Suggestions on SSH inclusion in H2020 proposed

The European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities (EASH) has put forward suggestions on how to include the social sciences and humanities (SSH) in Horizon 2020 in its most recent letter to Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, the European Parliament and the European Council.

The letter addresses the mainstreaming of SSH research across all seven challenges and includes further suggestions on making the 6th challenge of Horizon 2020 on ‘inclusive, innovative and reflective societies’ a part of the new framework programme with a particularly strong SSH research dimension.

The letter states: “In order for Europe to remain a socio-economic model and a strong and respected partner, the research programme that will inform Europe 2020 policies needs to create a robust evidence base and offer analytical tools for tackling some of its major challenges also in non-technical domains, in fields as diverse as internal governance, cultural diversity, migration, labour market policies, international affairs, and innovation in education.”

The letter concludes: “The European Union has been exposed to tremendous societal challenges over the last decade. Whether we speak of the European Treaty in 2005, the rise in inequalities, increasing social instability and exclusion or the current economic and financial crisis: citizens across the EU member states are divided over the policy mix to adopt.

“Evidently, in many fields the EU still needs to convince its citizens, its politicians, and its elites that truly European solutions can be developed that will be better than the sum of 27 national recipes for solutions. Horizon 2020 is a timely opportunity to re-launch the EU model by sustaining bold developments in science.”

The European and global research communities in social sciences and the humanities are committed and where appropriate ready to lead the efforts towards creating an evidence-base for Europe’s transition towards Inclusive, Innovative and Reflective Societies, the letter adds and, in order to identify the relevant arenas for interdisciplinary integration, the SSH communities are preparing a series of dedicated working meetings early in 2013, involving notable expertise from the neighbouring science fields, to make detailed proposals.