43 shades of Social Sciences and Humanities in Horizon 2020 ?

2 December 2013, Scotland House Brussels

Themes

• The significance of SSH Research • Research universities and SSH Research • SSH Research and the ERA • SSH Research in Horizon 2020

– The Excellence Pillar – The Industrial leadership Pillar – The Societal Challenges

The Significance of SSH Research

• Humanities research generates important new knowledge that is fundamental to broader social issues in Europe. They include international conflicts, human rights, gender diversity, ethics, religious traditions, institutions, changing media, literacy, identities and cultural memories, linguistic diversity, creative industries and cultural heritage.

The Significance of SSH Research

• The social sciences investigate the processes that govern the behaviours of individuals and groups. This understanding is as important as contributions from scientific and technological disciplines to the creation, implementation and evaluation of effective public policies and innovative structures underpinning corporate performance.

• Research in the humanities and social sciences is concerned with issues that are essential to stability, good order, creativity and inspiration in society.

The Significance of SSH Research

• Innovative societies are societies with the ability to absorb global social, cultural and economic changes.

• No significant progress nor implementation of any policy can be achieved in one or the other societal challenges without a significant, concomitant progress on the understanding of the behavior of the individuals and groups who face these challenges. Only research in the SSH can contribute to such understanding.

“Maintaining the qualities of a university”

• “Today, in an era when the arts, humanities and social sciences are perceived as being under threat from the Government’s funding changes, UCL remains committed to maintaining and investing in them. We need to counter a trend towards instrumentalist attitudes towards higher education in the new funding environment”.

UCL Vision and Strategy, 2011

Research universities and SSH Research

Oxford University

Medical

Physics & Life Science

SSH

Leiden University

Medical

Physics & Life Science

SSH

Research universities and SSH Research

Universität Heidelberg

Medical

Physics & Life Science

SSH

University of Edinburgh

Medical

Physics & Life Science

SSH

SSH Research and the ERA

ERA Priorities:

1. more effective national research systems

2. optimal transnational co-operation and competition

3. an open labour market for researchers

4. gender equality and gender mainstreaming in research

5. optimal circulation, access to and transfer of scientific knowledge including via digital ERA

SSH Research and the ERA

• European Commission: – European Research Council – ERA-NETs : HERA, NORFACE – Article 185 Initiatives – Marie Curie Actions

• Member States: – ESFRI/ERIC – JPIs – European Partnership for Researchers

SSH Research and the ERA

• “Progress has been patchy and uneven across different dimensions of ERA and different Member States and urgently needs to be accelerated.” (European Commission, 2012).

• ERC, HERA, NORFACE and MCA have been successful instruments and research infrastructures (also in SSH: DARIAH, EHRI, CHARISMA, CLARIN) have benefitted from the combination of a strategic body, roadmap and regulation.

• However: “the implementation of joint programming remains sluggish” (European Commission, 2012).

• Some member states stay behind.

HERA

NORFACE

JPI Heritage

• Started in 2010 with ambitions and many meetings • Strategic Research Agenda (2013): “With sufficient

funds and further and sustained investment, we will be able to implement this Agenda for the protection and enhancement of European patrimony”.

• But limited investments : BE: k€800, IT: k€750, FR/NL: k€300, CY: k€200, NO/PO: k€150, UK: k€120, DK/IE/LI/SL/SP: k€100 (Pilot call, 2013).

• A dedicated implementation plan? • Alignment of national research programmes? • Relation with Horizon 2020?

SSH Research and the ERA

• Member states and national research councils have to do better: – Join ERA-Nets HERA and NORFACE, create more

‘common pots’ – When creating a JPI: make it effective, with

adequate funding and common pots, with clear implementation plans, with simple and transparent governance structures, and with a clear synergy with Horizon 2020

SSH Research in Horizon 2020

GEOGHEGAN-QUINN at the Horizons for SSH Conference at Vilnius (Sept 2013) : …. the Social Sciences and Humanities are more essential than ever …. The EU has supported the Social Sciences and Humanities for two decades, since the Fourth Framework Programme in 1994 and our commitment to SSH is only strengthened under Horizon 2020. We will, however, do things differently now. The increasing importance, indeed the necessity of the Social Sciences and Humanities, has spurred us on to create a bold, new vision for them at European level.

