Around 80 people drop in and mingle in the foyer outside the lecture theatre. The building is simple and sparsely decorated, if we ignore the view of the sunset over Europe’s centre of power. People chat over their cups of coffee and tea, and there is an open, friendly atmosphere among the representatives of LERU universities and key individuals from the EU. These include Helga Nowotny, the outgoing President of the European Research Council, and Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General of Research and Innovation at the European Commission.
The host of the evening is Kurt Deketelaere, LERU’s energetic secretary-general. He moves confidently among the tables. As a Professor of Law and adviser to the Belgian Government for several years, he is as familiar with Brussels and the corridors of power as he is with academia.
The relaxed atmosphere may possibly be due to the fact that the first milestone has been passed in Horizon 2020. The negotiations on the focus of the EU projects that are to be conducted in 2014–2015 are over.
“The themes and the headings have been settled and the money divided between them”, says Wim van den Doel to LUM.
He is dean of humanities at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and chair of the LERU community on social sciences and humanities. Wim van den Doel is also the person who put together the data that LERU has used to lobby the EU, and at this evening’s event he will be speaking about how he thinks it has gone.
The outcome for social sciences and humanities could have been better, he tells LUM.
“Of course there are calls that are of interest to us, but there are too many of them and the funding is too low. There are 43 different headings and themes, and not enough money for any individual project! This will not attract the best social sciences or humanities researchers.”
The background is political. Many of the EU member states have demanded a focus on their own national perspectives. The thick tomes describing the coming years’ themes are a result of compromise.
“The EU was also in a hurry to get Horizon 2020 rolling and our researchers were not allowed to contribute to the negotiations until after most things had been settled”, says Wim van den Doel.
However, it is not only the thematic fragmentation that is problematic. The EU still seems to view many major issues facing society as principally a matter for the fields of medicine, engineering and science, he explains.
“LERU has protested. We have pointed out that collaborative projects on health, demography and ageing should definitely include social scientists and humanities scholars and not mainly focus on medicine, biology and nursing.”
Social sciences and humanities are ‘embedded’ in these projects, claims the EU, which means that researchers from these fields can register their interest.
“However, it’s difficult to say what the outcome will be. With the current set-up, we don’t really feel welcome”, says Wim van den Doel.
Nonetheless, he adds, we cannot simply blame the EU. The relatively small proportion of previous EU projects that have gone to the humanities and social sciences is also due to the excessive introversion of the subjects. The EU wants to see more interdisciplinary projects.
“Universities have a lot of responsibility and work to do in this area. Where else can you find so many people within the same organisation with so many different skills? We must improve our ability to cooperate and to understand one another as colleagues.”
This is an issue for universities’ top management, in the view of Wim van den Doel. It is more of a risk to a researcher’s career to work across disciplines than to stick to one’s own discipline. Management must therefore encourage and reward interdisciplinarity.
There are successful examples of interdisciplinary platforms, he says, and gives the example of Lund University’s Humanities Laboratory.
“But more are needed. If universities can create these types of environments then we can serve as role models for the rest of society. However, we also need support from our governments and national research councils.”
Outside, the sun has gone down and Brussels is glistening in the winter darkness. The participants leave their coffee cups and take their seats in the lecture theatre to listen to a series of speakers. Wim van den Doel is first up, but before he takes to the rostrum, he has time to explain to LUM why he is still hopeful about the opportunities for the humanities and social sciences.
“We haven’t fully succeeded this time round, but we are quick learners! Horizon 2020 will run for seven years – negotiations will soon begin on the themes for the years 2016–2018, and this time the social sciences and humanities will be involved from the start! LERU will be calling for fewer, larger and better funded projects. Only then can the results have a real impact and also interest the best researchers in the humanities and social sciences.”
Text and photo: Britta Collberg
Why should social science and humanities researchers apply for EU funding?
“For two reasons. The first is that Europe needs us. We have an important role to play in helping society absorb change. Social, cultural and legal innovations are needed if Europe is to keep up with major global changes, such as China’s new role in the world economy or the major movements of people in our time. If the large numbers of people who have migrated to Europe do not get a chance to integrate into society, if we do not take advantage of their skills, they will leave and Europe will lose out.
“The second reason that we need to engage in EU projects is for our own sake. Most grants for social sciences and humanities are distributed on a national level, but that situation is changing. The research agenda is increasingly set at European level, and our best researchers need to be present in those contexts.”
How should researchers in the social sciences and humanities optimise their chances of obtaining EU funding and a place in EU projects?
“First and foremost, they should apply for research funding from the European Research Council (ERC), bearing in mind that competition is fierce. There is also the option of applying to the Marie Curie Actions programme, which provides funding for doctoral students and postdocs from other countries in various subjects.
“After that, however, they should take an interest in other parts of Horizon 2020, for example those that address major challenges in society. My advice is: go through the programmes, go to meetings, listen, contact colleagues, draw up serious plans and make an application! The process itself is educational and can produce dividends in the future.”
“We are living in exciting times”, said Wim van den Doel. “Society wants ‘payback’ and we must learn to work together. Encounters with other disciplines open up new vistas for social sciences and humanities.”
About LERU:
The LERU university network brings together 21 of the top universities in Europe, including Oxford and Cambridge. The participants from the Nordic countries are Lund and Helsinki universities. LERU stands for League of European Research Universities and is regarded as one of the most important lobbying organisations in research and higher education in the EU.
About Horizon 2020
Over EUR 70 billion will be distributed over the next seven years.
Horizon 2020 is divided into three pillars.
The first pillar is called “Excellent Science” and is a large pool of funding for cutting-edge academic research initiated by researchers. Under this pillar is the funding distributed by the European Research Council and the Marie Curie Actions programme.
The second pillar concerns collaborations initiated by industry and its needs. One key objective of Horizon 2020 is to ‘re-industrialise Europe’.
The third pillar addresses major “Societal Challenges”. Grants are distributed to broad, collaborative, cross-boundary projects that tackle issues such as health, demographic change and ageing, energy supply, food security, transport and climate change, as well as how to build secure, inclusive, innovative and reflective societies.
