What's in Store for Socioeconomic Sciences and Humanities in Europe

UKRO, the UK Research Office in Brussels, has got hold of the Work Programme (WP) for Socioeconomic Sciences and Humanities for the forthcoming year. This is the document that sets out where the funding will go in this area, what the topics will be, and what parameters are for individual projects.

This year the EC is looking at specific ‘societal challenges’ to be addressed by large scale projects. There will be €84m available, with about a 70/30 split between larger and smaller projects.
The six Societal Challenges likely to be included in the 2011 calls are:

• Europe moving towards a new path of economic growth and social development;
• Economic, social and political conditions for satisfying the world food needs;
• Sustainable health behaviours in Europe;
• Tacking poverty in a development context - Specific International Co-operation Action (SICA);
• The evolving concept of borders; and
• Cultures of Corruption and resistance to corruption in the private and public sphere.
  

The final Work Programme is expected to be published at the end of July 2010. Calls for proposals should open later in the year, with deadlines at the beginning of the new calendar year. So this is a good opportunity to think about whether your work fits with the priorities and the challenges outlined in the WP, and whether you are well placed (in terms of having a good network of European partners) to take advantage of this funding.

UKRO are wary about widely distributing the WP, but if you would like to talk more about your work and your options, drop me a line.