Socio-economic sciences & humanities and science in society in 2007 : highlights of the year.
Date: 2008-01-29
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Subjects: EU programme, EU research policy, communications policy, education policy, information policy, social sciences

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EUR 23172 

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities
and Science in Society
in 2007 
Highlights of the Year

2008 

Directorate-General for Research
Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities
Science in Society

EUR 23172 

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Table of Contents

Foreword by the Director-General ������������������������������ 7
The Year in Brief����������������������������������������������������������� 8

Science in Society (SIS) ������������������������������������������� 6

Socio-economic Sciences 
and Humanities (SSH) ��������������������������������������������� 11

FP6 Project Funding Summary ����������������������������������12
SSH in FP7: a Year of Innovations �������������������������������13
FP7 Funding Results for 2007  �����������������������������������17
Monitoring European Trends in the Socio-economic  
Sciences and Humanities (METRIS) ���������������������������19
SSH Events ������������������������������������������������������������������20
Informing Policy Makers ���������������������������������������������23
Policy Reviews ������������������������������������������������������������25
Report by the Expert Group on the Humanities ���������30
Corporate Social Responsibility ���������������������������������32
Interviews ��������������������������������������������������������������������36
FP5/FP6 Project Results ��������������������������������������������43

• work conditions and business ���������������������� 43
• economics ����������������������������������������������������� 47
• governance and citizenship �������������������������� 51
• society ����������������������������������������������������������� 57
• conflict and security ������������������������������������� 59
• migration������������������������������������������������������� 62

FP6 Project Funding Summary ����������������������������������66
Strategic Evaluations ��������������������������������������������������67
Work Programmes in 2007 �����������������������������������������69
FP7 Funding Results for 2007 ������������������������������������71
Monitoring Research and Policy Activities 
of Science in Society (MASIS) �������������������������������������73
Research for the Benefit of Specific Groups 
— Civil Society Organisations (BSG-CSO) ������������������74
SIS Events �������������������������������������������������������������������75
Governance and Ethics �����������������������������������������������76
Access to Scientific Information ���������������������������������78
Gender and Research �������������������������������������������������79
Science Education �������������������������������������������������������85
Science Communication ���������������������������������������������88
Modernisation Agenda for Universities (2007-2013) ����97
Pairing Scheme between Researchers and MEPs �����99
SINAPSE �������������������������������������������������������������������� 100
EURAB — the European Research Advisory Board�� 102

Science, Economy and Society
Directorate (Directorate L) ������������������������������������10

Organisational Structure ������������������������������������������ 106



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Table of Contents

 
 
 
 
 
 
6

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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Foreword by the Director-General

European societies are changing very rapidly and we need to better understand how and why� 
The dynamics of science and technology interact with social, economic and political developments 
and this leads to new production, consumption and learning models� Activities that aim at a stronger 
engagement of society in the debates on the directions of research are an essential part of a modern 
research policy environment� This is where the “Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities” (SSH) and 
“Science in Society” (SIS) programmes of the Directorate-General (DG) for Research
 make a valuable contribution�

W e  need  solid  social  sciences  and  humanities 

research  to  understand  the  changes  that  are 
taking  place  in  our  societies�  Additionally,  this 
research contributes to the elaboration of policies aimed 
at  solving  problems  and  ensuring  the  well-being  of 
European citizens� Such research is also important both 
for the Lisbon Agenda and the European Research Area 
strategy� 

The  SSH  programme  has 
identified  the  principal 
challenges of the EU relative to sustainable development, 
Europe  in  the  World  and  EU  Citizenship�  It  allows 
research  teams  from  different  countries  to  unite  their 
efforts  in  analysing  these  problems  and  in  inspiring 
EU  policies�  Structured  dialogue  between  the  DG  and 
the  Member  States  has  taken  place  in  order  to  ensure 
improved  shared  knowledge  of  research  trends  in  SSH 
throughout  Europe  and  to  identify,  with  the  aid  of  the 
scientific community, the principal research themes that 
correspond to common concerns� 

In  the  Seventh  Framework  Programme  (FP7),  we  have 
moved from “science and society” to “science in society”� 
This is to reflect a new way of thinking on the role of civil 

‘this research contributes to the 
elaboration of policies aimed at solving 
problems and ensuring the well-being of 
European citizens’

society and the public, with the aim of raising the profile 
of science as an integral part of our common European 
culture� The SIS programme covers the following issues: 
governance,  ethics,  gender  and  science  education, 
and  promoting  two-way  communication  channels  that 
enable the public to engage with science and vice versa� 
Issues  related  to  the  science  in  society  debate  need  to 
be identified horizontally, when there are developments 
that are important to all fields of science, and specifically 
when a particular research domain illustrates the wider 
implications  of  a  renewed  contract  between  research 
and society in all its diversity� Moreover, improved access 
to  research  results  can  enhance  the  science  in  society 
dimension  and  help  Europe  move  closer  to  becoming 
a  knowledge-based  society,  thereby  increasing  the 
conditions for long-term prosperity�

the 

The  SSH  and  SIS  programmes  play  an  essential  role 
in  bringing 
importance  of 
research for growth and sustainable 
development to be fully recognised 
at  national  and  European  levels� 
They  also  help  us  form  new  policy 
initiatives  and  organise  policy-
related  events�  After  all,  society 
needs research and research needs 
society�



José Manuel Silva Rodríguez
Director-General of DG Research

Foreword by the Director-General

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The Year in Brief

The context in which the Science, Economy and Society Directorate (Directorate L) operates is 
challenging and demanding� Since the beginning of 2007, we have been managing two important 
research programmes: one fostering scientific cooperation in the field of social sciences, economics 
and humanities, and the other promoting stronger interactions between the world of sciences and 
society, in all its diversity� Additionally, the Directorate contributes to policy developments, guided by the 
European Commission and Commissioner Potočnik in particular, which have resulted in some major 
policy-related events�

T he idea behind this publication is to give an overview 

of  the  main  activities  and  events  conducted  by 
our  Directorate  in  the  fields  of  Socio-economic 
Sciences  and  Humanities  (SSH)  and  Science  in  Society 
(SIS)  in  2007�  It  contains  information  on  the  research 
agenda of the programmes, project results and reports 
on important events and publications�   



As the first year of the Seventh Framework Programme 
(FP7), 2007 represented a necessary period of transition� 
We  continued  to  manage  research  projects  that  were 
selected  under  funding  calls  for  the  Sixth  Framework 
Programme  (FP6)  while  launching  and  processing  the 
first calls under FP7� 

These were launched and executed with great efficiency 
and  success�  Sixty-five  projects  were  selected  out 
of  the  531  proposals  submitted  under  the  May  2007 
deadline for the first call of SSH proposals� The selected 
projects  represent  all  activities  highlighted  in  the  SSH 
programme,  indicating  a  balanced  spread  of  research 
funding  across  related  issues�  A  further  425  proposals 
were submitted for the November deadline�  For SIS, 30 
projects were selected out of the 182 proposals received 
in the first call under FP7�

All  stages  of  project  management  —  organising  major 
evaluation processes, negotiating new projects, monitoring 
older ones, and disseminating the results — are complex 
and challenging tasks for all staff in the Directorate� 

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

Some  of  the  main  events  in  which  the  Directorate  has 
been  involved  throughout  the  year  have  played  an 
important role in shaping and moving new policy actions 
forward�    Among  our  main  achievements,  I  would 
mention the following�

in 

•  Adoption  of  the  “Communication  on  scientific 
access, 
the  digital 
information 
dissemination and preservation,” followed by the 
organisation  of  a  major  conference  on  Scientific 
Publishing  in  the  European  Research  Area  — 
Access,  Dissemination  and  Preservation  in  the 
Digital Age (15-16 February 2007)�

age: 

•  The international conference on Ethics, Research 
its  Partners 
&  Globalisation  —  Europe  and 
Building Capacity in Research Ethics (14-15 May 
2007)�  It  brought  together  stakeholders  from 
developed  countries,  emerging  economies  and 
developing countries in an effort to identify policy 
options together and encourage the development 
of  support  actions  under  FP7  in  the  European 
Research Area and worldwide�

‘the main events in which the Directorate 
has been involved throughout the year 
have played an important role in shaping 
and moving new policy actions forward’ 

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•  The  Rocard  Report  on  science  education, 
presented  in  June  2007,  detailing  initiatives  in 
science  education,  as  examined  by  a  group  of 
experts  chaired  by  former  Prime  Minister  of 
France Michel Rocard�

•  In  preparation  of  the  Recommendation  on  a 
“Code  of  Conduct  for  Responsible  Nanosciences 
and  Nanotechnologies  Research”,  a  public 
consultation was announced in July 2007 with the 
intention of collecting a broad sample of the input 
emanating  from  research,  industry,  civil  society, 
policy and media�

•  Preparation  and  organisation  of 

the  first 
international  conference  on  Research  Integrity 
(16-19  September  2007)  was  supported  by  the 
Directorate� A group of experts were asked to set 
up a rationale for action at Community level�

•  Implementation  of  a  major  conference,  Towards 
a  Post-Carbon  Society  —  European  Research 
on  Economic  Incentives  and  Social  Behaviour 
(October  2007),  with  a  view  to  mobilising  the 
social  sciences  community  to  address  the  twin 
challenges of climate change and energy systems 
transformation�

With  the  results  of  projects  carried  out  in  FP6  under 
“Scientific  Support  to  Policies”  (such  as  EU  KLEMS 

(Productivity  in  the  European  Union:  a  Comparative 
Industry  Approach)  and  TAXBEN  (Tax/benefit  Systems 
and  Growth  Potential  of  the  EU),  information  of  which 
is  provided  in  this  publication),  the  socio-economic 
research  of  FP6  contributed,  with  the  support  of 
Commissioners  and  EU  Ministers,  to  the  development 
and  application  of  methods  for  policy  making  in  the 
services  (including  EUROSTAT  of  the  Commission)  as 
well as in the Member States�

The  “Foresight  activity”  is  now  under  the  Directorate’s 
responsibility� This area deals with the future implications 
of  global  knowledge,  migration,  ageing,  risk  and  the 
emerging  domains  in  research  and  science,  and  will 
strengthen links with other SSH activities�

In shaping our programmes and policies, the Directorate 
cannot  work  alone�  Developing 
interfaces  with 
stakeholders is essential, whether they be the research 
community, the research administrations of the Member 
States,  other  research  Directorates  and  Directorates-
General within the European Commission, or civil society 
organisations�  Building  bridges  between  our  activities 
in  the  fields  of  SSH  and  SIS  and  the  other  thematic 
activities  under  the  Cooperation  specific  programme 
are  also  extremely 
important� 
Ultimately,  the  societal  dimension 
of research needs to be embedded 
in  all  EU  research  activities  and 
programmes�



Jean-Michel Baer
Director of the Science, Economy and Society Directorate 

The Year in Brief

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10

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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SSH

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities

11

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

FP6 Project Funding Summary

Within the Sixth Research Framework Programme, Priority 7 “Citizens and Governance in a Knowledge-
based Society” aimed to mobilise European research in the areas of economics, politics, social sciences 
and humanities�

R esearchers  were  invited  to  submit  proposals 

that addressed issues relating to seven research 
areas (grouped into two major themes):

Knowledge-based society and social cohesion

1�  Improving  generation,  distribution  and  use  of 

Additionally, Priority 8 “Policy Support and Anticipating 
Scientific and Technological Needs” aimed at financing 
projects whose main objectives were to support specific 
policies and related activities� The priority was organised 
around three major research areas:

knowledge;

1�  sustainable  management  of  Europe’s  natural 

2�  Options  and  choices  for  the  development  of  a 

resources;

knowledge-based society;

2�  providing  health,  security  and  opportunity  to  the 

3�  Variety of paths towards a knowledge society;

people of Europe;

12

Citizenship, democracy and new forms of governance

4�  Implications  of  European 

integration  and 

3�  underpinning the economic potential and cohesion 
of a larger and more integrated European Union�

enlargement;

5�  New forms of governance;
6�  Resolution of conflicts and restoration of peace;
7�  New forms of citizenship and cultural identities;

As a result, 18 projects were approved in areas related to 
crime, migration and refugee flows (research area 2), as 
well  as  competition  policies,  sustainable  development 
and trade policies, and improving the quality of European 
statistics (research area 3)�

One additional research area of a horizontal nature

8�  Actions to promote the European Research Area 
in  social  sciences  and  humanities  and  their 
contribution  to  the  knowledge-based  society  in 
Europe�

Of the 594 proposals submitted to Calls for Proposals, 169 
projects received funding� These included 34 Networks of 
Excellence and Integrated Projects (approximately EUR 
142  million),  120  Specific  Targeted  Research  Projects 
and  Coordination  Actions  (EUR  118�5  million),  and  15 
Specific Support Actions (EUR 5�5 million)�

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

Copies of this publication 
and others prefaced in this 
section are available from 
the SSH portal at 
www�ec�europa�eu/research/social-sciences

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SSH in FP7 : a Year of Innovations 

The year 2007 was an important period for research activity in the Socio-economic Sciences and 
Humanities (SSH)� Over 1000 proposals were received in the first Call for Proposals launched under the 
Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), marking a milestone for the programme�

T here  are  other  key  reasons  that  explain  the 

changes which took place in 2007�
These include: 

•  content  and  structure  development  of  SSH  in 
FP7,  based  on  major  EU  challenges  and  new 
disciplines;

•  high  importance  placed  on  EU  policy  support 
according to the Lisbon principle, recognising the 
role of knowledge for policy definition; 

•  high  level  of  communication  and  exploitation  of 

results; 

•  modification of project management by introducing 
greater involvement in the political dimension of 
the programme� 

The SSH programme is addressing EU challenges in two 
ways� Firstly, the distribution of research subjects needs 
to  strike  a  balance  between  social-,  economic-  and 
humanities-orientated issues� In this regard, integration 
of disciplines is a true necessity as is the development 
of  both  quantitative  and  qualitative  approaches�  New 
dimensions  have  been  added  to  the  traditional  SSH 
research agenda: the introduction of the socio-economic 
aspects  of  energy,  environment,  agriculture  and  land 

‘results of the first Call for Proposals 
signals a real success from both the point 
of view of enlargement of the programme 
and relevance of the projects’

13

use  as  research  subjects  in  the  context  of  sustainable 
development; emphasis on the international dimension 
initiated by the globalisation issue; full integration of the 
humanities into the structure of the programme; and the 
creation of quantitative capacity of analysis to facilitate 
the foresight, forecast and assessment activities�

The results of the first Call for Proposals signals a real 
success  from  both  the  point  of  view  of  enlargement  of 
the  programme  and  relevance  of  the  projects�  Apart 
from  projects  focused  on  the  understanding  of  social 
and  economic  mechanisms,  others  address  the  future 
perspectives  regarding  EU  challenges  and  contain 
applications of tools and databases�

Secondly, the exploitation of results must be envisaged 
from  the  beginning  of  the  research�  In  this  respect, 
representatives  of  the  Directorate-Generals  (DGs)  of 
the  Commission  dealing  with  policies  will  be  invited  to 
bi-annual  discussions  about  intermediary  results  and 
research orientations of projects� 

In  more  general  terms,  communication  is  playing  a 
major  role  in  SSH  activity  due  to  the  knowledge-based 
society  objectives  and  the  strong  willingness  to  exploit 
project results for policy making�

At  the  internal  level,  concrete  organisational  efforts 
have been devoted to communication and valorisation of 
research  through  policy  briefs,  websites  (for  both  SSH 

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

SIS Annual-04.indd   13

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SSH in FP7 : a Year of Innovations 

interest of a wider scientific community than what had 
previously existed, particularly regarding the humanities 
and economy sectors� This will enrich the production of 
knowledge and the usefulness of the SSH programme� 
Many initiatives were launched during FP6 in support of 
the  key  role  that  SSH  plays  in  the  European  Research 
Area (ERA)� At the onset of FP7, SSH activities are still 
involved in the implementation of ERA and is focused on 
three new objectives:

1�  to  develop  the  new  economics  of  knowledge, 
innovation and international systems of research;
2�  to  elaborate  and  apply  adequate  tools  and 
indicators  to  assess  and  forecast  the  impacts  of 
research policies and programmes;

3�  to  promote  the  principle  of  “scientific  evidence 

basis for policy making”�

14

activity and each funded project), large conferences and 
dedicated workshops for clusters of projects� Examples 
of these achievements in internal procedures include:  

•  all  scientific  officers  participate  in  actions  or 
inter-services  groups  led  by  other  DGs  of  the 
Commission in all key areas of FP7; 

•  more  than  20  DGs  participated  in  the  discussion 

for the next Call for Proposals in 2008; 

•  tools  and  databases  generated  by  the  Sixth 
Framework Programme (FP6) are actively utilised, 
as is the case for the results produced by the EU 
KLEMS  (Productivity  in  the  European  Union:  a 
Comparative  Industry  Approach),  TAXBEN  (Tax/
benefit  Systems  and  Growth  Potential  of  the 
EU)  and  COMETR  (Competitiveness  Effects  of 
Environmental  Tax  Reforms)  projects  (taken  on 
board  by  the  policy  DGs  including  the  European 
Statistical Office); 

•  the European Statistical Office will dedicate efforts 

for data collection according to SSH needs; 

•  DG for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), 
DG for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD), 
DG for Enterprise (DG ENTR), DG for Employment, 
Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (DG EMPL), 
DG  for  Development  (DG  DEV),  DG  for  Justice, 
Freedom  and  Security  (DG  JLS),  and  DG  for 
External Relations (DG RELEX) are now “clients” 
of the SSH programme� The Directorate has been 
invited  to  co-launch  future  important  foresight 
exercises for the Commission  with other DGs�

At  the  external  level,  500  participants  were  involved  in 
the Post Carbon Society conference (October 2007)� This 
confirms the need for the social sciences to be involved 
in  such  domains�  Other  events  have  confirmed  the 

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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The SCIFI-GLOW, GLOBINN and DEMETER projects are 
working  towards  these  goals  and  will  ensure  the  link 
is  maintained  with  other  services  of  the  Commission 
involved in the matter, such as the Bureau of European 
Policy Advisers (BEPA), the DG for Research (DG RTD), 
the DG for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), 
and  the  DG  for  Enterprise  (DG  ENTR)�  Their  initial 
work  will  be  promoted  during  the  French  Presidency 
conference in July 2008�

Furthermore, well-known policy makers and experts at 
the interface between research and policy making were 
interviewed  during  the  second  half  of  2007  to  express 
their views on how to promote evidence basis for policy 
making�  The  outcome  of  these  interviews  should  help 
the future discussions on ERA following the ERA Green 
Paper,  a  Commission  Communication  entitled  “The 
European Research Area — New Perspectives” adopted 
on 4 April 2007�

The  “Foresight  activity”  area  has  now  joined  the  direct 
management of SSH in Directorate L� This reorganisation 
will  facilitate  synergies  between  all  SSH  activities�  The 
foresight  approach  will  be  part  of  the  majority  of  the 
SSH  projects;  vice  versa,  foresight  will  systematically 
use  the  outcome  of  SSH  research,  including  the  new 
developments of tools for quantitative analysis� Foresight 
activity will engage with EU challenges, bringing it one 
step  beyond  the  traditional  concentration  on  research, 
technology and innovation within the ERA context�

‘traditional efforts devoted to the evaluation 
and selection process of projects have 
been successful, even if adaptation to new 
conditions and procedures has been
necessary’

Since  FP6  projects  still  represent  a  major  portion  of 
the  Directorate’s  work,  management  has  shifted  from 
a  “project”  to  “global”  focus,  while  simultaneously 
addressing  the  following:  management  of  “clusters  of 
projects”;  stocktaking  and  exploitation  of  knowledge 
for  policy  making;  dissemination  of  results  to  all  the 
users;  participation  in  the  policy  definition  process 
with  other  DGs;  and  programming  of  the  FP7  annual 
work  programmes�  In  addition  to  being  applied  to 
FP6  management,  these  principles  are  also  being 
administered for the new framework programme� 

This  means  more 
in  the  EU  policy 
involvement 
process  and  more  intensive  participation  in  “issues-
orientated” activities; more time is also dedicated to the 
communication of SSH results�   

The  traditional  efforts  devoted  to  the  evaluation  and 
selection  process  of  projects  have  been  successful, 
even  if  adaptation  to  new  conditions  and  procedures 
has  been  necessary�  An  improvement  in  the  quality 
and  transparency  of  the  evaluation  process  has  been 
recognised  by  the  observers  and  evaluators�  The 
implementation  of  the  redress  procedure  (by  which  an 
applicant  may  provide  feedback  about  the  process  of 
project evaluation) has demonstrated the strength of the 
system and only one or two redress requests will need 
in-depth analysis� 

New  challenges  appeared  at  the  end  of  2007  with  an 
unexpected level of participation in some topics offered by 
the second deadline of the Call for Proposals� In general, 
the overall oversubscription ratio will be approximately 
1:10, which is not an encouraging signal for future calls, 
and measures will need be taken�

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

1

SIS Annual-04.indd   15

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SSH in FP7 : A Year of Innovations 

Many other actions were implemented in 2007 and their 
follow-up has to be ensured� These actions include:

•  implementation  of  a  strategy  for  international 

cooperation;

•  stronger 

involvement 

the  Sustainable 
Development strategy and in the Climate Change 
initiatives for adaptation; 

in 

•  implementation  of  a  strategy  for  official  and 

unofficial data collection and statistics;

•  strengthening  of  cooperation  with  other  themes 
under  “Cooperation”  and  specific  programmes 
(such  as 
the  European  Research  Council, 
Capacities, and Mobility);

•  elaboration  and  updating  of  the  websites  for  the 

programme and the projects;

•  production of regular policy briefs and “fiches of 

results” for policy definition�

16

The  most  important  elements  from  the  perspective 
of  the  SSH  programme  are  now  in  place  to  ensure  the 
success of FP7� 

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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FP7 Funding Results for 2007

Sixty-five projects were selected in 2007 for the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) 
programme under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)� Combined, these projects represent a 
funding total of EUR 59 million� The projects signify an injection of research into growth, employment 
and competitiveness in a knowledge-based society, sustainable development, investigating societal 
trends and their implications, as well as in other areas that affect Europe and its citizens in the domain 
of socio-economic sciences and humanities�

Globalisation and knowledge
Funded projects will analyse the effects of globalisation, 
both on the knowledge sector (e�g� universities) as well 
as on the behaviour of firms and markets� The research 
should provide evidence-based knowledge for designing 
policies for the European Research Area�

The impact of changing social contexts
One  of  the  selected  projects  will  investigate  how 
changing social contexts (from macro-societal to micro-
interpersonal)  affect  social  integration,  well-being  and 
intergenerational  solidarity  across  different  European 
nations�

Support for rural Europe
Sustainable  development  of  rural  areas  in  Europe  will 
be addressed through a number of projects� One project 
supported  in  this  area  will  develop  concepts  and  tools 
to  support  the  design  of  a  future  common  agriculture 
policy�

Citizenship debates
A funded project will gather comparative empirical data 
on  the  use  of  Arabic-language  television  in  Europe,  in 
order  to  deliver  well-founded  policy  advice  on  issues 
relating to political and media debates about citizenship 
in Europe�

1

New policy tools
New tools and indicators will be developed for a deeper 
analysis  of  the  trade-offs  and  synergy  between  social, 
economic and environment dimensions of policies�

Urban development
A new instrument, the “social platform”, will be tested 
in  the  domain  of  urban  development  and  cohesion�  A 
funded  project’s  objective  will  be  to  define  a  research 
agenda with stakeholders from the domain�

‘a funded project will gather comparative 
empirical data on the use of Arabic-
language television in Europe, in order to 
deliver well-founded policy advice on issues 
relating to political and media debates about 
citizenship in Europe’

Economic governance
Europe’s  role  in  global  economic  governance  will  be 
explored  in  a  project  dealing  with  macroeconomic 
adjustment and governance, integration of markets for 
finance and investment as well as for trade in goods and 
services, and migration and the mobility of labour� 

Privatisation of war and its regulation
A  new  project  will  examine  the  phenomenon  of 
privatisation  of  war  and  the  legal  status  of  security 
companies  under  international  humanitarian  law�  The 
project will highlight the crucial role of the EU in future 
regulation of security companies�

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

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FP7 Funding Results for 2007

The role of diasporas in conflict and resolution
The  new  instrument  of  Research  for  the  Benefit  of 
Civil  Society  Organisations  will  be  inaugurated  with  a 
pioneering project on the role of diasporas� The project 
will  look  at  whether  diasporas  “import”  conflict  from 
their  country  of  origin  to  the  host  country,  or  rather 
assist in reconciliation and peace�

Cultural heritage and conflict
One of the projects funded under this activity will examine 
how  both  the  empirical  and  theoretical  relationships 
between cultural heritage and conflict involve notions of 
identities and values�

Socio-economic and scientific indicators
Other  projects  supported  will  develop  science  and 
technology indicators as well as methods and tools for 
evaluation of research programmes and innovation�

1

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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Monitoring European Trends in the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (METRIS)

The Monitoring European Trends in the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (METRIS) project 
intends to raise the profile of the research efforts of scientists in the field of Socio-economic Sciences 
and Humanities (SSH) and support further cooperation in Europe� The project was identified in the SSH 
2007 work programme as part of its strategic activities�

it may include information on institutions and databases, 
as well as tools for interacting with the information and 
with other users of the system�

The information generated by METRIS will assist in the 
implementation of the European Research Area (ERA) by 
enabling  all  stakeholders,  from  governments,  funding 
agencies, and other interested parties, to develop their 
actions with knowledge acquired from a wider context� In 
this manner, they will be better able to benchmark their 
performance, and better able to collectively set targets 
and evaluate progress�

The  METRIS  project  builds  on  the  past  experiences 
and  resources  of  a  number  of  projects  which  were 
developed and implemented during previous framework 
programmes� 

1

D uring its two-year pilot phase, the objective of the 

METRIS project will be to establish a foundation 
for sustainable evidence-based decision-making 
in  the  EU’s  SSH  domain�  This  will  allow  for  the  future 
development of cooperation within Europe, based on the 
identification of common trends, interests and challenges 
at  various  levels  (regional,  national,  transnational  or 
European)� 

A  report  will  depict  the  most  important  trends  in  SSH 
research  in  Europe  that  specifically  target  the  seven 
activities  of  the  SSH  theme  under  the  Cooperation 
programme�  In  addition  to  this,  METRIS  will  provide 
information about the relevant national research priorities 
and programmes, funding structures, performance and 
research  governance  in  the  Member  States�  These,  as 
well as the needs and prospects for social sciences and 
humanities, will be analysed�

information  provided 

in  the  report  will  also 
The 
contribute  to  the  development  of  an  online  portal�  The 
portal  will  initially  include  national  reports,  profiles  of 
national research programmes, and analyses of trends at 
national, European and regional levels� At a later stage, 

‘to establish a foundation for sustainable 
evidence-based decision-making in the 
EU’s SSH domain’

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

SSH Events

The Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) theme hosted and participated in a range of 
conferences, workshops and meetings in 2007� These events, a selection of which are detailed below, 
contributed to achieving the aims of the eight key activities highlighted in its 2007 work programme�

20

Activity 1: growth, employment and competitiveness in 
a knowledge society

Pisa,  29  January-1  February  2007:  PRIME  annual 
conference  on  innovation  policies  in  Europe,  covering 
such issues as European universities at the crossroads, 
the link between scientific production and technological 
performance,  policy  making  in  the  ERA,  and  new 
rationales for policy making in science and technology�

Brussels, 15 March 2007: high-level meeting of the FP6 
SSP  project  EU  KLEMS  (Productivity  in  the  European 
Union:  a  Comparative  Industry  Approach)�  It  included 
the  public  launch  of  the  EU  KLEMS  database  on  EU 
productivity  factors�  Key  attendees:  Commissioner 
for  Economic  and  Monetary  Affairs  Joaquín  Almunia, 
Director-General  of  Eurostat  Hervé  Carré,  Deputy 
Director-General  of  Economic  and  Financial  Affairs 
Marco  Buti,  and  Deputy  Director-General  of  Research 
and Technological Development Zoran Stančič� Chaired 
by  Associate  Editor  of  the  Financial Times  Wolfgang 
Munchau�

Brussels, 21 March 2007: final policy conference of the 
COMETR  (Competitiveness  Effects  of  Environmental 
Tax  Reforms)  FP6  SSP  project  [topic  requested  by  DG 
for  Taxation  and  Customs  Union  (DG  TAXUD)]  in  the 
framework of the forum titled “Sustainable Development 
and Fiscalité“� 

Brussels, 27 November 2007: final policy conference of 
the TAXBEN (Tax/benefit Systems and Growth Potential 
of  the  EU)  FP6  SSP  project  (topic  requested  by  DG 
TAXUD)� Key attendees: Commissioner for Taxation and 
Customs Union László Kovács�

Activity 2: paths towards sustainable development

Barcelona,  20-21  September  2007:  conference  entitled 
“The  Emerging  Global  Governance  Paradigm:  the 
Role  of  Business  and  its  Implications  for  Companies, 
Stakeholders  and  Society”,  organised  by  the  European 
Academy  of  Business  in  Society  for  its  sixth  annual 
colloquium�  It  also  represented  the  final  conference  of 
the CSR Platform project� The conference was attended 
by 200 high level academics, managers of multinational 
companies,  representatives  from  DG  for  Research  (DG 
RTD),  (DG  RTD)  DG  for  Employment  (DG  EMPL),  Social 
Affairs  and  Equal  Opportunities  and  DG  for  Enterprise 
and Industry, and other major stakeholders�

Brussels, 24 October 2007: conference entitled “Towards 
a Post-Carbon Society — European research on economic 
incentives  and  social  behaviour”  which  addressed  two 

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

SIS Annual-04.indd   20

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issues: the adaptation to climate change and the adoption 
of new forms of energy� The presentations and speeches 
mostly  dealt  with  incentives  and  behavioural  changes 
that  can  act  as  solutions�  Chaired  by  Director-General 
of DG RTD José Manuel Silva Rodríguez� The results are 
published in “Towards a Post-Carbon Society — European 
Research on Economic Incentives and Social Behaviour”, 
at www�ec�europa�eu/research/social-sciences

Activity 3: major trends in society and their implications

Rome,  27-28  March  2007:  international  conference 
entitled  “Citizenship,  Identity  and  Immigration  in  the 
European  Union”�  Results  were  presented  of  projects 
related  to  the  theme  of  migration,  funded  under  FP4, 
FP5  and  FP6�  Chaired  by  Italian  Minister  for  Social 
Solidarity    Paolo  Ferrero  in  cooperation  with  DG  for 
Justice, Freedom and Security and DG EMPL, as well as 
journalists and trade unions�

Activity : the citizen in the European Union

Paris,  10-12  January  2007:  conference  entitled 
“Democracy, European Governance and Social Sciences”, 
organised in the context of the Think & Act project� The 
conference opened with high-level policy makers such as 
European Parliament President Josep Borrell Fontelles 
(who  was  ending  his  mandate  in  that  period),  Member 
of  European  Parliament  Philippe  Busquin,  Member 
of  French  Assembly  Elisabeth  Guigou,  and  Director-
General  of  DG  for  Communication  Claus  Sørensen�    A 
book  based  on  the  proceedings  was  published: What’s 
wrong with Europe?  edited  by  O  Costa  and  I  Janin, 
Editions de Condé, Paris�

