A new horizon for social sciences
The ‘Horizons for Social Sciences and Humanities’ conference focused on the role this, often overlooked but important, area of research will play in each of the Societal Challenges of the next research and innovation framework programme. The event, which took place during September 2013 as part of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, resulted in the ‘Vilnius Declaration,’ which was presented to Lithuanian Minister of Education and Science, Professor Dr Dainius Pavalkis, for the consideration by the Council of the European Union.
Addressing delegates in the conference’s keynote speech, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, said the conference showed that Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) research was key research area and praised the agreement on Horizon 2020 that was completed during the summer.
“Europe is still facing many long-term and complex challenges. It takes profound knowledge and insight to really understand these challenges and how they affect us, and to guide us to solutions. That is why SSH is more essential than ever, and why we, as policy makers, are keen to have their contribution. We need them to understand ourselves, our society and the challenges we face. We need them to guide politicians and policy makers and to inform public opinion.
“Research and technology provide many answers to the challenges we face, but technological fixes alone aren’t enough to solve our major, complex problems. A knowledge society needs to know itself, and SSH are the keys to this. The increasing importance, indeed the necessity of the SSH, has spurred us on to create a bold, new vision for them at European level,” the Commissioner said.
“Horizon 2020 sets SSH in the wider context of how R&D and innovation shape our economy and can change our society for the better. The framework programme focuses on challenges to tackle rather than disciplines to be financed. We need this approach because problems like our competitiveness, climate change, energy security or public health are so complex and multifaceted that we need to think and act across disciplines, outside of our usual silos.
“We can’t properly tackle the challenges we identify in Horizon 2020 without a solid understanding of them, without economic, social and cultural analysis, and without discussing how the issues might develop in the future. This is why the SSH are anchored at the heart of Horizon 2020.”
Embedding
SSH research will form part of each individual research portfolio across the entire Societal Challenges pillar thanks to ‘embedding’. Some Societal Challenges will involve SSH research across all areas of activity whilst others involve specific SSH lines of activity.
“Instead of programmes dedicated to particular research disciplines, Horizon 2020 seeks to solve, through research and innovation, our biggest challenges, such as climate change, an ageing population, and/or energy security.
Embedding means that the SSH can make their contribution where they are most needed. It means that they can provide the necessary knowledge and understanding to tackle the challenges and means that the social, political and human aspects are not forgotten alongside the technological aspects.”
Geoghegan-Quinn continued by detailing how SHH research will form part of the major societal challenges.
“Under the health challenge, SSH research could provide the economic and social analysis necessary for reforming public health systems. In the field of public health, SSH research can study lifestyle factors, the empowerment of patients or stimulate citizen engagement, wellbeing and prevention. SSH can also research the causes of health inequalities and their relationship to other economic and social inequalities, as well as the effectiveness of policies to reduce them.
“Under the challenge of ‘Smart, green and integrated transport,’ SSH research is needed to analyse the socioeconomic aspects of transport, to carry out prospective studies and provide technology foresight. We also need SSH to help us understand user behaviour, social acceptance, and the impact of policy measures. The contribution of SSH is particularly important in the area of urban mobility, where a host of complex factors, regulatory issues and behaviours come into play,” the Commissioner told delegates.
“SSH research should also contribute to the challenge of ‘Climate action and resource efficiency’, for example by pursuing research on the cultural, behavioural, managerial and institutional changes needed to move to a more sustainable and resource efficient society. Socioeconomic research will also help us develop robust indicators to assess policies and monitor the transition towards a green economy. This challenge will also address issues concerning the preservation and use of cultural heritage and its socioeconomic importance for contemporary societies.
“And it is in the challenge on ‘Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies’ that SSH researchers can address a wide range of issues around smart, sustainable and inclusive growth; inclusive societies; and Europe’s role as a global actor, as well as research on ‘Reflective societies’ and Europe’s cultural heritage and identity.”
Conclusion
The Commissioner concluded by outlining the important opportunities that embedding will provide for SSH research and called for continuing support for Horizon 2020.
“I ask, again, for the strong support of all individual researchers, universities, academies, research centres and other stakeholders, to enable us to pursue truly innovative research and to ensure that Horizon 2020 is culturally and ethically sensitive, as well as politically and socially relevant.
“I convey my full support to the Lithuanian Presidency during the final steps of adopting the Horizon 2020 legislative package.”
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
