XIAMEN UNIVERSITY

Their core work

Xiamen University is a major Chinese research university contributing specialized expertise to European research consortia across a surprisingly diverse range of fields. Their H2020 involvement spans electrochemistry and CO2 conversion technologies, DC microgrid engineering, Arctic ecosystem research, and historical linguistics in the Gansu-Qinghai region. They serve as a non-European knowledge partner, bringing complementary capabilities — particularly in catalysis, electrochemical processes, and population/language studies — to internationally distributed teams.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 period (2017–2019), Xiamen University focused squarely on energy and industrial technologies — DC microgrids, fuel cells, electrochemical reactors, and CO2 utilisation catalysis. By 2020–2021, their participation shifted dramatically toward environmental and social sciences: Arctic ecosystem research, indigenous communities, and historical linguistics. This suggests the university's EU engagement broadened beyond its engineering departments to involve humanities and environmental science faculties.

Their trajectory shows diversification from hard engineering into environmental and humanities research, suggesting growing institutional appetite for international collaboration across multiple faculties.

How they like to work

Xiamen University exclusively participates as a partner or third party — never as coordinator, which is typical for non-EU institutions in Horizon 2020. With 37 unique consortium partners across 14 countries from just 4 projects, they join large, internationally distributed consortia. This positions them as a reliable extra-European contributor who adds geographic and scientific diversity to proposals without seeking to lead.

Despite only 4 projects, Xiamen University has built connections with 37 partners across 14 countries, reflecting participation in large multinational consortia. Their network spans both European and non-European institutions with no single geographic concentration.

What sets them apart

As a major Chinese university participating in European research, Xiamen University offers consortium builders a credible non-EU partner with genuine research depth — particularly in electrochemistry and catalysis. Their unusually broad thematic range (from fuel cells to Arctic ecosystems to historical linguistics) signals a large, multi-faculty institution capable of contributing to diverse proposal topics. For coordinators needing a Chinese partner with proven H2020 track record, they are a practical choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• eCOCO2
  Addresses the high-value challenge of converting CO2 directly into aviation fuel using electrochemical membrane reactors — a topic with strong industrial and climate relevance.
• TRAM
  An ERC Advanced Grant studying language and population mixing in China — the only project where Xiamen University received direct EC funding (EUR 54,625), and a rare humanities project in their portfolio.
• FACE-IT
  Arctic coastal ecosystem research represents an unexpected thematic departure for a southern Chinese university, demonstrating genuine international scientific reach.