Berlin,  14-15  March  2007:  informal  FP7  Programme 
Committee SSH Meeting, jointly organised by the German 
Presidency of the EU and Directorate L� Presentation of 
the final report of the Expert Group on the Humanities�

21

Activity 4 : Europe and the world

Activity 6: socio-economic and scientific indicators

Coventry, 17-19 September 2007: GARNET conference enti-
tled “Pathways to Legitimacy? The Future of Global and Re-
gional Governance”� This was the second annual conference 
of the Network of Excellence GARNET and gathered around 
160 participants including researchers, policy makers, civil 
society organisations and businesses from Europe as well 
as  other  continents�  Some  120  papers  were  presented  in 
the plenary as well as parallel sessions and a selection of 
them will be revised and gathered for publication� 

Luxembourg, 6-7 December 2007: conference on Modern 
Statistics for Modern Society organised by the Statistical 
Office  of  the  European  Communities  (Eurostat)�    It 
addressed  five  major  challenges  facing  the  EU  and 
countries  across  the  globe  today:  generating  growth, 
employment,  competitiveness,  and  a  knowledge-based 
society; combining economic, social and environmental 
objectives; major trends in society; Europe in the World; 
and  participation,  democracy,  governance  focusing  on 
European diversities and commonalities� The conference 
opened  with  a  workshop  on  “Innovations  in  Statistical 
Systems”  chaired  by  Deputy  Director-General  of 
Eurostat Marie Bohatá� A plenary session was followed 
by three concurrent workshops based on “Research and 

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

SIS Annual-04.indd   21

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SSH Events

Statistics”,  “Official  Statistics  and  Statistical  Support 
of  Public  Policies”  and  “Communication  between 
Official  Statistical  Authorities  and  User”�  The  event 
was  concluded  by  a  round-table  discussion  on  “Future 
Markets for Statistics”�

European  scholars  on  major  global  challenges  such 
as energy, democratic and social issues, and health� It 
was attended by 80 people from various services of the 
Commission�  Proceedings  from  the  workshop  will  be 
published�

Activity : foresight activities

Brussels, 24-25 June 2007: conference entitled “Towards 
Future Challenges for Agricultural Research in Europe”� 
It  was  jointly  organised  by  the  Standing  Committee  on 
Agricultural Research, the European Parliament and the 
European Commission on the basis of a foresight report 
produced by an expert group co-directed by the “Research 
in  the  economic,  social  sciences  and  humanities  – 
prospective” unit� Participation of the Director-General 
of DG RTD José Manuel Silva Rodríguez, Commissioner 
for Science and Research Janez Potočnik, ministers for 
agriculture as well as 420 attendees�

launched  by 

4-7  October  2007:  the  second  biennial  conference, 
the  China-Europe  Forum,  was 
the 
Charles  Léopold  Mayer  Foundation  for  the  Progress  of 
Humankind�  Directorate  L  actively  participated  in  two 
workshops, “Scientists and Experts” and “Management 
of  Scientific  and  Technical  Choices”�  Almost  1  000 
business  people  took  part  in  40  socio-professional 
and  thematic  workshops  that  were  organised  in  many 
European regions and cities� A plenary session was held 
in Brussels on 6 and 7 October� This event succeeded in 
forging direct contacts between stakeholders, effectively 
opening  lines  of  communication  and  strengthening 
cooperation�     

Brussels,  19  September  2007:  conference  entitled 
“The  Science  of  Thinking:  Europe’s  Next  Challenge”� 
Organised by Microsoft, the conference was chaired by 
Microsoft’s  Chief  Research  and  Strategy  Officer  Craig 
Mundie,  and  included  the  participation  of  the  Head  of 
Cabinet of Commissioner Potočnik, Kurt Vanderberghe� 
The  conference  was  a  follow-up  to  the  conference 
organised in 2006 with the participation of Commissioner 
for Science and Research Janez Potočnik and Microsoft 
Chairman Bill Gates�

Lisbon,  8-10  October  2007:  conference  entitled  “The 
Future  of  Science  and  Technology  in  Europe”,  which 
focused  on  the  realisation  of  the  European  Research 
Area in light of ongoing consultation and debate following 
the  Green  Paper  “The  European  Research  Area:  New 
Perspectives”�  Directorate  L  hosted  the  “Science  in 
Society” session, which explored how scientific research 
can be made more open to societal concerns —  including 
ethical issues — and more accessible to societal actors 
(citizens and civil society organisations)� 

22

Activity  : strategic activities

Brussels,  4-5  October  2007:  workshop  on  “Global 
Challenges  for  International  Cooperation”,  with  the 
participation  of  several  leading  European  and  non-

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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Informing Policy Makers

The results of projects funded in the area of the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) under 
the framework programmes, offer Europeans an array of new knowledge and information� Harnessing 
this information in order to inform policy making is a major priority� In a series of interviews undertaken 
with senior European policy makers, policy advisors and knowledge transfer specialists, participants 
explored how to most effectively disseminate project results and strengthen dialogue between 
researchers and policy makers�

T he  interviews  revealed  a  consensus  on  how  the 

framework  programmes  can 
influence  policy 
making and respond effectively to the challenges 
faced by society� They identified a number of areas where 
action by the Directorate-General for Research (DG RTD) 
and project coordinators is necessary in order to ensure 
that research results inform policy making at regional, 
national and European levels�

The projects funded under framework programmes have 
an  important  role  to  play  in  shaping  the  Commission’s 
policy  development  at  the  political  level�  Appropriate 
connections across the institutional spectrum, as well as 
dialogue (informed by research results) with politicians 
and senior policy advisors are necessary so as to ensure 
that  policy  making  benefits  from  the  most  up-to-date 
information available from the research community�

DG  RTD  has  a  key  role  to  play  in  ensuring  that  project 
coordinators  include  appropriate  dissemination  and 
information-sharing strategies in their projects from the 
earliest  stages  of  their  development�  This  is  essential 
if  projects  are  to  contribute  meaningfully  to  evidence-
based  policy  making  at  regional,  national  and/or 
European levels�

23

Strategic role for DG RTD

At  a  strategic  level,  DG  RTD  needs  to  strengthen 
its  cooperation  with  other  Commission  services  by 
developing  a  targeted 
information-sharing  process 
in  those  areas  that  have  major  economic,  social  and 
scientific  relevance  for  the  EU�  Such  collaboration  is 
important  at  each  key  stage  in  the  development  of 
policies�

DG  RTD  should  also  strengthen  its  role  as  a  facilitator 
of  communication  and  information-sharing  between 
projects and as key actor in the policy making process at 
European and national levels� 

‘projects funded under framework 
programmes have an important role to 
play in shaping the Commission’s policy 
development’

SIS Annual-04.indd   23

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

Informing Policy Makers

The role of project coordinators

The interviews also reveal some important messages for 
project coordinators to ensure that the policy relevance 
of  their  research  findings  is  put  at  the  forefront  of 
their  objectives  and  work  programmes�  This  implies 
developing  appropriate  dissemination  and  knowledge-
sharing  strategies  from  the  earliest  stages  of  project 
planning�  It  is  suggested  that  project  coordinators 
should:

•  include partners from the field of policy making in 
their project team to make certain that the subject 
chosen  as  well  as  the  scope  of  the  research 
respond to defined policy making priority areas;

•  guarantee  dialogue  between  experts  and  non-
experts  over  the  lifetime  of  their  project  so  that 
they effectively acquire the kind of local knowledge, 
lay knowledge and lay expertise that contributes 
to a socially robust scientific view; 

24

•  reflect not only in terms of the scientific research 
but  also  in  terms  of  the  policy  usefulness  of  the 
work undertaken;

•  prepare policy briefings which are easy to read and 
can  be  understood  by  policy  makers  in  framing 
and/or evaluating policies�

•  create  access 

to 

infrastructures  containing 
databases and tools which will allow for the use 
of updated knowledge and model simulations, in 
order to forecast future directions and to establish 
an impact assessment of policies;

•  develop subtler ways of engaging with the broader 
public and embedding social and ethical reflection 
within the everyday practice of science;

•  develop  a  programme  and  a  methodology  of 
results  dissemination  over  the  lifecycle  of  their 
project in order to provide updated information on 
progress over time;

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

‘to ensure that the policy relevance of their 
research findings is put at the forefront of 
their objectives and work programmes’

SIS Annual-04.indd   24

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Policy Reviews

Directorate L identifies and analyses major trends in relation to scientific, economic and societal 
challenges in Europe, and examines them in the light of the principal EU strategic objectives and 
sectoral policies� The Directorate has a dual role: it offers knowledge for policies, and supports the 
formulation of policies for knowledge� 

A 

series  of  ten  policy  reviews  were  published  in 
2007� Each subsequent report represents a syn-
thesis  of  research  results  from  projects  funded 
under  the  Fifth  Framework  Programme  (through  the 
key  action  “Improving  the  Socio-Economic  Knowledge 
Base”),  covering  the  period  1998-2002�  These  reports 
perform a crucial role in achieving a better understand-
ing of the issues involved, in extracting the key policy im-
plications, and in guiding future directions�

learning;  addressing 

and 
inequalities;  education 
and  employment;  and  European  “convergence”  and 
integration� 

The  report  surmises  that  there  are  a  number  of 
challenges ahead with respect to generic policy issues: 
common issues of policy implementation across different 
facets of education; the tensions between different policy 
agendas; the limits of contemporary policy discourses; 
and the gaps in knowledge�

Education 

Author: Prof. Sally Power, Director of Research, School 
of Social Sciences, Cardiff University (United Kingdom)

The  28  research  projects  reviewed  in  this  report  cover 
all phases of education, from early childhood provision 
to the needs of adult learners� Likewise, the findings are 
drawn from a wide variety of sources, from cross-national 
databases  to  individual  life  histories�  The  synthesis  of 
these findings is organised into five broad policy themes: 
modernising education systems; innovations in teaching 

2

Employment and unemployment 

Author:  Prof.  Nick  Adnett,  Professor  of  Economics 
and  Head  of  Research,  Business  School,  Staffordshire 
University (United Kingdom)

The  fragile  evidence  base  underpinning  policy  analysis 
is among the key findings of the 29 projects reviewed for 
this report� As labour markets become more flexible and 
production more idiosyncratic, definitions, measurement, 
data collection and indicators need to adjust if policy is 
to  be  evidence-based�  A  second  general  finding  is  the 
diversity of labour market behaviour in Europe� Policies 
are required to be sensitive to this diversity and to avoid 
undue standardisation and over-reliance on prescriptive 
hard-law measures�

These policy reviews are available at 
www�ec�europa�eu/research/social-sciences

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

SIS Annual-04.indd   25

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Policy Reviews 

The  priorities  identified  for  future  research  include 
the  following:  developing  indicators  of  the  intensity  of 
work in Europe and analysing its determinants; further 
analysis of the causes of the apparently weak productivity 
performance  of  the  service  industries  in  Europe  that 
use  information  and  communication  technologies;  and 
exploring  the  processes  which  have  enabled  certain 
sectors and organisations to increase their proportion of 
high-quality part-time workers�

Enlargement 

Author:  Prof.  László  Halpern,  Deputy  Director  of  the 
Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungary) 

The 12 projects reviewed in this report cover quite a range 
of  dimensions  (related  either  directly  or  indirectly  to 
enlargement): from macro- to firm-level analysis; from 
theoretical  micro-level  issues  to  networking  on  social 
protection;  and  from  labour  market  to  exchange  rate� 
The review is arranged into four clusters: labour market, 
macroeconomic  issues,  catching  up  and  restructuring, 
and democracy and institutions� 

Among  its  conclusions,  the  report  asserts  that  new 
Member States have to build knowledge on how to operate 
within the EU� They have to move into a mode of strategic 
management,  prioritisation,  and  problem-solving�  In 
addition,  they  have  to  adjust  their  administrative  and 
institutional  capacity  to  implement  European  law  and 
learn  how  to  operate  within  the  new  environment� 
Special attention also needs to be paid to building and 
supporting institutions of regional governance�

26

Family and welfare 

  Linda  Hantrais,  University  of 
Author:  Prof. 
Loughborough,  Department  of  Politics,  International 
Relations and European Studies (United Kingdom) 

To  illustrate  linkages  between  policy  and  practice  in 
family  and  welfare  research,  the  review  addresses  the 
issues raised by socio-economic change, enlargement, 
and the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights by examining 
three interrelated topics: family formation and structure; 
employment and family life; and caring for children and 
older people�

take-up 

The many projects and networks involved revealed how 
difficult  it  is  to  isolate  policy  effects�  Few  countries 
systematically  monitor  the  implementation  of  policy 
measures  and 
rates�  More  systematic 
in 
comparative  research 
different  socio-economic  and  cultural  settings  would 
therefore  help  to  determine  whether  policies  that  are 
deemed to have worked in one country, region or socio-
economic group could be transferred to a different policy 
environment�

into  the  policy  process 

Gender equality 

Author:  Ms  Juliet  Webster,  Work  &  Equality  Research 
(United Kingdom)

‘the review addresses the issues raised by 
socio-economic change, enlargement, and 
the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights’

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

SIS Annual-04.indd   26

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The review addresses the policy domain of gender and 
equal  opportunities  in  relation  to  employment  and 
labour  market  policies�  The  findings  of  six  research 
projects fall into four clusters that mirror the concerns 
of policy makers: gender inequalities in labour market 
participation; 
labour  market  segregation  and  the 
nature of “women’s work”; flexible employment, family-
friendly work and work-life balance; welfare and social 
exclusion;  and  the  formulation  and  implementation  of 
gender equality policies�

The  research  reviewed  highlights  several  gaps  in  our 
understanding of labour market dynamics as they affect 
gender  equality  and  policy  formulation�  The  need  for 
further research has been identified on specific topics, 
including a systematic evaluation of flexible work forms 
on  gender  equality,  developing  new  understandings  of 
“skill”, and social protection and social exclusion�

and  normative  term,  the  projects  reviewed  reflect 
both  of  these  aspects  from  different  angles  in  terms 
of  substance,  methods  and  viewpoints�  The  key  angles 
that  emerge  include  the  following:  the  articulation  of 
governance with the development of a European identity, 
and its relation to principles and practices of democracy; 
the  specific  structures  and  objectives  of  European 
governance; and the links between European and global 
levels�

The  more  new  modes  of  governance  differ  from 
traditional  forms  of  government,  the  higher  the  need 
for communication with citizens� The most urgent task 
proposed for European institutions is the need to clarify 
governance  procedures  and  define  the  question  of 
responsibility and accountability for their outcomes�

2

Governance 

Author: Ms Monika Mokre, Director of the Institute for 
European Integration Research (Institut für Europäische 
Integrationsforschung), and Sonja Puntscher Riekmann, 
Vice-Rector and Professor at the University of Salzburg 
(Austria)

Governance  is  a  term  and  process  that  cuts  across  a 
broad variety of policy fields and actors� As a descriptive 

‘the articulation of governance with the 
development of a European identity, and 
its relation to principles and practices of 
democracy’

SIS Annual-04.indd   27

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

Policy Reviews 

Innovation 

Author:  Prof.  Lena  J  Tsipouri,  Centre  of  Financial 
Studies, University of Athens (Greece)

The purpose of this report is to review the main findings 
of 23 research projects  in order to identify policy issues 
related  to  choices/decisions  and  actions  within  firms, 
with  important  implications  for  growth  and  inter-firm 
cooperation� 

These subjects are studied under the themes of industrial 
organisation,  technological  change,  regional  science, 
economics  of  institutional  change,  corporate  finance 
and corporate governance� The related range of policies 
(and to which subsequent recommendations are made) 
fall  under  employment,  financial  markets,  research, 
innovation  and  enterprise,  as  well  as  macroeconomic 
and regional development policies� 

