2024-04-02 10:00 AM

Key session by EASSH on "Providing evidence for funders/science policymakers: How to balance societal, research and policy needs".

On 6–7 May 2024, the Belgian Presidency is organising an international conference on SSAH and the future of evidence-informed policymaking.

General information

There is a pressing need for multidisciplinary approaches in policymaking to tackle complex challenges like pandemics, climate change and technological transitions. Such approaches emphasize the crucial role of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities (SSAH) in providing diverse perspectives and expertise to policymakers.

SSAH researchers are being increasingly recognised for their unique contributions and impact on policy, especially evident during the COVID-19 crisis. Acknowledging this imbalance between supply and demand in regard to the further integration of SSAH into evidence-informed policymaking ecosystems, efforts are underway to better integrate SSAH into research funding programs like Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

EASSH Session

Session 3: Providing evidence for funders/science policymakers: How to balance societal, research and policy needs

Inter/multi/transdisciplinary research is required in evidence-informed policymaking. This requires an environment where public and private funders play a prominent role. What sort of conditions need to be in place? How can these conditions be generated?

The aim of the session is to come up with recommendations on how to produce a feasible and functional environment for the doing of inter/multi/transdisciplinary research which is relevant to policymaking. An additional aim is to come up with recommendations for research funding organisations on what can be done concretely to better enable these research forms in Europe.

Chair: Gabi Lombardo (Director of EASSH – European Alliance for the Social Sciences and the Humanities)

Part 1: Case study

Discover the EU-funded NORDIS project, a successful collaboration of technical and social scientists. Find out how to create a model for tackling information disorders in digital media to ensure transparency in open democracies.

The case study will be followed by a panel discussion on interdisciplinarity with funders and think-tanks.

Panel speakers:

Lizza Bomassi (Carnegie Europe)
Matthias Reiter-Pazmandy (BMBWF)
Anja Bechmann (Aarhus University)
Malwina Gębalska (CHANSE).

Part 2: Better integrating SSAH research

Evidence informs science policymakers. There is a need for better understanding how to successfully integrate SSAH research into relevant topics in European programmes, particularly where those topics are STEM focussed.

EASSH will present the results of an analysis of the SSAH research contributions across Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

Recommendations will be set out to improve the integration of SSAH research where it is relevant to specific call topics, and across research programmes which have a clear ‘social dimension’. The presentation will be followed by a short Q&A session.

Panel speakers:

Raf Gun (University of Antwerp)
Jon Deer (City University of London).

When?

Presidency conference: 6–7 May 2024

EASSH session: Monday 6 May 2024, 14–16:30 CET.

Where?

The event will take place at the Royal Museum for Central Africa, located in Tervuren, Belgium.

Virtual parallel sessions and livestream information.