilt as a secondment or partner host adds significant prestige and transatlantic dimension to any proposal.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MEPHOS
  Longest-running project (2020-2025) combining nanomedicine with musculoskeletal disease — bridges drug delivery engineering with aging research.
• PAMSEQ
  Most recent project applying 10X single-cell genomics to placental malaria, representing a technically advanced approach to tropical disease immunology.
• beyondRCFT
  Pure mathematical physics project on algebraic conformal field theory, showcasing Vanderbilt's strength in theoretical disciplines rarely seen in biomedical-focused institutions.