SSH CENTRE has launched a report collection, bringing to light the extent to which Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) aspects are currently integrated into three key research and innovation (R&I) policy initiatives of the EU, namely the Horizon Europe Partnerships, the Horizon Europe Missions, and the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan). Within the SSH CENTRE reports, recommendations are provided on how to better integrate Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) insights into these EU R&I policy initiatives.

To support the launch of the reports, a series of blog posts are being written to introduce the content of each report. This is the first blog post of the series, focusing on the Horizon Europe Partnerships, written by Aoife McNulty, Communications Officer at EERA.

Strengthening the integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in the Horizon Europe Partnerships

The report is dedicated to analysing the Horizon Europe Partnerships. A key implementation tool of the current European Research and Innovation Framework Programme (Horizon Europe), the Partnerships connect the European Commission to private and/or public partners in order to overcome some of the continent’s most pressing challenges and modernise industry through concerted research and innovation policy initiatives.

In-Depth Analysis and Key Recommendations 

To effectively develop recommendations for integrating SSH in the HEU partnerships, SSH CENTRE partners reviewed the Strategic Research and Innovation Agendas (SRIAs) of seven Partnerships* active in the areas of climate, energy, and mobility. Despite acknowledging the presence of substantial consideration for SSH topics throughout the various SRIAs, the report emphasises the integral need to strive for even further improvement and integration of SSH themes where fitting. The report outlines three sets of concrete recommendations in this regard:

  1. Holistic Approach to SSH Integration

The first recommendation pertains to the need to address SSH considerations in a holistic way, always integrating them with technical ones. To achieve this, the authors recommend, among other actions, the fostering of cross-disciplinary collaboration with similar bodies and initiatives, for example, the relevant SET Plan counterpart, on best practices of SSH integration, as well as the creation of space for input and reflection from SSH researchers external to the Partnership.

  1. Enhanced Co-Creation and Stakeholder Engagement

The second recommendation, to once again promote a more comprehensive SSH outlook in the SRIAs analysed, advocates for enhanced co-creation and engagement of external stakeholders earlier in the drafting process. Recommended steps to be taken include ensuring greater transparency in the drafting process, and involvement of civil society not only in the late/commercial stages of technology adoption but also during the early stages of technology design and prototyping.

  1. Addressing Social Complexity

The third and final recommendation stemming from the report to boost SSH considerations calls for the Partnerships to address the social complexity of their respective topics. Central to this is a demand-driven approach, which can help source input from a wider set of stakeholders who better represent the complex social reality of the SRIA in question. The inclusion of interdisciplinarity, as well as justice and fairness aspects, in the design and implementation of the solutions to be funded under the Partnerships are also of utmost importance.

Read the full report here.

*The Partnerships studied in this report include:

  • Clean Energy Transition (CET) Partnership
  • Batteries Partnership
  • Clean Hydrogen Partnership
  • Processes4Planet (P4P) Partnership
  • Built4People (B4P) Partnership
  • Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Partnership
  • Cooperative, connected and automated mobility (CCAM) Partnership

Stay tuned for our next blog posts, where we will discuss the second and third reports in this series.