A theme that emerges frequently and cuts across analyses 
and policy recommendations is governance� Most projects 
suggest policy interventions for the EU rather than for the 
national or regional level� In those recommendations, the 
need to build effective bridges for policy coordination is a 
recurring theme, especially as regards bridges between 
research, innovation and enterprise policies, and macro-
economic and technological policies�

In  relation  to  innovation  research,  the  20  projects 
selected for this review reflect the current contribution 
to  the  field  of  insights  from  evolutionary  economics, 
modern  firm  theories,  institutional  economics  and  the 
heuristics of innovation systems� Although the findings 
and perspectives from these projects are presented in a 
reflexive and discursive way, the translation of research 
insights  into  the  practice  of  policy  making  is  still 
fragmented and somewhat lagging� The report tries to fill 
this gap by identifying the policy-relevant lessons which 
emerge when considering and contrasting projects�

The topics addressed by the projects have been clustered 
into five thematic areas, which not only emerge as central 
across  the  projects  reviewed,  but  are  also  crucial  for 
addressing the main challenges Europe is facing at the 
moment: the impact of innovation; the changing nature 
of knowledge production; the importance of institutions; 
human  capital,  labour  market  and  innovation;  and  the 
governance  of  research,  technology  and 
innovation 
policy�

Sustainable development 

Author: Prof. Martin O’Connor, Professor of Economics, 
C3ED,  Université  de  Versailles  Saint-Quentin-en-
Yvelines (France)

2

Research, technology and innovation

Author:  Dr  Karl-Heinz  Leitner  &  Dr  Matthias  Weber, 
Department  of  Technology  Policy,  ARC  Systems 
Research (Austria)

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

‘the need to build effective bridges for 
policy coordination is a recurring 
theme, especially as regards bridges 
between research, innovation and 
enterprise policies’

SIS Annual-04.indd   28

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Since  its  initial  diffusion  with  the  Brundtland  Report 
(World  Commission  on  Sustainable  Development)  30 
years  ago,  the  practical  and  analytical  issues  related 
to  sustainable  development  keep  challenging  policy 
makers, researchers, as well as business and civil society 
organisations� One way of summing up the sustainability 
challenge and the research work examined in this report 
is through the three Ws formula: sustainability of what, 
why, and for whom?

largely led by) environmental ones� The idea behind the 
review  was  to  complement  the  research  carried  out  in 
the  Environment  programme  (on  issues  ranging  from 
climate change and biodiversity) by focusing on the other 
pillars of sustainable development� 

Quality of work 

focuses  on  social,  economic 
This  policy  review 
and  governance  aspects  while  acknowledging  that 
sustainable development includes (and in fact has been 

Author:  Dr  Heike  Jacobsen,  Social  Research  Centre 
Dortmund (Germany)

For  some  years  now,  demands  for  “better  jobs”  and 
for  more  “quality”  in  work  have  become  prominent  in 
European policy debates� Since 2003, (besides the issues 
of full employment and social cohesion), improving quality 
at work has been one of the three overarching objectives 
of the common guidelines for the employment policies 
of the Member States within the European Employment 
Strategy (EES)�

In  addition  to  conclusions  for  further  research,  the 
review  summarises  the  results  and  policy  implications 
of a selection of 25 projects and outlines their relevance 
to the European policy in this field� The projects’ findings 
are arranged into four major subjects with relevance to 
the political as well as to the scientific discussion: labour 
market  flexibility;  the  organisation  of  work;  learning, 
knowledge, and change competencies; and access to the 
labour market, equality and inclusion� 

2

‘the idea behind the review was to 
complement the research carried out in 
the Environment programme by focusing 
on the other pillars of sustainable 
development’

SIS Annual-04.indd   29

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

 
Report by the Expert Group on the Humanities

The Expert Group on the Humanities (EGH) was created in February 2006 to ensure the maximum 
participation of humanities researchers in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)� In March 2007, 
the group delivered its final report, which identifies and highlights the contributions that the humanities 
can make to policy-oriented research�

T he advent of FP7 marks the first time in the history 

of European research framework programmes in 
which an entire theme has been dedicated to the 
Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)� Theme 
8  of  the  Cooperation  specific  programme  explicitly 
addresses the SSH domain, designed to ‘provide a new 
knowledge base for policies’ in these and related fields�  

The inclusion of SSH in FP7 directly addresses the revised 
Lisbon Agenda� The revision seeks to address Europe’s 
current and future key challenges: growth, employment 
and  competitiveness,  social  cohesion,  sustainability, 
quality of life, and global interdependence� 

30

A  group  of  experts  were  brought  together  in  order  to 
help  advise  the  Directorate-General  for  Research  (DG 
RTD)  on  developing  and  integrating  SSH  into  the  FP7 
work programme� The role of the EGH was to assess the 
extent  of  EU  collaborative  and  comparative  research� 
Based  on  this,  framework  programme  instruments 
could  be  adapted  to  disciplines  and  fields  within  the 
humanities� 

The  group  also  assessed  how  some  key  concepts  of 
EU  collaborative  and  comparative  research  could  be 
better understood and fully integrated into proposals by 
humanities  researchers�  The  group  could  then  advise 
DG RTD on the formulation of the FP7 work programme, 
particularly  on  the  use  of  more  humanities-friendly 
terminology� 

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

In  order  to  fully  comprehend  the  approach  underlying 
Theme 8, the EGH progressed in three stages� Stage one 
included  the  identification  and  description  of  concrete 
research  topics  under  the  theme�  All  members  of  the 
group  were  encouraged  to  consider  research  under 
Theme 8 from an “issue” perspective� 

Stage two consisted of a methodical analysis of the web-
based  research  agenda�  This  was  to  accomplish  three 
major aims: 

1�  to establish the degree of relevance of individual 

topics to the humanities at three levels: 
a�  humanities  appropriate  (more  than  80  %  of  a 
given  project  to  be  carried  out  by  humanities 
researchers),

b�  humanities friendly (topics of prime interest to 
researchers outside the humanities, but inviting 
a  substantial  contribution  from  humanities 
researchers),

c�  topics of no direct interest to the humanities;

2�  to  rank  the  topics  within  the  three  categories 

established in order of relevance; 

‘a group of experts were brought together 
in order to help advise the Directorate-
General for Research (DG RTD) on 
developing and integrating SSH into the 
FP7 work programme’

SIS Annual-04.indd   30

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6�  DG  RTD  should  make  more  effort  to  arouse  the 
interest  of  humanities  researchers  in  other  FP7 
themes; 

7�  DG RTD should reconsider the funding levels for 
humanities  research  in  order  to  attract  high-
calibre researchers to the programme;

8�  consideration  should  be  given  to  the  creation  of 
opportunities designed to train young researchers 
in  collaborative,  policy-oriented  research 
in 
international contexts; 

9�  specific institutes should be created to encourage 
policy-oriented 
humanities 
institutes  should  also  run 

international, 
research; 
dedicated third-cycle programmes;

these 

10� dedicated, paid internships should be created in the 
European institutions, thereby raising awareness 
among young humanities researchers;

11� DG RTD should convene a more permanent expert 
group for the humanities to accompany the further 
development of Theme 8;

12� DG  RTD  should  strengthen  and  coordinate  its 

outreach activities;

13� DG RTD should see to it that humanities disciplines 
are represented on all the evaluation panels to be 
convened in connection with Theme 8�

31

3�  to subject the language used to a critical analysis 

and to suggest improvements� 

The third and final stage was to complete a meticulous 
analysis  of  the  first  draft  of  the  work  programme�  A 
comparison was made between the web-based research 
agenda  and  the  first  draft  of  the  work  programme�  An 
assessment  was  made  as  to  the  extent  to  which  its 
comments  on  the  research  agenda  had  been  taken 
on  board  during  the  drafting  of  the  work  programme� 
The  EGH  also  attempted  to  list  which  disciplines 
could  contribute  to  selected  topics  rated  “humanities-
appropriate”�

Overall, the EGH group was encouraged by the progress 
made  at  mainstreaming  SSH  activity�  The  group 
concludes its report with a set of 13 recommendations 
for the future� These are:

1�  further  efforts  should  be  made  to  make  the 
descriptions of topics more humanities-friendly;
2�  DG RTD should showcase successful applications 
to 
submitted  by  humanities-led  consortia 
encourage greater participation; 

3�  DG RTD should make greater effort at dispelling 
the notion that FP research is not “scientific”;
4�  Theme  8  should  be  implemented  as  a  dynamic, 

developing process;

5�  DG RTD should be updated of research proposals 
originating from the field of education to the extent 
that these are relevant to the Lisbon Agenda;

The 11 members of the EGH 
Prof� Wolfgang Mackiewicz (chair), Margaret Gowen 
(rapporteur), Prof� Christine Agriantoni, Dr Anna MT 
Bosman, Prof� Adriana Cavarero, Prof� Roman Horak, Prof� 
Gabor Klaniczay, Dr Yunas Samad, Prof� Liliana Tolchinsky, 
Prof� Guy van Orden, Dr  habil� Alina Zvinkliene�

SIS Annual-04.indd   31

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept whereby companies take into consideration 
the interests of society by assuming responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, 
employees, shareholders, communities and the environment� This goes beyond the statutory obligation 
to comply with legislation, with organisations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of 
life for employees, the local community and society as a whole� 

32

The  following  four  projects  have  engaged  with 

business  leaders,  business  managers,  academic 
institutions  and  policy  makers  in  order  to  train 
individuals,  integrate  CSR  into  the  decision-making 
process  and  effectively  disseminate  the  findings� 
Researchers  have  consulted  a  broad  spectrum  of 
European  businesses  which  have  included  the  oil, 
banking,  fish  processing  and  automotive  sectors�  The 
size of businesses involved in these studies ranged from 
small  to  medium-sized  enterprises  (SMEs)  to  large 
corporations� 

Over the last three years, research workshops, confer-
ences  and  seminars  have  been  carried  out  throughout 
the  European  Union  to  facilitate  these  CSR  projects� 
The  work  of  the  projects  includes  improving  the  syn-
ergy  between  European  research  institutions,  evaluat-
ing and explaining the impacts of CSR on sustainability, 
and  improving  the  understanding  between  companies 
and  stakeholders�  The  different  approaches  taken  by 
researchers  and  the  resulting  recommendations  have 
been highlighted�

 Project acronym:   CSR Platform Project

Project title:   European Platform for Excellence in 

Corporate Social Responsibility 

Coordinator:   European  Academy  for  Business  in 

Society (Belgium)
  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 749 500

Website:   www.eabis.org/csrplatform

European  researchers  have  explored  the  role  of  busi-
ness  in  society  for  many  years  and  a  large  body  of  re-
search regarding CSR has been generated across differ-
ent disciplines� However, the European research agenda 
on  CSR  remains  fragmented  and  the  knowledge  gen-
erated is not always effectively communicated to those 
who  need  it�  The  CSR  Platform  Project  addresses  this 
problem and is led by EABIS (the European Academy of 
Business  in  Society)  in  collaboration  with  12  academic 
partner institutions�

This unique project enables academic institutions, busi-
ness,  policy  makers  and  civil  society  actors  with  an 
interest  in  the  subject  to  come  together  and  discuss 

‘enables academic institutions, business, 
policy makers and civil society actors with 
an interest in the subject to come together 
and discuss alignment and integration of 
research on CSR’

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

SIS Annual-04.indd   32

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alignment and integration of research on CSR� It helps 
identify the best way to disseminate research findings so 
that they are used effectively� 

A  series  of  research  workshops,  multi-stakeholder 
meetings and colloquiums were carried out across Eu-
rope  over  a  period  of  three  years�  Between  20  and  21 
September 2007, Barcelona hosted the 6th Annual Col-
loquium of EABIS, which also served as the final confer-
ence of the CSR Platform Project� Entitled “The Emerg-
ing Global Governance Paradigm: The Role of Business 
and  Its  Implications  for  Companies,  Stakeholders  and 
Society”,  conference  participants  included  over  200 
high-level academics, managers of multinational com-
panies, major stakeholders and Commission staff from 
various directorates�

The  knowledge  and  insights  generated  will  remain  ac-
cessible beyond the initial project period and serve as a 
global reference point through a Web portal and a knowl-
edge centre� In this way, the CSR Platform Project will 
facilitate and strengthen European research collabora-
tion and the dissemination of knowledge on CSR�

 Project acronym:   ESTER

Project title:   Social Regulation of European Trans-
national Companies
Coordinator:   Centre  National  de  la  Recherche 
Scientifique (France)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 800 000

Website:   http://ester.u-bordeaux4.fr/siteanglais/

accueil.htm

The ESTER project examined the social practices of Eu-
ropean firms within the context of economic globalisa-
tion, exploring the relationship between social respon-
sibility,  international  trade,  and  the  rights  of  people  at 
work� The sociological and legal analyses, as well as the 
principle  economic  observations  focused  solely  on  the 
social  dimension  of  CSR,  while  the  contextual  analysis 
of websites included both the environmental and social 
dimensions� The project had four objectives:

•  provide  a  status  report  on  the  situation  in  Ger-
many, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, the 
United Kingdom, and France;

•  classify data collected inside and outside the com-
panies with a view to establishing a multidiscipli-
nary, comparative typology;

•  give a legal, sociological, and economic evaluation 
of  the  regulation  of  corporate  social  practices, 
with a view to proposing a regulatory instrument; 

33

SIS Annual-04.indd   33

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

 
 
 
 
Corporate Social Responsibility

The  research  team  adopted  the  perspective  of  public 
policy to determine how the private sector can contribute 
to  achieving  politically  set  goals  on  sustainable 
development� Data was collected by means of a survey 
from  49  respondents  in  the  oil,  banking,  and  fish 
processing sectors plus SMEs in the automotive supply 
chain�  Case  studies  were  also  undertaken,  including 
company  and  stakeholder  interviews  for  10  (non-SME) 
companies� A second study examined the effects of EU 
accession on corporate responsibility (and vice versa) in 
Hungary� Key achievements include: 

•  increased  knowledge  on  the  impacts  of  CSR  in 
Europe, especially regarding structural differences 
in  CSR  performance  according  to  company  size, 
sector, and issue area;

•  increased  knowledge  concerning  the  efficacy  of 
CSR and the role it could play in achieving public 
policy goals;

•  policy recommendations for companies, national 

governments and the EU�

•  model  these  practices  on  the  basis  of  social 
and  economic  indicators�  In  doing  so,  it  will  be 
determined  whether  or  not  there  is  a  European 
model  of  external  social  responsibility,  and 
demonstrated that compliance with fundamental 
rights  by  European  companies 
(operating 
outside  the  Community)  is  not  detrimental  to 
their  competitiveness  and  may  be  a  source  of 
sustainable development�

The May 2007 report presents a summary of the results 
obtained by each discipline and examines the hypothesis 
of a “codification of ethics”� The latter represents the last 
stage in the research and consists of a forward-looking, 
multidisciplinary analysis of a possible legal regulation 
of CSR�

 Project acronym:   RARE

Project title:   Rhetoric  and  Realities:  Analysing 
Corporate  Social  Responsibility  in 
Europe Metropolitan Regions within 
the Enlarged Union

Coordinator:   Őko Institut (Germany)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 839 987

Website:   www.rare-eu.net 

The  RARE  project  studied  whether  CSR 
impacts 
contribute to the achievement of sustainability goals set 
by  the  European  Union�  These  impacts  were  assessed 
in  four  different  areas:  mitigation  of  climate  change 
and  chemical  risk;  resource  management  in  marine 
fisheries;  promoting  gender  equality;  and  countering 
bribery� 

34

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

‘policy recommendations for companies, 
national governments and the EU’

SIS Annual-04.indd   34

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The  conference  Rhetoric  and  Realities  –  Corporate 
Social  Responsibility  in  Europe  took  place  on  27  June 
2007,  attended  by  over  100  policy  makers,  academics 
and  representatives  from  the  business  sector  and  civil 
society� The project’s main findings will be published in a 
book in 2008 by Edward Elgar publishers�

