Tagged / innovative

Inclusive, Innovative & Secure Societies: Report from Horizon 2020 Stakeholder Workshop

Horizon 2020 will replace FP7 in 2014. Stakeholder workshops on the proposed ‘societal challenges’ have been held, including one on Inclusive, Innovative and Secure Societies. The workshops confirmed that the strand will encompass research currently funded under the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and Security themes of the FP7 Co-operation programme, as well as the Science in Society and Coherent Policy Development strands of FP7 Capacities and the ICT for society aspects of the ICT theme. 

The overarching conclusion from the two workshops was that although most of these areas could work together together to make a cohesive social sciences theme, the security element was a less comfortable fit (felt by both the security and the social sciences and humanities community). A new challenge entitled ‘Protecting the freedom of Europe and its citizens’ was suggested.

Funding for ‘risky research’ foreseen at the ESRC

The Economic and Social Research Council is set to announce changes to its funding schemes, according to the blog Research Fundermentals.  Reporting on an ESRC event in London on 2 June, Phil Ward, research funding manager at the University of Kent, said the council would introduce a mechanism for funding innovative or risky research.  This would involve a pilot stage, which, if successful, would be followed by a second stage of funding, said Ward.

According the blog, the council announced that its Centres and Large Grants schemes would have a strong steer towards areas of priority, such as analysing economic performance, influencing behaviour and social mobility.  According to Ward, full details of the changes will be made available on the council’s website in the next few weeks.