Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Their core work

The Wilson Center is a nonpartisan US policy research institution based in Washington DC, funded by the US Congress and affiliated with the Smithsonian. It convenes scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to produce research on governance, international affairs, democracy, and political economy — with particular depth on Latin America, Eastern Europe, and transatlantic relations. In H2020, they appeared first as a US-side partner in an EU-US science and technology coordination initiative, then as a third party in a political science research project studying elite defections from authoritarian parties in Latin America. Their practical value to European consortia is access to US policy networks, Washington-based convening power, and independent political science expertise.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 engagement (2016–2019), the Wilson Center was active in science and technology policy infrastructure — specifically in coordinating the EU-US bilateral research relationship through BILAT USA 4.0, with no recorded topical keywords, suggesting a facilitation rather than content-research role. By their second project (2022–2025), the focus shifted entirely to substantive political science: authoritarianism, party politics, democratisation, and Latin America. The evolution suggests a move from playing a convening/coordination function in S&T diplomacy toward deeper involvement as a subject-matter contributor in political science research consortia.

The Wilson Center appears to be deepening its engagement as a research contributor in European political science projects rather than limiting itself to transatlantic coordination roles, making it a potential partner for future MSCA or ERC projects on democracy, governance, or comparative politics.

How they like to work

The Wilson Center has never coordinated an H2020 project — both engagements were as a participant or third party, which fits the profile of a high-prestige external contributor rather than a project manager. With 17 unique partners across 11 countries despite only two projects, they join broad international consortia rather than tight bilateral ones. Working with them likely means accessing their convening networks and institutional reputation rather than operational research infrastructure.

Despite only two H2020 projects, the Wilson Center reached 17 unique partners across 11 countries — unusually broad for such a limited footprint, reflecting their role in large multi-partner coordination initiatives like BILAT USA 4.0. Their network leans transatlantic and likely includes European universities, national science agencies, and political science departments.

What sets them apart

The Wilson Center is one of very few US public bodies participating in H2020, and its Washington DC location gives it direct proximity to US federal agencies, Congress, and think tank networks that most European research institutions cannot access independently. For consortia working on democracy, governance, US-EU policy, or Latin American political dynamics, it offers a combination of institutional credibility, policy reach, and US-side convening capacity that no European partner can replicate. Its nonpartisan status also makes it a trusted broker across ideological and national divides.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BILAT USA 4.0
  This was the Wilson Center's primary funded H2020 role — as a US institutional anchor in a multi-country coordination action to strengthen EU-US science and technology cooperation, the kind of transatlantic infrastructure project that rarely includes non-European public bodies.
• Elite Defections
  A MSCA Individual Fellowship project on the political origins of elite defections from authoritarian parties in Latin America — notable for demonstrating that the Wilson Center can serve as a host institution for mobile European researchers conducting politically sensitive comparative research.