GEOGHEGAN-QUINN at the Horizons for SSH Conference at Vilnius (Sept 2013) : This is why the Social Sciences and Humanities are anchored at the heart of Horizon 2020. I like to think that this approach presents a twin opportunity for the Social Sciences and Humanities. …. First, new areas of research throughout the whole programme thanks to embedding; and second, greater scope for riskier, top class research through the European Research Council.

GEOGHEGAN-QUINN at the Horizons for SSH Conference at Vilnius (Sept 2013) : “Embedding” means that the Social Sciences and Humanities can make their contribution where they are most needed. It means that they can provide the necessary knowledge and understanding to tackle the challenges. It means that the social, political and human aspects are not forgotten alongside the technological aspects.

“Embedding”?

• Oxford dictionary : embed = fix (an object) firmly and deeply in a surrounding mass

• Vilnius Declaration: “effective integration of SSH”

The Excellent Science Pillar

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

Budget

ExcellenceIndustrialSocietal

The Excellent Science Pillar

Horizon 2020

ERCMCAFETResearch InfrastructuresOther H2020 Programmes

The Excellent Science Pillar

SSH in ERC

17%

OtherSSH

SSH in Marie Curie

11-12%

OtherSSH

The Excellent Science Pillar

2,89 0,96

Horizon 2020

SSH in ERCSSH in MCAOther H2020 programmes

The Excellent Science Pillar • To confirm: LERU is satisfied with the general

structure of Horizon 2020 and the support for the ERC, MCA, FET and Research Infrastructures;

• The Excellence Pillar attracts the best researchers; therefore: – In the future, more money should go to the Excellence

Pillar = the shortest way to better support of SSH research;

– More room has to be created for interdisciplinary research;

– Position of SSH research in ERC and MCA should be strengthened.

The Industrial leadership Pillar

• WP Information and Communication Technologies with a budget of M€1.628,36 for 2014-2015 – ICT 10 – 2015: Collective Awareness Platforms for

Sustainability and Social Innovation: “Consortia are expected to be multidisciplinary in nature: participation of at least two entities from domains different than ICT technologies (e.g. social sciences, psychology, economy, art, etc.) is required”; budget: M€37

The Industrial leadership Pillar

– ICT 17 : Cracking the language barrier: “a multidisciplinary research path to develop a new paradigm” (M€16)

– ICT 20 : Technologies for better human learning and teaching : “research must be inherently multidisciplinary” (M€52)

– ICT 21 : Advanced digital gaming/gamification technologies : “Multidisciplinary research experimentations and collaboration” (M€17)

– ICT 31 : Human-centric Digital Age : “community building between ICT developers, researchers in SSH and other disciplines” (M€7)

The Industrial leadership Pillar

SSH related research : 7,9%

Other SSH related

Societal Challenges

1,7

Horizon 2020

HealthFoodEnergyTransportClimateInclusive SocietiesSecure SocietiesOther H2020 Programmes

The position of SSH in the 3rd Pillar?

ERC 17%

OtherSSH

MCA 11-12%

OtherSSH

SC6 = 4,4%

OtherSSH

Societal Challenges

• The most explicit acknowledgement of the importance of SSH-research in the WP for “Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials”: – “Solid involvement of social sciences and humanities

and civil society is a prerequisite to better understanding the socio-economic, cultural and environmental dimension of food waste and promoting change in the business and consumer environment for social innovation”.

• But only a few topics in which SSH research play a role

Societal Challenges

• WP “Health, demographic change and wellbeing”: good examples of multidisciplinary research topics in which SSH research plays a significant role; real integration of SSH research in the WP.

