SSH Integration

SSH Integration has been a cross-cutting theme for the life of Horizon Europe, that seeks to ensure that societal, economic and other relevant considerations are properly taken into account right across all Clusters of Pillar 2. This was first introduced under the Horizon 2020 Framework, and the focus has increased under Horizon Europe. 

Monitoring

The first Horizon Europe monitoring report for SSH Integration, covering the period 2021-2023 was released over the summer. In total 40% of Topics under Horizon Europe have been flagged as being SSH relevant, and 41% of total funding has gone to those Topics. Unsurprisingly, Cluster 2 saw high levels of involvement, but there was meaningful involvement , and significant levels of coordination, right across all Clusters. A total of 102 partners identified as SSH were based in Ireland (13th highest in the European Union). 

Recommendations

The monitoring report identified three key areas for successful integration: 

 1) Achieving a clear common language. Many disciplines will understand certain words, concepts,            and even statistical outcomes differently, and addressing this early in the development of a                  project will assist harmonious approaches. 

  2) Developing cohesive priorities. In a multi-disciplinary consortium it is likely that different                       disciplines will have different research goals, and so projects should be clear on the key overall           aims to make sure that the different processes pull together in the same ultimate direction. 

 3) Project should create interdependencies between work packages. This will encourage                        cooperation between actors throughout the duration of the project, and guard against partners          working in isolated silos. 

SSH Integration in the remainder of the current Framework

The Commission intends to continue pressing for SSH involvement, and it is assumed that any topics flagged as SSH relevant will not only benefit from those disciplines, but it will actively need them in order to achieve the goals set out. Future analysis will investigate topics not necessarily flagged as SSH relevant, but where researchers from those disciplines are participating. 

The Net4Society network of Cluster 2 NCPs has been active in this area, promoting the continuation of integration, developing ideas for areas where SSH contribution is less apparent, and developing new guidelines and training materials. 

SSH Integration in the next Framework

Article 5 of the recent European Commission proposal for the establishment of a new Framework states that it will: 

     ...ensure a multidisciplinary approach, where appropriate, and provide for the integration of social sciences        and humanities (SSH) across all components under the Programme, including specific calls for proposals on SSH related topics...

So we can reasonably predict that SSH Integration will remain a priority, though quite what form it will take is still to be confirmed. Advocates for SSH, including Net4Society and the European Alliance of Social Sciences and Humanities have encouraged continuation, combined with improved monitoring and greater involvement of SSH expertise at programme design level. We watch with interest to see what comes next.