 Project acronym:   RESPONSE

them from their stakeholders and from society at large� 
conference,  Understanding  Corporate 
The  final 
the 
Responsibility  —  Results  and 
RESPONSE project, took place on 12 October 2007 and 
involved business leaders, stakeholder representatives, 
management-development  professionals  and  policy 
makers� 

Insights 

from 

Project title:   Understanding  and  Responding  to 
Societal  Demands  on  Corporate 
Responsibility

Coordinator:   INSEAD (France)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

The project’s most important recommendations include:

•  corporate  executives  and  CSR  managers  should 
redress the balance between external engagement 
and  internal  change  initiatives  in  favour  of  the 
latter;

•  management-education 

should 
develop  managerial  skills  related  to  the  impact 
of  decisions  and  actions  on  the  social  context  in 
which companies operate;

institutions 

•  future academic research is required to increase 
the  understanding  of  the  role  cognition  plays  in 
CSR, and to further integrate the CSR principles 
in management;

•  policy  makers  should  encourage  uptake 

in 
business  by  focusing  on  the  internal  changes 
required  to  integrate  CSR  into  the  decision-
making processes� 

3

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 1 099 200

Website:   www.insead.edu/ibis/response_

project/index.htm 

The  RESPONSE  project  aimed  to  improve  knowledge 
and  understanding  between  companies  and  their 
stakeholders  with  regard  to  what  CSR  means  to  them� 
The study assessed the perception of an organisation’s 
social performance by identifying internal and external 
factors� 

The project also studied CSR at the level of the individual 
manager  and  assessed  the  effectiveness  of  various 
training  techniques  in  developing  social  awareness� 
Understanding  the  wider  social  implications  of  one’s 
decisions  and  actions  is  crucial  to  an  organisation’s 
capacity to respond to the “cognitive gaps” that separate 

‘to improve knowledge and understanding 
between companies and their stakeholders 
with regard to what CSR means to them’

SIS Annual-04.indd   35

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

 
 
 
 
Interviews

Introduced in 2004, the SSH newsletter  has become a key channel of communication for EU research 
in socio-economic sciences and humanities, providing an access point between relevant Commission 
services, the research community and other stakeholders� The quarterly newsletters are published 
on the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) website at www�ec�europa�eu/research/social-
sciences, a user-friendly portal that will officially be launched early in 2008� 

Combined, the communication tools act as a major 

source  of  SSH  information,  providing  project 
updates,  event  listings,  sector  highlights,  book 
reviews,  and  even  interviews  with  experts  in  the  area 
of  socio-economic  sciences  and  humanities�  These 
three interviews were published in editions of the 2007 
newsletter�

36

Interview with José Manuel Barroso 
for  the  Wider  Europe  —  Deeper 
Integration? project

European  Commission  President  José  Manuel  Barroso 
was asked to reflect on five academic papers in an inter-
view with John Peterson, professor of European politics 
at  the  University  of  Glasgow,  and  member  of  the  Con-
structing Europe Network� The papers were selected in 
an open poll of EU-focused academics, who were asked 
to nominate the most influential works published in the 
last 10 years� The exchange (excerpt below) represents 
an  initiative  of  the  SSH-funded  Network  of  Excellence, 
Wider Europe — Deeper Integration?

If you think about the issues on which these pieces focus 
—  Europe  as  a  global  actor,  the  relationship  between 
the Member States and the institutions, ‘the unraveling 
of the state’, and so on — are these the most vital issues 
of European integration in practice?

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

The issue raised by [Fritz] Scharpf — the question about 
asymmetry between economic and social Europe — it is 
a political problem which has confronted me almost eve-
ry day here� And a lot of my own political communication 
is [intended] to explain exactly this asymmetry� I had to 
explain by saying, ‘Look, we in the Union, we do not have 
the  social  instruments  that  you  have  in  the  Members 
States�  It  is  not  feasible  to  have  a  social  Europe  at  the 
same level that we have an internal market in Europe�’ 
So, no one is seriously proposing to have national health 
systems or national education systems or social security 
systems at the  European level� But what can we do at 
the European level to show that we are also committed 
to social principles and solidarity? There are things we 
can do — for example, we have proposed the European 
Globalisation Fund, and that was subsequently adapted�

Could you imagine a day when we might have common 
European minimum standards for social assistance and 
minimum wages (defined relative to each country’s GDP 
or average wage level)?

It depends on the decisions 
of the Member States� 

‘we are now 27 
countries, almost 500 
million people, the 
most important trade 
bloc in the world, the 
most important donor 
of foreign aid’

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We  certainly  would  not  object  …  we  are  pushing  the 
Member States to reflect on whether we can do more and 
come up with new ideas for reform of their social systems� 
Some kind of benchmarks have been established� But, to 
answer  very  candidly  your  question,  I  don’t  think  in  the 
foreseeable future we will have this kind of hard legislation 
— if I may use that word — or regulation from Brussels�

Hedley Bull’s conclusion in 1982 was ‘Europe is not an 
actor in international affairs, and does not seem likely 
to become one.’ In Zbigniew Brzezinski’s new book, he 
claims that ‘today’s Europe [is] more extensive in scope 
yet  more  distant  from  America  while  still  impotent 
globally.’ Writing 25 years apart, are they both wrong?

[The] European powers count more now because we are now 
a much bigger player — we are now 27 countries, almost 
500  million  people,  the  most  important  trade  bloc  in  the 
world, the most important donor of foreign aid — all of these 
things count �… And if you look at the global issues, those 
discussed in the United Nations — such as climate change, 
environmental protection, human rights, demography — the 
positions of the European are setting a trend more or less 
in the direction of an operational compromise … We don’t 

The five papers (chosen Spring 200)

• Liesbet  Hooghe  and  Gary  Marks, ‘Unravelling the Central State, 
but How? Types of Multi-level Governance’,  American  Political 
Science Review, Vol� 97, No 2 (May 2003), pp� 233-243�

• Ian  Manners,  ‘Normative  Power  Europe:  A  Contradiction  in 
Terms?’, Journal of Common Market Studies, Vol� 40, No 2 (June 
2002), pp� 235-258�

• Andrew  Moravcsik,  ‘Theorizing European Integration’,  in  Andrew 
Moravcsik, The Choice for Europe: Social Purpose and State Power 
from Messina to Maastricht, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 1998 
(European edition: London, Routledge/UCL Press, 1998), pp� 18-85� 

• Mark  A  Pollack, ‘Delegation, Agency, and Agenda Setting in the 
European Community’,  International  Organization,  Vol�  51,  No�  1 
(Winter 1997), pp� 99-134� Publ� also in European Integration online 
Papers (EIoP), Vol� 3, No 6 (1999)� 

• Fritz  Scharpf,  ‘The  European  Social  Model:  Coping  with  the 
Challenges of Diversity’,  Journal  of  Common  Market  Studies, 
Vol�  40,  No  4  (November  2002),  pp�  645-670�  Publ�  also  in  MPIfG 
Working Paper, No 02/8 (July 2002)� 

have the levels of competitiveness of some areas of the 
American economy, but we have mechanisms of social 
inclusion that we don’t want to give up and are not ready 
to give up because we believe we can reform them and, 
in fact, we are pushing for their reform� And we certainly 
have higher social and environmental standards than the 
rest of the world� So my answer is: Europe today counts 
more� But it is true that we are not an integrated polity, 
and that means on some foreign or security issues we 
don’t count as much as one might expect, looking at our 
demographic or economic power�

Do you think that central states in Europe are becoming 
weaker, or are they finding new and more creative ways 
to empower themselves through collective action?

I think that, maybe paradoxically, they are more important 
in some ways because they can act more globally through 
the EU���There was a famous quote, I think made by Paul-
Henri  Spaak,  who  once  said  that  all  states  in  Europe 
were small states but that some haven’t noticed it! If you 
compare  them  with  China  or  Russia  or  India  or  the  US 
in terms of geographical size, or demographic or military 
power, all EU Member States are relatively small� So what 
is the new function of the European Union?���

Europe  is  the  indispensable  articulation  between  the 
national  and  the  international�  Even  the  biggest  states 
— what chance do they have on, say, climate change in 
asking for the Americans or the Chinese to make tough 
decisions and change their policies? None at all…I think 
the Member States are not losing authority — if they act 
properly, they can in fact have their leverage and include 
very important national agendas in diplomatic terms as 
part of a wider European agenda�

3

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

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Interviews

3

Interview  with  Elise  Féron  for  the 
Peace-Com project

T he  European  Union  was  established  as  a  means 

of  avoiding  the  devastating  conflict  that  plagued 
Europe in the first half of the 20th century� In over 
50 years of existence, much has been accomplished in 
fostering increased integration and mutual understanding 
among  Member  States  and  their  neighbours�  Progress 
does not mean perfection, however, as several simmering 
disputes can still be found from the Basque region in the 
west to a UN-protected border in Cyprus� 

The  objective  of  the  Peace-Com  (Peace  Processes  in 
Community Conflicts: from Understanding the Roots of 
Conflicts to Conflict Resolution) project was to gain in-
sight into the nuanced intricacies of conflict, both armed 
and  peaceful�  The  project  has  subsequently  developed 
an innovative conceptual tool to establish whether a con-
flict is escalating or de-escalating, aimed at giving Eu-
ropeans the means to resolve conflict and avoid it in the 
future� Peace-Com hosted a final conference on 28 Sep-
tember 2007 to discuss findings� Professor Elise Féron, 
coordinator of the project, commented on the results�

For this project, you focused on characterising conflict, 
that is whether a conflict is escalating or de-escalating, 
rather than identifying concrete causes of conflict. How 
novel of an approach is this?

Most  existing  early  warning  systems  tend  to  be  biased 
towards the description and explanation of levels of vio-
lence� For instance, many early warning systems include 
very  detailed  indicators  about  human  rights  violations, 
violence  against  women,  children  or  specific  social  or 

ethnic groups� While we think that we should not com-
pletely drop these kinds of indicators, as violence can be 
one feature of conflict, we suggest to complement them 
with a series of other indicators that assess the ability 
of a given society to deal with conflict, through courts or 
negotiation schemes, and to assess their increasing or 
decreasing efficiency and legitimacy across time�

You  examined  12  case  studies  covering  ongoing  con-
flicts  in  Europe.  Did  any  of  the  findings  surprise  you? 
Any clearly identifiable trends?

It  is  very  difficult  to  identify  any  clear  pattern,  because 
these  conflicts  (from  the  Basque  Country,  Cyprus  and 
North  Ireland  to  Belgium  and  the  role  of  minorities  in 
Estonia  or  Slovenia)  display  highly  diverging  levels  of 
violence  (including  endemic  or  occasional  episodes, 
direct physical violence or harassment and tensions that 
do not translate into physical violence), and some follow 
escalating trends, while some others seem to be on the 
road to pacification� However, our research clearly shows 
the importance of some dimensions or “causes” for these 
conflicts,  (namely  cultural  and  linguistic  differences, 
identity questions, territory, and socio-economic issues), 
and, perhaps more importantly, the fact that none of these 
dimensions seems enough in itself to explain either the 
emergence or the persistence of conflicts� 

Indeed,  in  all  cases  covered  by  this  project,  several 
dimensions interact and have to be taken into account in 
order to understand what is really going on� In addition, 

‘these conflicts display highly diverging 
levels of violence, and some follow 
escalating trends, while some others seem 
to be on the road to pacification’

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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what is clear is that these various dimensions have very 
different  implications  and  meanings  on  the  ground, 
both  for  the  actors  and  in  terms  of  conflict  resolution� 
In other words, saying for instance that socio-economic 
issues are essential in a conflict can both point towards 
discriminating policies generating mistrust, and to socio-
economic differentials accused by a favoured community 
of hampering its own development�

Studying  the  effect  of  Europeanisation  on  conflict  was 
an important aspect of the project. Could you comment 
on  any  conclusions  you’ve  been  able  to  draw  vis-à-vis 
“EU-isation” and conflict in Europe?

It seems that the process of Europeanisation can above 
all  have  a  positive  impact  on  conflicts  characterised 
primarily  by  the  salience  of  socio-economic  and 
geographic  dimensions,  especially  socio-economic 
differentials  (provided  that  it  doesn’t  deepen  them  in 
the  case  of  an  existing  border,  if  both  sides  are  not  at 
the same stage of integration vis-à-vis the Union), and 
territory� It can also impact positively on conflicts where 
it is mainly political issues that are at stake�

On the whole, however, one should be aware that there 
can  be  no  uniform  impact  of  Europeanisation  on  those 
conflicts, because these conflicts (as well as Europeanisa-
tion itself) are complex social constructs and processes�

What  were  your  expectations  going  into  the  project  in 
terms of how your findings might eventually be put into 
practice and how they would be received? 

The objectives of the project were to devise and test a set 
of  indicators  in  order  to  monitor  not  only  the  evolution 
of these conflicts, but also the effects of the measures 
taken at the European level, so as to resolve or appease 
these conflicts� The indicators that have now been set up 
have allowed for the establishment of an observatory for 
community conflicts in an enlarged Europe� 

This  observatory  provides  empirical  data  accessible 
both to researchers and to policy makers� Moreover, by 
systematically  looking  at  the  policy  initiatives  taken  in 
these conflicts, the project has identified specific areas of 
intervention for the European Union, in particular where 
grassroots  initiatives  are  lacking  or  insufficient�  This 
should help policy makers devise policies and measures 
that complement existing ones in an efficient way�

Your project focused on European conflicts for obvious 
reasons.  Any  plans  to  apply  your  findings  beyond 
Europe?

We are currently exploring two paths for application and 
adaptation  beyond  Europe�  The  first  area  in  which  we 
are currently interested is the Israel/Palestine conflict; 
the second geographical area in which we 
are interested is the Great Lakes Region 
in Africa� These areas were not examined 
within  the  project  but  we  would  like  to 
explore  whether  our  monitoring  system 
and  findings  could  be  adapted  to  these 
non-European cases�

3

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

Interviews

Interview with Ingmar von Homeyer 
for the EPIGOV project

O ver  the  past  years,  the  EU  has  increasingly 

supported  projects  researching 
ideas  and 
technologies  aimed  at  improving  environmental 
problem  areas  in  Europe  and  globally�  In  this  context, 
EPIGOV  (Environmental  Policy  Integration  and  Multi-
level Governance) is a project which seeks to research the 
different modes of governance to support environmental 
policy  integration  at  EU,  national,  regional,  local  and 
global  (from  2008)  levels�  The  project  is  coordinated 
by  Dr  Ingmar  von  Homeyer  of  Ecologic  —  Institute  for 
International  and  European  Environmental  Policy�  He 
was interviewed during EPIGOV’s first conference (15-16 
February 2007) in Brussels�

40

How would you describe EPIGOV’s goals?

EPIGOV  looks  at  which  practices  are  used  to  support 
the  integration  of  environmental  concerns  into  sector 
policies  at  different  levels  …  We  try  to  identify  level-
specific governance patterns, assess effectiveness, and 
eventually  look  at  whether  and  how  these  governance 
patterns influence each other� For example, if there are 
synergies or conflicts�

What  do  you  hope  to  take  away  from  this  conference? 
Have  you  received  the  participation  you  expected  or 
hoped  for?  What  has  the  conference’s  impact  been  on 
the project as a whole?

My  impression  was  very  positive  and  the  conference 
surpassed  my  expectations�  I  think  the  conference 
presented  and  discussed  many  basic  conceptual  and 

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

policy  issues  for  EPIGOV,  and  therefore  provides  an 
excellent  foundation  for  our  next  conference  in  Milan 
(this took place on 22 and 23 November 2007)� The Milan 
conference  will  differ  from  the  Brussels  one�  It  seems 
unlikely that we will be able to attract the same level of 
interest  in  Environmental  Policy  Integration  (EPI)  and 
multilevel  governance  issues  from  stakeholders  and 
policy  makers  in  a  city  that  is  less  international  and  is 
not a capital city� At our Brussels workshop, we had two 
presentations  on  mainstreaming  in  other  policy  areas: 
gender equality and development policy� This raised a lot 
of interest among participants and we will try to continue 
this comparative perspective in Milan�

What are EPIGOV’s principal challenges?

