New research in Europe?
Moscow, Dec. 6-7, 2004
THE CASE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES IN THE „KNOWLEDGE BASED SOCIETY“
Josef Hochgerner Zentrum für Soziale Innovation
SCIENCE - RESEARCH - SOCIETY
MAJOR CHALLENGES
Population growth Environmental issues
Unemployment
Polarised income distribution Decreasing welfare indicated by ISEW Working conditions and business organisation
Knowledge economy
Societal continuity and disruptions
ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN TRANSITION
Industrial Society Industrial Society Industrial production of
goods and services transformed agrarian society
Value creation:
Goods and services
Productive factors:
Soil + Labour + Capital
Econ. success dependent on efficient use of labour [20th century]
Information Society Information Society Information networks and
the knowledge economy transforming industrial society
Value creation:
Knowledge and access
Productive factors:
Soil + Labour + Capital + Information
Econ. success dependent on efficient use of
resources [21st century]
Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH)
“Universal” message - “national” funding
Fragmentation by disciplines and different research traditions
Urgent need for informed advice to improve policy making
Strategic role much greater than actual market share in research funding
STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS
CAN SSH MEET THE NEW CHALLENGES?
Most common weaknesses of SSH research
Lack of infrastructures in SSH
Sub-critical size of most institutes
Too little concertation between international and national funing schemes and research programmes
National boundaries of research methodologies, concepts and approaches (less developed internationalisation)
Major Instruments
Shared cost projects 20% of the budget
Integrated projects 3-5 years, 10+ mio €
Networks of Excellence 5 years or more, very few
Thematic priorities in FP6
Genomics & Biotechnology
Information Society Technologies
Nanosciences & materials
Aeronautics & Space
Food Quality & Safety
Sustainability & Ecosystems
The Knowledge-based Society
EU FUNDING FOR RTD
Facts
&Figures
Establishment of first EC research initiatives 1957 Framework Programmes (FP) for
Research and Technology Development (RTD) 1983 Specific EU research activities on social sciences 1994 EC Communication “Towards a European Reseach Area/ERA” 2000 FP4 (1994-1998): TSER (“Targeted Socio-Economic Research”) 105 Mio € FP5 (1998-2002): Key Action
(“Improving the socio-economic knowledge base”) 165 Mio € FP6: Priority 7 (“Citizens and Governance in a knowledge based society”) 225 Mio € Budget share of Priority 7 in FP6 (of a total of 17,5 Bill. €) 1,3 %
SOCIAL SCIENCES IN EU FUNDING FOR RTD
TOPICS FOR POTENTIAL JOINT PROJECTS
Work Programme 2004-2006
“Citizens and Governance in a knowledge based society”
Research area 4.2.1.: New EU borders, new visions of neighbourhood
• Instrument: STREP (Specific Targeted Research Project)
• Call: Dec. 8, 2004
• Deadline: April 13, 2005
Research area 8.3.3.: “Promoting international research and policy co-operation in social sciences and humanities”
• Instrument: SSA (Specific Support Actions)
• Call Dec. 8 - April 13 as above
• Particular interest: promote co-operation bewteen EU and INCO countries
• Organise conferences and workshops
• Exchange findings, identify common research agendas on important themes of interest for Europe as well as individual and groups of INCO countries
Josef Hochgerner Centre for Social Innovation Linke Wienzeile 246 A - 1150 Vienna
Tel. ++43.1.4950442 Fax. ++43.1.4950442-40 email: hochgerner@zsi.at http://www.zsi.at
