With the EU’s current research funding programme Horizon2020 coming to an end, and planning for its successor Horizon Europe at an advanced stage there is a pressing need to engage policy makers, NCPs, stakeholders and the humanities research community on how best to mobilise humanities expertise in the shaping of the programme’s thematic clusters.
Attendees heard an excellent presentation from the Director of EASSH Dr Gabi Lombardo on the emerging shape of Horizon Europe.Dr Lombardo discussed the current research policy landscape and outlined how EASSH has been advocating for the inclusion of the issues that are of greatest concern to EU citizens at the heart of Horizon Europe (e.g. Democracy, Education, Social Transformation, Cultural heritage and societies etc.), and for human and social perspective to have their place in clusters such as Health, Food, etc
The second part of the event provided space for discussion among the participants in relation to the shaping of the Horizon Europe thematic clusters ( 'global challenges'), and how to better take advantage of AHSS expertise in designing and shaping them. This exercise challenged attendees to think a little bit beyond their own particular research areas. Each group considered how arts and humanities research aligned with:
1. Health
2. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
3. Civil Security for Society
4. Digital, Industry and Space
5. Climate, Energy and Mobility
6. Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment.
A full event report will be published shortly.
Dr Gabi Lombardo is the Director of the European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities (EASSH), the largest advocacy and science policy organisation for social sciences and humanities in Europe. She has a first degree and MA in Philosophy and History from Rome University La Sapienza (Italy) and a PhD in Economic History from the London School of Economics (UK). In 2018, Dr Lombardo received the Young Academy of Europe Annual Prize.