Advancing Humanities and Social Sciences Research in Ireland

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STRENGTHENING IRISH HSS RESEARCH BY PARTICIPATION IN EU PROGRAMMES With the support of funding through the EU FP6 and FP5, a project is researching the issue of political and civic participation on a Europe-wide basis. The project, which began with nine partners and now numbers sixteen, has brought together some of the leading European and American researchers in this field, resulting in significant theoretical innovation. In terms of improved databases, the project has gathered large volumes of existing aggregate data and brought about the collection of newly designed individuallevel data. The project is leveraging the opportunities provided by cross-national comparison to identify the effects of system-level variables (historical traditions, institutional structure, economic conditions and political cleavages) on individual behaviour. This contributes to improvements in the quality of the research itself and substantial benefits in terms of the development of the research capacity of Irish researchers and the third-level sector overall. 7.1 HSS PARTICIPATION IN EU RESEARCH- FUNDING INSTRUMENTS The FP includes a variety of instruments to support research and researchers’ mobility but these instruments have not always been ‘friendly’ to the HSS. A report by the European Commission’s Advisory Group on Social Sciences and Humanities in the European Research Area (2005b, 2005c) suggested that: • The strategies of EU funding agencies were diverse and when taken with the absence of national research registers led to the risk of duplication and overlap in the funding of research. • European research infrastructures were, relative to other areas, fragmented and poorly developed making it difficult to promote collaborative and comparative research. • Access to data is often restricted. • The organisation of ‘big science’ type research projects often reflects a lack of experience in such initiatives. 29 29 Available online at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/society/article_3269_en.htm (16 January 2007). 54
A snapshot of the depth and breadth of Irish HSS research participation in key European research initiatives is provided below. Where possible, comparisons are again made with Finland, Norway, Portugal and Slovenia as in Section 5.2. 7.1.1 EU FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES EU FPs support the expansion of transnational research and the development of European multi-disciplinary research, and address scientific and technological challenges in strategic policy areas for Europe and its citizens. 30 Ireland’s draw on FP funding has been relatively poor in recent years especially in the HSS. However, as the nature and activities of the FP were not particularly welcoming to the HSS, the figures presented in Table 12 should be read with caution. Table 12—Ireland’s participation in the EU FP4, FP5 and FP6 Programme Priority No. of HSS projects € m No. of Irish partners involved in FP projects No. of FP projects with Ireland as coordinator FP4, 1994–98 FP5, 1998–2002 FP6, 2002–2006 Targeted socio-economic research Improving the socioeconomic knowledge base Citizens and knowledge in a knowledge-based society 162 112 24 3 185 155 5 2 144 270 1 18 2 Source: European Commission 1999, 2003a, 2003b, 2003c, 2006a. Note: 1 Two per cent of the total FP budget was allocated to this priority. Human resources and mobility activities are an integral element of the EU FPs and are known as the Marie Curie actions (European Commission 2006b). Marie Curie instruments are largely based on the financing of training and mobility activities for researchers. 31 As such, they emphasise mobility of researchers, transnational networking and sharing of expertise across countries. Approximately ten per cent (or 1,580m) of the FP6 budget was assigned to Marie Curie initiatives providing 30 Available online at: ftp://ftp.cordis.lu/pub/era/docs/fp7_irish_final.doc (16 January 2007). 31 ‘Marie Curie Actions: Overview’, available online at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp6/ mariecurie-actions/ action/level_en.html (16 January 2007). 55
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A D V A N C I N G H U M A N I T I E
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7 HSS RESEARCH AND THE EUROPEAN UNI
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Table 11 HERD expenditure on humani
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Glossary AAI CONUL COST CSC DES DET
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Foreword The Royal Irish Academy (R
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Preface This report is the result o
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1 Executive summary INTRODUCTION In
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• Enhanced investment in national
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Increased investment in HSS researc
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• Establish a national research r
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2 Introduction Education and resear
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Page 115 and 116: References Bric, M.J. 1999 The huma
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