At a time of conflict, dislocation, and disinformation, the questions, approaches and solutions provided by SSAH researchers are more important than ever to offer a deeper understanding of our cultures, our societies, and of the politics affected by them. The Guild welcomes the strong support given to SSAH research in Pillar 1 of Horizon Europe through the ERC and the MSCA. Furthermore, The Guild underlines the importance of Cluster 2 (‘Culture, creativity and inclusive society’), and stresses that SSAH research must be effectively integrated in interdisciplinary calls across the entire second pillar.
The Guild’s universities urge that Cluster 2 should include calls that allow a deeper interdisciplinary understanding of market imbalances and behavioural reactions to them. They also support the need for greater pluridisciplinary depth in research on cultural heritage and underline the importance of the Arts and their contributions to a deeper understanding of Europe’s societies and cultures.
Finally, The Guild calls for a strong, and full, integration of SSAH perspectives across the second pillar. This is essential for ensuring that societal challenges can be addressed in their full complexity. It is also critical in enabling any innovations stemming from the research to be developed from the perspectives of their full societal and cultural benefits and costs.
“Proper interdisciplinary inclusion of academic researchers from the social sciences, humanities and the arts is necessary for tackling most challenges identified in Pillar 2”, says Claes-Fredrik Helgesson, professor of Technology and social change and director of Centre for Integrated Research on Culture and Society (CIRCUS) at Uppsala University. “I’m pleased with The Guild’s long-term commitment to foster a well-informed research and innovation policy for the EU.”
Jan Palmowski, Secretary-General of The Guild, added: “The unexpected challenges of the pandemic, and of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, can leave no policy-maker in any doubt that it was essential to support interdisciplinary SSAH research in Horizon’s second pillar. For the next strategic plan and beyond, it is abundantly clear that we need a deeper understanding of the conflicts and dislocations affecting our societies, and how these are refracted by technological change.”
31 January 2023
Find below additional publications The Guild published in response to the European Commission consultation on the Horizon Europe programme:
Re-orient Horizon Europe missions to support cutting-edge research | 24 January 2023
Health Priorities for challenge-driven research in Horizon Europe | 7 February 2023
Priorities for digital and artificial intelligence research in Horizon Europe | 14 February 2023