The  main  challenges  are  institutional  and  ideational� 
People  often  see  the  value  and  necessity  of  EPI,  but 
when they try to implement it, they run into all kinds of 
institutional and conceptual barriers� There are far fewer 
necessary conflicts between economic and environmental 
goals than many people think� Much depends on how you 
understand and organise the economy�

EPIGOV  is  funded  under  FP6,  and  will  build  upon 
previous research. In your view, what has been one of 
the most significant successes for environmental policy 
in recent years, and what was the critical factor leading 
to that success?

‘there are far fewer necessary conflicts 
between economic and environmental 
goals than many people think’

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Although  there  have  been  successes,  really  significant 
successes  were  quite  rare  in  recent  years�  One  of  the 
most  encouraging  developments  is  that  there  seems 
to  be  a  growing  awareness  of  environmental  issues  in 
the  US,  especially  regarding  climate  change�  However, 
I  am  not  sure  if  that  can  be  interpreted  as  a  success 
of  environmental  policy�  In  the  EU,  the  adoption  of 
the  new  chemicals  legislation  REACH  [Regulation  on 
Registration,  Evaluation,  Authorisation  and  Restriction 
of  Chemicals]  was  a  success,  despite  the  fact  that  the 
Commission’s  original  proposals  were  watered  down 
significantly�

Alternatively, in you opinion, what has been one of the 
greatest legislative failures in recent years?

There have been many failures� The failure of the voluntary 
agreement  with  the  car  industry  to  cut  CO2  emissions  is 
quite remarkable� This was a legislative failure in the sense 
that no legislation was adopted which might have ensured 

more progress towards agreed cuts in CO2 emissions�
In  which  policy  area  would 
mindedness”  have 
agriculture or transport?

increased  “green-
impact:  energy, 

the  greatest 

its 

Transport,  because  of 
increasing  share  of  CO2 
emissions�  Also  it  would  have  ripple  effects  in  other 
sectors, and it would promote green-mindedness among 
the general public, among voters� Everybody is confronted 
with green or not-so-green transport choices on a daily 
basis�

EPIGOV investigates the different layers of government 
that  come  to  bear  on  environmental  policies.  Is  there 
one  level  that  plays  a  dominant  role,  and  if  so,  which 
sector of society currently exerts the greatest amount 
of pressure on it?

I  do  not  think  there  is  a  generally  dominant  level, 
although if you look at specific environmental issues you 

41

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economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

Socio-

Interviews

may  sometimes  be  able  to  identify  a  dominant  level�  It 
is remarkable that in environmental policy, the national 
level is often only one among several levels of governance 
which all have important impacts on policy making�

Pressure to weaken environmental objectives can come 
from a number of sources, including economic sectors 
or  sub-sectors,  professional  groups,  and  institutional 
interests�  Ideological  factors  are  very  important,  too� 
Again, much depends on the issue�

With overlapping layers of government, or the perception 
thereof, one of the biggest complaints registered is from 
people who say they are not allowed to participate. Your 
response? 

42

Whether  or  not  overlapping  layers  of  governments 
improve or diminish opportunities for participation is an 
open question� Again, this depends on the policy area and 
other circumstances� In general, overlapping layers are 
more likely to have a negative impact on accountability 
than on participation�

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

In addition to projects under  the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the Socio-economic Sciences 
and Humanities programme (SSH) under Directorate L manages more than 150 projects from the Sixth 
Framework Programme (FP6)  as well as several from the preceding Fifth Framework Programme (FP5)� 
These projects cover a wide range of issues that are then used for policy purposes by other Directorates-
General of the Commission as well as the European Parliament�

The  ACRE  project  aims  to  research  the  conditions  for 
creating  or  stimulating  “creative  knowledge  regions” 
in  the  context  of  the  extended  European  Union�  It  will 
compare the recent socio-economic development trends 
and strategies in 13 metropolitan regions across Europe 
in  order  to  gain  more  insight  into  the  extent  to  which 
creativity, innovation and knowledge are indeed the keys 
to successful long-term economic development�

European cities want to be competitive, and over recent 
years  it  has  become  increasingly  evident  that  along 
with  the  traditional  “hard”  location  factors  (such  as 
availability  of  capital  or  labour,  infrastructure,  and  tax 
regimes),  new  “soft”  location  factors  (mainly  related 
to  attracting  the  required  talent  pool)  are  being  given 
increased  attention�  European  cities  recognise  the  key 
to success in developing creative and knowledge-based 
industries�  But  while  the  final  destination  is  clear,  the 
road towards that goal is still hazy�

43

A 

representation of these projects is provided below 
which details the variety of topics the Directorate 
addresses  and  their  relevance  to  the  challenges 
affecting the European Union today� Twenty-seven projects 
have  been  selected  covering  the  following  six  themes: 
work conditions and business, economics, governance and 
citizenship, society, conflict and security, and migration�

Work conditions and business 

 Project acronym:   ACRE

Project title:  Accommodating Creative Knowledge 
—  Competitiveness  of  European 
Metropolitan  Regions  within  the 
Enlarged Union

Coordinator:   Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan 
International  Development 

and 
Studies (the Netherlands)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 4.5m 

Website:   www2.fmg.uva.nl/acre 

‘to gain more insight into the extent to 
which creativity, innovation and knowledge 
are indeed the keys to successful long-
term economic development’

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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

 
 
 
 
FP5/FP6 Project Results 

To  achieve  this  goal,  ACRE  focuses  on  several  dimen-
sions that have been neglected or underestimated in re-
search to date: the role of path dependency; the extent 
to  which  policies  provide  soft  location  factors;  the  dif-
ferences and similarities between metropolitan regions 
in western, central and eastern Europe; and the role of 
transnational migration of a skilled labour force towards 
centres of creativity and knowledge�

 Project acronym:   CSR PLATFORM

Project title:   European Platform for Excellence in 

CSR Research

Coordinator:   European  Academy  of  Business  in 

Society (Belgium)
  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

nicated and disseminated to those who need it� The CSR 
PLATFORM project addressed this problem by focusing 
on  activities  such  as  the  Research  Colloquiums,  Young 
Research  Professionals,  the  CSR  Research  Coordina-
tion Network, Multi-Stakeholder meetings, and the CSR 
Knowledge Centre/European Reference Portal on CSR�

The  Research  Colloquiums  were  central  to  the  project 
and crucial as an agenda-setting event where stakehold-
ers  from  across  Europe  were  able  to  meet  in  order  to 
take stock of achievements, to identify knowledge gaps, 
and to plan future research priorities� Likewise, the cre-
ation of a knowledge management system and web por-
tal was central to building a foundation for a structured 
exchange of information on CSR research in Europe�

EU funding:   EUR 749 500 

 Project acronym:   IKINET

44

Website:   www.eabis.org/csrplatform 

CSR PLATFORM brought together a consortium of lead-
ing academic institutions and stakeholder groups in the 
field  of  corporate  social  responsibility  (CSR)  research 
to  implement  three  strategic  goals:  to  mobilise  an  in-
ternational community of academics across disciplines, 
types of research and generations; to build an effective 
system  that  would  disseminate  knowledge  from  past, 
current,  and  future  European  CSR  research  initiatives 
and outcomes to benefit all stakeholders; and to foster 
and  facilitate  cooperation  and  collaboration  between 
academia, the business community, policy makers and 
other  key  stakeholders  through  the  creation  of  multi-
stakeholder platforms and colloquia�

The  European  research  agenda  on  CSR  remains  frag-
mented and diffuse; the knowledge and insights gener-
ated through research is not always effectively commu-

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

Project title:   International  Knowledge  and  Inno-
vation Networks for European Inte-
gration, Cohesion and Enlargement
Coordinator:   University  of  Rome  “Tor  Vergata”, 
Department of Economics and Insti-
tutions (Italy)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 799 997

Website:   www.economia.uniroma2.it/dei/ikinet

IKINET  focuses  on  the  innovation  and  knowledge  ex-
change  within  clusters  and  networks  in  technology 
sectors,  such  as  the  automobile  and  aerospace  indus-

‘stakeholders from across Europe were 
able to meet in order to take stock of 
achievements, to identify knowledge gaps, 
and to plan future research priorities’

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tries� As a factor leading to higher competitiveness and 
growth,  it  analyses  the  transfer  of  information,  knowl-
edge  and  competencies  between  firms  within  regional 
networks and clusters and at the international/inter-re-
gional level�

Specifically, the project studies the obstacles that usu-
ally hinder the diffusion of “technology spillovers” out-
side a specific local economy, as well as the policies and 
“soft”  infrastructures  and  institutions  that  can  remove 
those obstacles�

The key policy questions raised by IKINET are:

•  how innovation and learning processes can effec-
tively  contribute  to  economic  development  when 
they take place within clusters and supply-chain 
networks;

•  how knowledge and innovation networks may ex-
tend  from  local  clusters  in  the  most  developed 
regions to the lagging regions and new accession 
countries, with a view to maximising the full po-
tential  of  Europe’s  knowledge/learning  capacity 
as a whole�

Nowadays,  it  is  widely  accepted  that  knowledge  and 
learning  are  at  the  core  of  competitiveness;  innovation 
generates winners and losers at the same time, and de-
pends  on  learning  processes,  knowledge  creation  and 
accumulation�  Thus,  learning  has  the  potential  to  pro-
vide significant opportunities for growth as well as se-
vere threats of exclusion and marginalisation, especially 
for the economically lagging regions in the EU and cen-
tral and eastern European regions and countries� 

‘the five-year project seeks to assess 
the effect of relevant institutions and 
educational policies on the participation
of adults in, and their access to, 
lifelong learning’

4

 Project acronym:   LLL 2010

Project title:   Towards a Lifelong Learning Society 
in  Europe:  the  Contribution  of  the 
Educational System
Coordinator:   Institute for International and Social 
Studies, Tallinn University (Estonia)
  Funded under:    FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:    EUR 3 199 901
Website:   lll2010.tlu.ee 

In March 2000, the European Council adopted the Lisbon 
Strategy, a comprehensive and coordinated policy aimed 
at  making  Europe  the  most  dynamic  and  competitive 
knowledge-based economy by 2010� To achieve this am-
bitious goal, EU policy makers agreed to carry out a radi-
cal transformation of the European economy as well as 
a  modernisation  plan  of  Europe’s  education  and  social 
welfare  systems�  Within  this  framework,  a  policy  was 
developed, aimed at increasing the participation rate of 
adults in lifelong learning� 

LLL 2010 aims to collect and analyse information on the 
patterns of lifelong learning (LLL) across Europe� More 

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

46

specifically, the five-year project seeks to assess the ef-
fect of relevant institutions and educational policies on 
the participation of adults in, and their access to, lifelong 
learning� The project focuses on questions such as: ‘Are 
there differences in terms of lifelong learning between 
EU countries and, if so, do these depend on country-spe-
cific institutions?’, and ‘What are the barriers to lifelong 
learning and how can these be overcome?‘�

Research  will  be  carried  out  on  three  levels  (macro-, 
meso- and micro-levels) in order to look at the interac-
tion and relationship between macro-structural factors, 
national policies, institutional factors and adults as po-
tential  learners�  In  the  first  year,  the  project  analysed 
and compared the national practices and policies on life-
long learning� In subsequent years, the project will con-
duct and analyse surveys on LLL practices and opinions 
among  adult  learners,  adult  education  institutions  and 
among SME managers and employees�

 Project acronym:   SPReW

Project title:   Generational Approach to the Social 

Patterns of Relation to Work

Coordinator:   Fondation Travail — Université, Work 

& Technology Research Centre 
(Belgium)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 1 192 000 

Website:   www.ftu-namur.org/sprew

The objective of the SPReW project is to examine the fac-
tors that contribute either to solidarity or to tensions in 
intergenerational relations, in the specific areas of work 
and  related  fields�  It  aims  to  provide  an  improved  and 
updated  understanding  of  how  diverse  generations  re-

late  to  work,  and  to  analyse  the  policy  challenges  and 
implications of these changes�

The first deliverable of the project consisted of a state-
of-the-art  report  that  introduced  current  research  on 
the  issues�  It  included  overviews  of  relevant  literature 
carried  out  by  each  partner,  and  a  cross-overview  of 
their  contributions�  Each  team  noted  the  hypotheses, 
analyses and conclusions that were relevant to the key 
areas of the project, including the following: the relation 
of generations to diverse work components; the connec-
tion with lifestyles and family construction; the intergen-
erational dimensions; and the social cohesion perspec-
tive, including gender and ethnicity issues�

Additionally,  each  writer  performed  the  following  ac-
tivities:  indicated  the  convergences  and  divergences  in 
the  social  context  of  different  countries  of  the  project; 

‘to examine the factors that contribute 
either to solidarity or to tensions in 
intergenerational relations’

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

SIS Annual-04.indd   46

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investigated  the  continuity  and  changes  in  orientations 
towards work and in the intergenerational challenges it 
raises; and described how changes in families and life-
styles are strongly intertwined with changes in work� 

tional conference organised by the WORKS consortium, 
attendees  deepened  the  theoretical  discussion  on  the 
mechanisms by which these changes take place�

 Project acronym:   WORKS

Project title:   Work  Organisation  and  Restructur-

ing in the Knowledge Society 

Coordinator:   Higher Institute for Labour Studies, 

Catholic University of Leuven 
(Belgium)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:    EUR 3.8m

Website:   www.worksproject.be

The main scope of the WORKS project is to investigate 
how  employment,  learning  and  labour  practices  adapt 
to  change,  and  to  what  degree  this  occurs�  It  aims  to 
improve our understanding of work changes within the 
context of a knowledge-based society, identify their driv-
ing  forces,  and  obtain  their  implications  for  the  use  of 
knowledge and skills for flexibility and quality of life�

We  are  witnessing  a  historically  unprecedented  trans-
formation  of  work�  A  number  of  large-scale  changes 
have been monitored in the organisation of work: work-
ing time, working space, content of work and contractual 
relationships between workers and their employers� It is 
generally  agreed  that  these  changes  are  connected  to 
globalisation  and  technological  change�  At  an  interna-

‘to investigate how employment, learning 
and labour practices adapt to change’

The  four  thematic  areas  of  research  identified  for  the 
WORKS project are as follows: changes in work organi-
sations  from  the  perspective  of  global  restructuring  of 
value chains; changes in the use of knowledge and skills 
and different ways of achieving flexibility; changes in the 
use of time and occupational identities and their impli-
cations for quality of life; and social dialogue and the re-
gional institutional context�

Economics 

 Project acronym:   COMETR

Project title:   Competitiveness Effects of Environ-
mental Tax Reforms
Coordinator:    National  Environmental  Research 

4

Institute, University of Aarhus 
(Denmark)

  Funded under:   FP6–Scientific Support to Policies

EU funding:    EUR 988 026

Website:   www2.dmu.dk/cometr

The COMETR project provides new ex post evidence on 
the economic effects of environmental tax reforms (ETR) 
in  six  EU  Member  States�  During  the  1990s  and  early 
2000s, these countries carried out tax reforms which in-
volved shifting taxes away from labour and towards the 
energy and transport sectors� Such tax reforms are gen-
erally considered beneficial from both an environmental 
and  economic  perspective,  but  so  far  very  little  direct 
evidence exists on these effects�

