The Institute for Regional Studies of the ELKH Centre for Economic and Regional Studies (KRTK IRS) acts as one of the 13 partners in the four-year-long 'Social Sciences and Humanities for Climate, Energy and Transport Research Excellence' – SSH CENTRE – Horizon Europe project, funded by the European Union. The SSH CENTRE’s workshop titled 'From the edge to cutting the edge research funding' was organized in Pécs at KRTK IRS premises on March 28, 2023.
The workshop aimed to foreground the voices of Social Sciences & Humanities (SSH) researchers from Central Eastern Europe (CEE), working on sustainability-related challenges, since disparities remained in terms of the participation of SSH researchers from CEE in research collaborations, as compared to Northern and Western scholars. Given SSH is already generally marginalized in favor of more technical disciplines when it comes to funding, this means SSH researchers from CEE are disadvantaged several times over. Participants of the workshop discussed the challenges and potential solutions identified in the antecedent survey. Besides the discussion of challenges of low salary, double academic duty (teaching and researching), the low prestige of some social disciplines, and the lack of administrative support, workshop participants made useful suggestions for policymakers, such as the need for improving the visible profile of universities, the importance of working schemes and networking, or the higher involvement of researchers in EU research proposal evaluation.
The SSH CENTRE project aims to engage directly with stakeholders across research, policy, and business (including citizens) to strengthen social innovation, SSH-STEM collaboration, transdisciplinary policy advice, inclusive engagement, and SSH communities across Europe, accelerating the EU’s transition to carbon neutrality. This project will directly address this challenge supporting cross-sectoral collaborations and empowerment of citizens and networks towards the development of socially innovative solutions for the EU’s climate transition. SSH CENTRE is based in a range of activities related to Open Science, inclusivity, and diversity – especially with regards to Southern and Eastern Europe and different career stages – including: the development of novel SSH-STEM collaborations to facilitate the delivery of the EU Green Deal; SSH knowledge brokerage to support regions in transition; and the effective design of strategies for citizen engagement in EU R&I activities. Outputs include action-led agendas and building stakeholder synergies through regular Policy Insight events. This will be captured in a high-profile virtual SSH CENTRE generating and sharing best practice for SSH policy advice, overcoming fragmentation to accelerate the EU’s journey to a sustainable future.
The project brings together 13 leading organizations from across the EU, including: 3 universities, 4 research institutions, 2 stakeholder network organizations, as well as 4 R&I and communications SMEs. The partners bring world-leading expertise across SSH and STEM disciplines applied to climate, energy and mobility, covering neutrality, community-led initiatives, heating and cooling, circular economy and sufficiency, and digital technologies. Head of Hungarian research group is the Director of KRTK IRS, Viktor Varjú.