• But LERU wants to remind the European Commission that the societal challenge of “Health, demographic change and wellbeing” has a broader scope than medicine, biology or nursing: demographic change and wellbeing are topics in which SSH-research should be the core.

Societal Challenges

• Other Work Programmes: – some room for SSH research with a few dedicated

topics. – Also dedicated SSH-topics like “Ethical/Societal

Dimension” topics in WP Security or “Socio-economic and behavioural research and forward looking activities for policy making” in WP Transport.

• However this last topic is not related to the direct funding of research, but to “Coordination and Support Actions

– WP’s fall short of the ambitions of Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn regarding the ‘embedding’ of SSH research.

Societal Challenges

• Problems: – The integration of SSH research in the present work

programmes has been achieved only in an uneven way;

– Where genuine attempts were made to integrate SSH research, mostly the Social Sciences have been taken into consideration, not the Humanities;

– Insufficient SSH participation in advisory committees; – Uncertainty on sufficient SSH participation in the

review panels; – Uncertainty over review process.

SC6 : Europe in a changing world – inclusive, innovative and

reflective Societies

SC6 Calls and 2014-2015-budget:

• Overcoming the Crisis: New Ideas, Strategies and Governance Structures for Europe > 6 topics > 52 M€

• Young Generation in an Innovative, Inclusive and Sustainable Europe > 5 topics > 29,2 M€

• Reflective Societies: Cultural Heritage and European Identities > 10 topics > 49,5 M€ (5 M€ for HERA in 2014)

• Europe as a Global Actor > 12 topics > 43,7 M€ • New Forms of Innovation > 10 topics > 61,37 M€

Problems with the WP of SC6

• 43 topics for a M€225,5 budget (compare Climate: M€ 344,9 for 30 topics);

• Limited coherence in the calls; especially in the Reflective Call;

• Overlap in the topics of Europe as a Global Actor; • Proposals of 1,5-2,5 M€ (compare ERC Advanced

Grants: 2,5-3,5 M€ for individual researchers) – Possible disappointment: best researchers will not be

interested to participate

Problems with the WP of SC6

• Funding of COST through SC6 = 39,8 M€ = app. 15% (!) of the total budget of SC6 for 2014-2015

Change is difficult

• DG R&I leads the way, but do the other DG’s follow?

• Time was too short for full discussions on the WP’s – and universities and researchers wanted H2020 running for 2014;

• Focus of the SSH research community on SC6; • Improvements are possible for 2015 and

onwards.

Roadmap for improvement

• Universities: – University leadership has to promote

interdisciplinary research and participation of SSH researchers in all societal challenges of H2020

• Successful interdisciplinary projects should be showcased and rewarded;

• Interdisciplinary research careers should be supported;

– Platforms have to be organized in order to develop a truly interdisciplinary research agenda, also for the societal challenges of Horizon 2020.

Roadmap for improvement

• Member states and national funding agencies: – Support interdisciplinary research within the national

research agenda’s; – Participate in HERA and NORFACE; create more and

larger common pots for SSH research; – Make effective and transparent JPI’s, also in the field

of SSH research; – Participate in the discussions on the WP’s in an

innovative and constructive manner according to the principles of the Vilnius Declaration

Roadmap for improvement European Commission:

– to be a champion for HERA and NORFACE and the creation of more and larger common pots for SSH research;

– to promote effective and transparent JPI’s, also in the field of SSH research; and to encourage member states to invest in an implementation plan for the JPI on Cultural Heritage;

– to create a platform to develop interdisciplinary research questions;

– to make innovative WP’s together with SSH-researchers in the programme committees;

Roadmap for improvement European Commission:

– to find ways to attract the best SSH-researchers to contribute to SC6-calls by allowing larger programmes to be submitted;

– to create more room for the various disciplines of the Humanities;

– to develop common and valid evaluation criteria for interdisciplinary research;

– to have sufficient SSH representation in the evaluation committees.

THANKS!