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

SIS Annual-04.indd   47

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

The results indicate that ETR had, in fact, improved the 
economic  performance  of  all  six  countries,  mainly  due 
to  the  favourable  revenue  recycling  effect,  while  at  the 
same time reducing their GHG emissions� These results 
are  very  encouraging,  and  give  important  support  to 
Commission efforts to promote the further use of mar-
ket-based instruments in environmental policies�

pan and the United States from 1970 onwards� This work 
represents an important new tool both for academic re-
search and policy makers on sources of economic per-
formance and on policy evaluation� An example is the as-
sessment of the goals concerning competitiveness and 
economic growth potential as established by the Lisbon 
agenda�

4

The COMETR project has provided useful inputs for the 
Directorate-General  for  Taxation  and  Customs  Union 
(DG TAXUD) work on several occasions� The first Brus-
sels Tax Forum, a high-level conference on tax policy is-
sues organised annually by DG TAXUD and the Cabinet 
Kovacs, was held in March 2007, just before the COMETR 
final workshop� Results from the project have also been 
used in the “Green Paper on market-based instruments 
for environment and policy purposes,” published jointly 
by  DG  TAXUD  and  DG  Environment  (DG  ENV)  in  March 
2007, and used in internal Commission work on the in-
ternational  competitiveness  of  energy-intensive  indus-
tries in face of a unilateral carbon constraint (led jointly 
by DG Enterprise and Industry and DG ENV)� 

 Project acronym:   EU KLEMS

Project title:   Productivity in the European Union: 

a Comparative Industry Approach 

Coordinator:    Faculty  of  Economics,  Rijksuniver-

siteit Groningen (the Netherlands)
  Funded under:    FP6–Scientific Support to Policies

EU funding:    EUR 4 994 680

Website:   www.euklems.net

The EU KLEMS database, a major project achievement, 
includes detailed measures of economic growth, produc-
tivity, employment creation and capital formation at the 
industry  level  for  European  Union  Member  States,  Ja-

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

The  fifteen  organisations  from  across  the  EU  involved 
in EU KLEMS include leading academic institutions and 
national  economic  policy  research  institutes�  They  are 
supported by (and interact heavily with) national statisti-
cal offices, Eurostat and other services of the European 
Commission, and the Organisation for Economic Coop-
eration and Development�

‘these results are very encouraging, and 
give important support to Commission
efforts to promote the further use 
of market-based instruments in 
environmental policies’

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cal work� It had five specific objectives:

•  discuss and refine current concepts of KBE; 
•  explore the relationship between KBE and innova-

tion;

•  define the role of networks of alliances, informa-

tion, finance and social ties; 

•  assess KBE in different sectoral and national sys-

tems of innovation; 

•  produce policy recommendations�

The  project’s  main  findings  underline  that  the  strate-
gic  role  of  entrepreneurship  and  innovation  networks 
and systems (the complex webs of relationships among 
firms, universities and other organisations, and the role 
of  institutions  in  generating  and  sharing  knowledge 
relevant to innovation) has entered the core of the sci-
ence  and  technology  policy  agenda�  At  the  same  time, 
the role of new technology-based firms in industry spin-
offs, start-ups and rejuvenation, in labour mobility and 
knowledge communication as well as their positioning in 
innovation networks, has never before been more criti-
cal to understanding the solution of the “European para-
dox” and to meeting the Lisbon criteria�

The project’s final conference was held on 4 and 5 June 
2007�  The  debate  focused  on  the  issue  of  KBE  and  its 
capacity to enhance relevant innovations and highly suc-
cessful new products and processes�

4

The  database  facilitates  the  sustainable  production  of 
high-quality  statistics  using  the  methodologies  of  na-
tional  accounts,  growth  accounting  and  input-output 
analysis�  The  input  measures  included  various  catego-
ries of capital (K), labour (L), energy (E), material (M) and 
service (S) inputs� It is expected to be used for analytical 
and  policy-related  purposes,  in  particular  by  studying 
the  relationship  between  skill  formation,  technological 
progress and innovation, on the one hand, and produc-
tivity, on the other�

 Project acronym:   KEINS

Project title:   Knowledge-Based  Entrepreneur-
ship: Innovation, Networks and Sys-
tems  

Coordinator:   Centre  for  Research  on  Innovation 
and  Internationalisation,  University 
of Luigi Bocconi (Italy)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 1m

Website:   www.cespri.unibocconi.it/folder.
php?nascondi=1922&tbn=albero&id
_folder=1913

KEINS aimed to examine the relevance and features of 
knowledge-based entrepreneurship (KBE) in Europe by 
looking  at  three  types  of  KBE:  start-up,  corporate  and 
academic�  The  project  integrated  different  methodolo-
gies and approaches, ranging from appreciative and for-
mal theorising to case studies and quantitative empiri-

‘the strategic role of entrepreneurship 
and innovation networks and systems 
has entered the core of the science and 
technology policy agenda’

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

 Project acronym:   RICAFE2 

Project title:   Regional  Comparative  Advantage 
and  Knowledge-Based  Entrepre-
neurship

Coordinator:   London  School  of  Economics  and 
Political Sciences (United Kingdom)
  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 1 187 100

To enhance user participation and interaction, RICAFE2 
has  introduced  an  open  forum  on  the  project’s  results 
and ongoing research� This forum will serve as an im-
portant tool in receiving feedback from the wider com-
munity�  To  this  effect,  RICAFE2  invites  members  and 
others  who  are  interested  in  contributing  or  initiating 
discussions related to the project’s objectives, to do so 
by participating in the discussion forum�

Website:   www.lse.ac.uk/collections/RICAFE

 Project acronym:   TAXBEN 

0

RICAFE2 is a research project that seeks to address the 
questions of how the European models of societal, legal 
and economic institutions affect the patterns of regional 
economic  growth�  It  also  aims  to  examine  how  knowl-
edge-based  entrepreneurship  (KBE)  contributes  to 
shifting patterns of regional comparative advantage and 
how it shapes policy options and priorities� Research will 
assess  the  links  between  societal,  legal  and  economic 
mechanisms and KBE at the micro level, while studying 
the resulting regional dynamics and growth patterns at 
the macro level� 

The  project  builds  on  the  successful  RICAFE  project 
completed in April 2005� The original network has been 
expanded to include new European partners as well as 
research institutions from Serbia, India and Israel� The 
RICAFE2  strategy  is  based  on  understanding  the  suc-
cess factors of KBE and their potential application in an 
EU environment� By conducting research using Europe-
an datasets, the project has fine-tuned the understand-
ing of the factors driving the success of KBE in Europe� 
Secondly, by inviting eminent researchers from the US to 
the RICAFE2 conferences, a larger scope of insights into 
the American experience has been acquired�

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

Project title:   Tax/Benefit Policies and Growth Po-

tential of the EU

Coordinator:    The  Centre  for  European  Policy 

Studies (Belgium)

  Funded under:    FP6–Scientific Support to Policies

EU funding:   EUR 935 244

Website:   www.taxben.org

The  TAXBEN  project  carried  out  in-depth  economic 
analyses  of  tax/benefit  policies  on  five  broad  themes: 
employment;  corporate  taxes  under  tax  competition; 

‘to address the questions of how the 
European models of societal, legal and 
economic institutions affect the patterns of 
regional economic growth’

SIS Annual-04.indd   50

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productivity  growth  and  convergence;  macro-economic 
policies under single monetary policy; and environment 
and climate change�

The  TAXBEN  team  produced  a  total  of  24  working  pa-
pers and held 5 workshops on these research themes� 
The final conference (27 November 2006) was attended 
by Commissioner Kovacs, who commented that the new 
research-based  knowledge  produced  by  TAXBEN  will 
contribute in a useful way to policy initiatives taken both 
at EU and national levels�

In  conducting  its  work,  TAXBEN  developed  and  used  a 
large  variety  of  tools  for  economic  analyses�  These  in-
clude  small  computable  general  equilibrium  models 
covering  only  one  country,  large-scale  multi-country 
models to analyse policy scenarios in the whole EU, and 
econometric estimations of the relationship between key 
economic target variables and fiscal policies�  

An entirely new computable general equilibrium model 
was built within the project to investigate the impact of 
EU policies in the area of corporate taxation� The results 
obtained  with  this  model  have  already  been  presented 
at economic conferences dealing with EU fiscal policies� 
It is expected that the model will be used further in on-
going  work  within  DG  for  Taxation  and  Customs  Union 
to analyse the impacts of various policy options related 
to the harmonisation and consolidation of the corporate 
income-tax base in the EU�

‘an entirely new computable general 
equilibrium model was built within the 
project to investigate the impact of EU 
policies in the area of corporate taxation’

Governance and citizenship 

 Project acronym:   CINEFOGO

Project title:   Civil Society and New Forms of Gov-
ernance in Europe — the Making of 
European Citizenship

Coordinator:   University of Roskilde (Denmark)
  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:    EUR 3.9m

Website:   www.cinefogo.org

CINEFOGO has three aims: to promote citizens’ involve-
ment  and  social  participation  in  policy  making;  to  un-
derstand the impact of different forms of citizenship and 
civic  participation;  and  to  identify  factors  that  help  the 
co-existence  of  multiple  identities�  More  than  35  insti-
tutions  and  150  researchers  in  Europe  are  part  of  this 
Network of Excellence, the FP6 instrument for tackling 
the fragmentation of European research�

Three  events  (Vienna,  22-28  May  2006)  were  organised 
within  the  first  six  months  of  the  project:  the  regular 
meeting  of  the  Network  Council,  the  Spread  of  Excel-
lence working meeting, and the PhD network meeting on 
Civil Society and the Third Sector� A TRANSAACT Training 
Workshop took take place in Prague, 23-27 September 
2007� These training workshops aim to raise the capac-
ity of sharing, elaborating and spreading good practices, 
as well as determine how to strengthen an appropriate 
spread and use of CINEFOGO deliverables� 

The TRANSAACT principles are:

•  transparency (making all research outcomes gen-

erally accessible);

•  readability (making all research outcomes under-

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

1

SIS Annual-04.indd   51

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

standable and user-friendly);

•  accountability (presenting all research outcomes 

adequately and accurately);

•  networking (promoting horizontal exchange of in-

formation and skills);

•  sharing  (supporting  dialogue,  dissemination  and 

exchange of best practices);

mation from all EU Member States as well as Bulgaria, 
Romania,  Croatia,  Russia,  Serbia,  Montenegro,  Bosnia 
and Herzegovina, Albania and FYROM�

The thematic areas of GOVDATA correspond to the the-
matic structure of CONNEX, and focus on the following 
dimensions of EU governance: 

•  autonomy  (relying  on  autonomy,  motivation  and 

•  institutional architecture of European multi-level 

initiative of all involved actors);

governance;

•  activation  (attracting  attention  of  indifferent  but 

•  enhancement of democracy in European govern-

potentially engageable actors)�

ance;

•  civil  society  involvement  in  European  multi-level 

 Project acronym:   CONNEX

governance;

Project title:   Connecting Excellence on European 

•  flexibility  of  European  governance  through  new 

Governance

instruments�

2

Coordinator:   Mannheim Centre for European So-

cial Research (Germany)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 3.5m

Website:   www.connex-network.org 

CONNEX  seeks  to  integrate  independent  fundamental 
research  and  mobilise  scholars  from  different  disci-
plines to deepen the knowledge on European multi-level 
governance and to contribute to public debate on the fu-
ture of European governance� CONNEX, closely linked to 
the Integrated Project NEWGOV (New Modes of Govern-
ance), involves 43 partner institutions from 23 European 
countries with more than 170 scholars�

In its effort to build a research community on European 
governance, CONNEX surveyed recent and ongoing gov-
ernance research in Europe (the survey was conducted 
in 2005 and completed in early 2006)� The GOVDATA data-
base developed as a result of the survey, includes infor-

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

‘mobilise scholars from different 
disciplines to deepen the knowledge on 
European multi-level governance and to 
contribute to public debate’

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GOVDATA is an efficient search tool that offers excellent 
performance for governance researchers� Comprehensive 
and user-friendly, the database produces exact results 
rapidly�  CONNEX  has  also  launched  GOVLIT,  a  free 
online  database  of  academic  literature  on  European 
governance with bibliographic information on over 2 500 
articles, books, reviews and other materials�

In  addition  to  several  meetings  and  workshops,  three 
theme-based  CONNEX  conferences  were  held  in  2007: 
The Multi-level Electoral System of the EU (19-22 March); 
Political Representation (25-26 May); Accountability (29-
30 June); and Lessons Learned on Meaning and Practice 
of  Accountability  in  the  EU  Multi-Level  Context  (11-12 
October)�

‘a comparative study was conducted 
on 40 different environmental policies 
from 24 OECD countries over a period 
of 30 years’

 Project acronym:   ENVIPOLCON

Governance 

Project title:   Environmental 

in 
Europe: the Impact of International 
Institutions  and  Trade  on  Policy 
Convergence
Coordinator:   Department 

of 

Politics 
University 

and 
of 

Management, 
Konstanz 
(Germany)

3

  Funded under:   FP5–Improving the Human Research 
Potential  and  the  Socio-economic 
Knowledge Base

EU funding:    EUR 949 500

Website:   www.uni-konstanz.de/FuF/Verwiss/
knill/projekte/envipolcon/project-
homepage.php 

The dual purpose of the ENVIPOLCON project was to in-
vestigate the extent to which a convergence of environ-
mental policies exists across countries, and examine the 
direction environmental protection is moving towards (if 
there  is  an  environmental  “race  to  the  top”  or  a  “race 
to the bottom”)� A comparative study was conducted on 
40  different  environmental  policies  from  24  OECD  (Or-
ganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) 
countries over a period of 30 years (1970-2000)�

the  project  was 

An  overall  conclusion  of 
that 
environmental policies have generally grown more alike 
over  time�  At  the  same  time,  they  have  moved  in  an 
“upward”  direction,  thus  becoming  more  strict�  Hence, 
a  “race  to  the  bottom”,  due  to  regulatory  competition 
(a lowering of environmental standards by countries as 
a  consequence  of  engaging  in  competitive  markets,  as 
often  predicted  in  literature),  does  not  appear  to  have 
taken place�

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

According  to  ENVIPOLCON’s  main  findings,  there 
are  three  factors  related  to  globalisation  that  are 
considered  responsible  for  the  observed  convergence 
of  environmental  policies:  international  cooperation 
of  countries  and  harmonisation  of  environmental  law; 
transnational  communication  within 
international 
institutions;  and  regulatory  competition  in  increasingly 
integrated markets�

 Project acronym:   EUROSPHERE

Project title:   Diversity  and  the  European  Public 
Sphere: Towards a Citizens’ Europe
Coordinator:   International  Migration  and  Ethnic 
Relations Research Unit, University 
of Bergen (Norway)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

4

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 4 056 373

Website:   www.eurosphere.uib.no 

The main objective of the five-year EUROSPHERE project 
is  to  create  a  comprehensive  base  of  information  that 
could operate as a source of knowledge for policy making, 
and also serve as a vital knowledge-bank for civil society 
organisations and scientific communities involved in the 
articulation of a European public sphere� With a focus on 
the visions and strategies of central social and political 
actors in Europe, the main question that the project will 
answer is whether and how an inclusive European public 
sphere is possible�

To  meet  this  objective,  EUROSPHERE  is  examining  the 
factors that weaken the fabric of European democracy, 
identifying  ideas  that  are  able  to  optimise  citizens’ 
involvement  in  the  European  democratic  process,  and 
assessing  diversified  strategies  that  could  strengthen 
inclusive democratic institutions�

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

The research plan comprises data collection and analysis 
activities in 16 European countries, as well as the creation 
of  the  EUROSPHERE  knowledge  base�  EUROSPHERE 
will organise four conferences, two European forums for 
European stakeholders’ institutions, and four researcher 
training/PhD courses� 

