Understanding the FP7 SSH Call

The 2011-12 Fp7 calls are now only days away and now is a good time for a quick overview of the Socioeconomic Sciences and Humanities theme, so that you don't feel too lost amidst the 68 page work programme.

SSH provides funding through two basic 'instruments' or funding schemes:

• Large Collaborative Projects, to answer 'grand challenges'. These are behemoths, and the EC expects consortia to be at least 7 members from 7 different countries, and the EC's contribution to be at least €5.5m;
• Small/Medium Collaborative Project/Support Actions, to answer specific 'topics'. Here, the scale is much less ambitious: the minimum number of partners is 3, and the EC contribution is at most €1m/€2.5m.

Both these types of funding fit within eight broad 'activities':

• Growth, Employment & Competitiveness
• Economic, Social & Environmental Objectives in Europe
• Major Trends in Society and Their Implications
• Europe and the World
• The Citizens in the European Union
• Socio-Economic & Scientific Indicators
• Foresight Activities
• Horizontal Activities

Now it may seem a little confusing as to how they all fit together, so I've done a grid (pdf) showing which challenge or topic fits under which activity. However, this is just an overview, a road map: to really understand what the EC is after for each of these you'll have to take a deep breath and jump into the Work Programme. This will give you the background, objectives and expected impact of each area. The latest version of the draft Work Programme is available via UKRO, though you need to be a subscriber (as Kent is) in order to access it.

Notes from FP7 SSH Event

The National Contact Point for the Socioeconomic Sciences and Humanities in the EC's Framework Programme (FP7) held an event at UCL in London yesterday on the forthcoming call.

It was slightly disappointing: it fell into the trap beloved of those dealing with European funding of battering the audience with dense, text-heavy Powerpoint slides. I was hoping for a little insight beyond the published Work Programme, but instead we were treated to a deathy - but skimpy - overview of it. They took no prisoners: the title of every topic was incanted, but no detail or background given beyond that.

In fact, the event only came alive when Prof Evelyn Welch arrived and spoke about her specific experience of managing a framework project. She infused her talk with the personality, experience and subjectivity that had been so absent from the administrative talks. In particular, she highlighted:

• the need to have had a substantial background in managing project before even thinking of going for European funding. She had run five projects already, from the AHRC, ESF and Marie Curie.
• she had applied for - and got - funding from the Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) scheme, which was a partnership between national funders (such as the ESRC and AHRC) and the EC.
• you should 'promise what you want to deliver.' You should apply for funding because you actually want to do the research, not because your institution is forcing you to do so, or you feel a sense of obligation to the other members of the consortium. The acid test is: would your heart leap or sink if the award letter came? The research, the project, has to be something you actively want to do.
• a lot of academics in the humanities struggle with the idea of 'work packages', because it's not part of their culture. Work packages are discrete subprojects. However, they should all feed in to and help answer the overall research questions of the project.
• your consortium should be built on a trusted network of contacts, and should 'make sense'. It shouldn't be a flag of convenience. It is also good to involve 'associate partners' - i.e. users and groups outside of academia such as museums or policy bodies.
• you must, must, must include a project coordinator, and ask for the cost of this as part of the application. The academic shouldn't manage the project: it's too large a task, especially as the PI would also be leading one of the work packages. A project manager is expected by the EC, and they might question how you could possibly complete the project without one.

Prof Welch finished by summarising why people should get involved with European funding:

• That's where the funding is. As national funding shrinks, the Framework Programme is increasing;
• It offers you the opportunity to work wiht an exciting, diverse range of people with different skills and backgrounds;
• It gives you access to materials and expertise and information that would be impossible to put together on your own.
• It's good fun.

She illustrated this by giving an example from her HERA project which was looking at the reasons why fashions came and went. At a project meeting at a small town in Finland they uncovered a teasure trove of costumes from the seventeenth and eighteenth century that completely changed her understanding of how contemporary fashion had spread through Scandinavia. Such revelations, such insights, would not have been possible had she not had the impetus and the framework of a European research grant.

The next SSH call will open on 20 July, with a deadline of 2 Feb 2012. If you want any more information on it, do get in touch.

FP7: All the Funding Available for SSH

Net4Society, which sounds suspiciously like some fly-by-night insurance comparison website, is actually a network of National Contact Points (NCPs) for the Socioeconomic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in the EC's Framework Programme (FP7).

Is that enough acronyms?

Anyway, they've put together an interesting document that lists all the FP7 funding available to SSH researchers. It's not just in the SSH stream itself, but also in areas such as Health, Environment and Transport. It's a tough document to chew on, with turgid eurospeak, acronyms and reference numbers throughout, but interesting to see how many places SSH, and particularly social sciences, feature. And it's a useful lesson to bear in mind: if you work in - say - health research don't just limit yourself to the Health stream, but look at other areas too.

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.

UKRO Answers Questions on European Funding

Further to my post on the Roadmap for FP7' s Socioeconomic Sciences & Humanities (SSH), UKRO have produced some useful FAQs on the Theme's 'new approach.' As ever, UKRO have done well in cutting through the eurobabel that often clouds European funding. If you're thinking of applying to the current or future rounds under SSH, have a look at the general guidance which is available here. (you'll need to be a subscriber to UKRO's Information Service; if not contact me)

FP7 Social Science and Humanities Information Day

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), acting as the National Contact Point for the FP7 Socioeconomic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) Programme and the Science in Society Programme, is arranging a one-day briefing event on opportunities and expectations in these two programmes. The event will focus on the current calls outlined in the 2010 Work Programmes, with a chance to engage informally with a senior Commission official about the approach and what is being sought.
In addition, there will be information from UKRO on other aspects and opportunities; and an introduction to the Commission's "Road Map" for the SSH programme of research topics envisaged for calls in the period 2011 – 2013.
This event is principally aimed at university research managers and European funding officers with responsibility for the social sciences and humanities.

It will be held at Regent's College, London, NW1.
To register for this event, please email Bruce Carter at sshncp@esrc.ac.uk. You are advised to register early, as the number of participants may be restricted.