The  project’s  first  major  event  took  place  in  February 
2007� Participants had the opportunity to exchange views 
on how EUROSPHERE could develop new ways to analyse 
and  understand  the  public  sphere�  They  also  explored 
how  this  ambitious  project  will  deal  with  the  expected 
conflicts  and  contestations  linked  with  future  attempts 
to  articulate  a  European  public  sphere�  Three  more 
large-scale  conferences  have  been  planned  (October 
2009, August 2010 and October 2011), where the results 
of the project will be presented to stakeholders and the 
public�

‘the project will answer whether 
and how an inclusive European 
public sphere is possible’

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 Project acronym:   GARNET

•  the  theory  and  practice  of  regionalism  and 

Project title:   Global Governance, Regionalisation 

regionalisation;

and Regulation: the Role of the EU

Coordinator:   Centre for the Study of Globalisation 
and  Regionalisation,  University  of 
Warwick (United Kingdom)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 5.4m 

Website:   www.garnet-eu.org

Currently, the European Union is the most institutionalised 
regional  policy  community  and  complex  system  of 
governance beyond the territorial state� While research 
on regulation and multi-level governance has achieved 
an  advanced  level  of  sophistication,  it  is  still  largely 
fragmented,  weakly  coordinated,  and  often  detached 
from wider questions of an extra-European nature�

There is a need, therefore, for analysts and practitioners 
undertaking  European  research  on  the  theory  and 
practice  of  global  regulation  across  the  economic  and 
security domains, to come together in a coordinated and 
systemic process of dialogue� GARNET fills this gap�

The project focuses on two major issues: elements of the 
global regulatory framework, such as trade, finance and 
security, which structure the modern world system; and 
an analysis of Europe’s role within that framework� More 
specifically,  four  themes  guide  GARNET’s  integrating 
activities:

‘the transformation of governance 
in Europe (and beyond) by mapping, 
evaluating and analysing the emergence, 
execution, and evolution of what is 
referred to as New Modes of Governance’

•  the identification of key elements in the regulatory 
framework  of  governance,  especially  how  best 
to  enhance  collective  action  problem-solving  at 
regional and global levels;

issues 

•  policy 

in  global  governance,  notably 
those  concerned  with  overcoming  problems 
in  the  governance  of  trade,  finance,  security, 
environment,  technology,  development,  social 
production and gender inequality, and disease;
•  the role of the EU in the advancement of research 

and policy in these themes�

GARNET  holds  an  annual  international  conference  in-
tended to engage network members and scholars from 
outside  the  network  on  key  GARNET  research  themes� 
The  second  conference  took  place  between  17  and  19 
September  2007  on  the  theme  of  “Pathways  to  Legiti-
macy? The Future of Global and Regional Governance”�



 Project acronym:   NEWGOV

Project title:   New Modes of Governance
Coordinator:   Robert  Schuman  Centre  for  Ad-
vanced  Studies,  European  Univer-
sity Institute (Italy)
  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 3 850 000 

Website:   www.eu-newgov.org

The  aim  of  NEWGOV  is  to  examine  the  transformation 
of  governance  in  Europe  (and  beyond)  by  mapping, 
evaluating  and  analysing  the  emergence,  execution, 
and  evolution  of  what  is  referred  to  as  New  Modes 
of  Governance  (NMG)�  NMG  represents  the  range  of 

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

SIS Annual-04.indd   55

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

innovation  and  transformation  that  is  occurring  in  the 
instruments, methods, modes and systems of governance 
in contemporary polities and economies, and especially 
within the European Union and its Member States� 

meetings  of  the  clusters  and  discussions  on  cross-
cutting  topics,  keynote  speeches  were  delivered  on 
such topics as “How the Rule of Law Might Survive the 
European  turn  to  Governance”  and  “Can  the  European 
Union be Legitimised by Governance?”�

The  scientific  objectives  of  NEWGOV  are  structured 
in  four  clusters,  each  of  which  contains  a  set  of  inter-
linked  projects:  emergence,  evolution  and  evaluation; 
delegation,  hierarchy  and  accountability;  effectiveness, 
capacity  and  legitimacy;  and  learning,  experimental 
governance and reform� 

(Connecting  Excellence 

The project is closely linked to the Network of Excellence, 
CONNEX 
on  European 
Governance)� Six other projects have joined forces with 
NEWGOV  and  CONNEX  to  disseminate  their  research 
output  more  effectively�  This  joint  project  is  named 
IConnectEU�

The third annual NEWGOV consortium conference took 
place on 31 May and 1 June 2007� In addition to parallel 

6

jointly  organised  by 
The  second  training  course, 
NEWGOV  and  CONNEX,  took  place  between  1  and  7 
July 2007� The course focused on questions of research 
design  and  methods  in  social  science,  in  particular 
theoretically  guided  empirical  research�  Furthermore, 
an  international  seminar  was  held  on  26  October  2007 
to reflect on the emergence, function and impact of new 
modes of governance in new and old Member States�

 Project acronym:   SUS.DIV 

Project title:   Sustainability Diversity
Coordinator:   Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (Italy)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   5 142 000

Website:   www.susdiv.org

SUS�DIV  regards  cultural  diversity  as  a  new  form  of 
capital, embodied in cultural assets both material (such 
as  monuments)  and  immaterial  (such  as  languages)� 
Cultural  diversity  is  accumulated  through  generations 
and provides services for economic growth and human 
welfare� 

‘to achieve sustainable development is 
thus to ensure that society transfers to 
future generations a quantity and quality of 
“diversity heritage” that does not compromise 
their ability to meet their own needs’

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The  environment  mankind  inherited  and  that  it  will 
transfer to future generations is a combination of nature 
and culture� To achieve sustainable development is thus 
to ensure that society transfers to future generations a 
quantity and quality of “diversity heritage” that does not 
compromise their ability to meet their own needs�

SUS�DIV’s  primary  objective  is  to  integrate  European 
research capabilities across disciplines and countries, in 
order to provide society and polity with the instruments 
and  tools  for  managing  cultural  diversity  as  a  key 
element of a strategy for sustainable development� The 
project has four overarching aims:

•  to promote lasting cooperation and integration;
•  to produce world-class research;
•  to  serve  the  wider  European  research,  policy  and 
business community, as well as the public at large;
in 
increase  the  participation  of  women 

•  to 

research�

SUS�DIV’s  third  annual  meeting  was  held  on  20  and 
21  September  2007�  The  focus  was  on  the  network’s 

‘an academically driven social survey 
designed to chart and explain the interaction 
between Europe’s changing institutions and 
the attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns 
of its diverse populations’

progress  towards  achieving  its  scientific  objectives, 
further developing the research outputs produced in the 
first year, and enhancing networking opportunities�

Society 

 Project acronym:   ESS

Project title:   European Social Survey  
Coordinator:   City University London

(United Kingdom)
  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 1 489 943 (ESS4)

  and EUR 1 444 799 (ESS3)

Website:   www.europeansocialsurvey.org

ESS  is  an  academically  driven  social  survey  designed 
to  chart  and  explain  the  interaction  between  Europe’s 
changing  institutions  and  the  attitudes,  beliefs  and 
behaviour  patterns  of  its  diverse  populations�  Its  aim 
is  to  provide  reliable  data  on  underlying  value  change 
within Europe� Furthermore, it is designed to provide a 
long-term account of the evolution of European societal 
trends  and  changes,  and  of  how  its  changing  political 
and  economic  institutions  interact  over  time  with  the 
changing attitudes and values of its citizens� 

The European Social Survey is a biennial multi-country 
survey  covering  over  30  nations�  The  first  round  took 
place  in  2002-03,  the  second  in  2004-05  and  the  third 
in  2006-07�  It  is  based  on  a  questionnaire,  consisting 
of  a  “core”  module,  lasting  about  30  minutes,  and  two 
“rotating  modules”  to  be  repeated  at  intervals,  each 
devoted to a substantive topic or theme� 



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Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FP5/FP6 Project Results 



ESS  was  awarded  the  2005  Descartes  Research  Prize, 
where the following was specifically stated: ‘Europe has, 
for  the  first  time,  an  authoritative  and  accurate  source 
of data about its changing social values, which in turn, 
informs academic and political debate and allows the EU 
to measure changes in values of its citizens�’ The ESS has 
decided to direct the funds towards two major projects: a 
book on the issue of non-response and a framework for 
a context dataset�

 Project acronym:   G-FORS

Project title:   Governance for Sustainability
Coordinator:   City  of  Hannover, 

International 

Affairs (Germany)
  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 1 489 267
Website:   www.g-fors.eu

G-FORS has developed an innovative analytical model for 
the study of governance for sustainability, focusing on the 
synergy  between  new  governance  modes  and  different 
forms of knowledge� In order to meet this challenge, the 
project  will  analyse  how  different  forms  of  knowledge 
may  interact  in  the  context  of  particular  governance 
arrangements  to  produce  “reflexive  knowledge”  and 
contribute  to  a  more  legitimate  understanding  of 
sustainability�

The project will empirically test this new model through 
case  studies  examining  EU  policies  in  the  field  of 
particulate  matter,  emission  trading  and  environment 
planning, and their implementation at national and local 
level� These areas have been chosen because they involve 
different governance modes in a multilevel context that 
illustrate the positive interactions and potential tensions 

between  certain  governance  arrangements,  different 
forms of knowledge and sustainable development�

G-FORS  will  identify  indicators  in  order  to  appraise  the 
effectiveness of current political, economic, administrative 
and organisational processes and institutional settings in 
developing  economically,  socially  and  environmentally 
sustainable  policies�  From  the  empirical  research,  the 
team will assess how the engagement of a range of actors 
in  new  multilevel  governance  arrangements  can  be 
activated to tackle any future threats of democratic deficit, 
and promote participation and sustainable development�

 Project acronym:   TRANSITIONS

Project title:   Gender, Parenthood and the Chang-
ing  European  Workplace:  Young 
Adults Negotiating the Work-Family 
Boundary

Coordinator:   The  Manchester  Metropolitan  Uni-

versity (United Kingdom)

  Funded under:   FP5–Improving  Human  Potential 
Programme and the Socio-Economic 
Knowledge Base

EU funding:   EUR 1 190 000

In the present context of falling birth rates and an overall 
reduction of welfare in many European countries, there is 
an increasing need to know how parents make decisions 
and, more specifically, how they negotiate their family-
work boundaries� 

‘an innovative analytical model for the 
study of governance for sustainability, 
focusing on the synergy between new 
governance modes and different 
forms of knowledge’

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The aim of the TRANSITIONS project was to understand 
how  young  European  women  and  men  (aged  18  to 
30  years)  deal  with  parenthood  within  the  context  of 
different national welfare regimes, as well as family and 
employer support�

The main findings of the study reveal that parents across 
Europe  are  facing  growing  demands  both  at  home  and 
the workplace� More explicitly, a young person’s decision 
regarding  parenthood  is  heavily  influenced  by  macro 
social factors, such as ethnicity, socio-economic status, 
education, availability of house care as well as workplace 
practices and conditions�

TRANSITIONS  also  addressed  a  controversial  topic  in 
contemporary  Europe,  namely  the  relation  between 
gender and parenthood� The research not only confirmed 
that,  even  in  the  most  equalitarian  countries,  gender 
is  still  an  important  feature  which  shapes  family-work 

‘a young person’s decision regarding 
parenthood is heavily influenced by macro 
social factors, such as ethnicity, socio-
economic status, education‘

decisions,  but  also  found  that  the  workplace  culture  is 
still mostly gender-specific, with policies for combining 
work and family principally aimed at women� This has an 
effect on individual and household strategies for dealing 
with  parenthood,  and  indicates  why  the  transition  to 
parenthood  still  remains  a  “tipping  point”  on  the  road 
towards gender equality�

Conflict and security 

 Project acronym:   CHALLENGE

Project title:   The  Changing 

Landscape 

of 
European  Liberty  and  Security 
Coordinator:  Centre  for  European 
Policy Studies (Belgium) 

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society



EU funding:   EUR 4 499 999

Website:   www.libertysecurity.org 

The  CHALLENGE  project  aims  to  facilitate  a  more 
responsive and responsible assessment of the rules and 
practices of security and its implication for civil liberties, 
human  rights  and  social  cohesion  in  an  enlarged 
Europe� 

More  specifically,  the  project  focuses  on  the  tensions 
created by claims that “security is the first freedom” and 
that  a  new  “balance”  has  to  be  established  to  manage 
the  global  scale  of  contemporary  dangers�  It  also 
assesses the justification of these policies on grounds of 
emergency,  necessity  and  prevention  in  a  transformed 
global environment, and the impact that they are having 
on civil liberties, human rights and social cohesion�

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

60

In its 2007 interim report, the project released evidence 
that indicated that over the past six years there has been 
a  consolidation  of  security  measures,  characterised  by 
claims of efficiency and speed used to defeat demands for 
democratic and judicial oversight� This is accompanied by 
a fragmentation of liberty where individual and collective 
freedom have time and space limits�

The project also explores the five-year aftermath of 9/11 
and  its  impact  on  liberal  polities�  It  reveals  that  these 
liberal  polities  have  often  resorted  to  many  illiberal 
practices  which  have  been  legitimised  by  sweeping 
claims about global dangers� 

In  2007,  the  annual  CHALLENGE  conference  was  held 
between 4 and 6 July� In addition, the fourth CHALLENGE 
training  school  took  place  on  23  and  24  November 
2007� The training school series brings together young 
researchers to broaden their knowledge on the issues at 
stake, along with key academics and policy makers�

 Project acronym:   CRIME AND CULTURE

Project title:   Crime  as  a  Cultural  Problem. 
The  Relevance  of  Perceptions  of 
Corruption  to  Crime  Prevention:  a 
Comparative  Cultural  Study  in  the 
EU-Accession  States,  Bulgaria  and 
Romania, the EU-Candidate States, 
Turkey  and  Croatia,  and  the  EU-
States,  Germany,  Greece  and  the 
United Kingdom

Coordinator:    University of Konstanz (Germany)
  Funded under:    FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:    EUR 1 094 700

Website:   www.uni-konstanz.de/crimeandculture

Corruption  is  a  universal  problem�  Within  the  EU,  and 
especially  with  reference  to  the  Europeanisation  of 
south-eastern candidate countries, it is considered to be 
a severe threat which may lead to hindrance of European 
integration  and  enlargement  procedures  and,  in  an 
extreme situation, act as a menace to social order� 
EU  policy  makers  have  already  acknowledged  the 
multifaceted problem of corruption and have put policies 
in  place  aimed  at  preventing  this  phenomenon�  So  far, 
these  strategies  have  consisted  of  administrative, 
legislative  and  law  enforcement  measures  based  on 
a  definition  of  prevention  of  corruption  developed  by 
political institutions� In other words, these policies rely 
on a “top-down” procedure� 

CRIME AND CULTURE’s main objective is to develop the 
means to optimise the prevention of corruption in Europe 
by  adopting  an  original  “bottom-up”  approach  to  the 
problem� Based on the conviction that varying perceptions 
of corruption have significantly different influences on a 
country’s awareness of the problem, the project aims at 
identifying  the  fit  between  institutionalised  prevention 
policies and how these policies are perceived by a range 
of stakeholders, including the media� 

‘to develop the means to optimise the 
prevention of corruption in Europe 
by adopting an original “bottom-up” 
approach to the problem’

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The  project  will  ultimately  produce  data  which  will 
encourage  a  revision  of  the  existing  anti-corruption 
systems,  enable  the  design  of  new  prevention  policies 
and, more generally, contribute to combating corruption 
in Europe�

 Project acronym:   JURISTRAS

Project title:   The  Strasbourg  Court,  Democracy 
and the Human Rights of Individuals 
and  Communities:  Patterns  of 
Implementation 
Litigation,  State 
and Domestic Reform
Coordinator:   Hellenic  Foundation  for  European 

and Foreign Policy (Greece)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 1 179 000 

Website:   www.eliamep.gr/eliamep/content/
home/research/research_projects/
juristras/en/

JURISTRAS studies the relationship between courts and 
politics, between judicial review of human rights at the 
supranational level and domestic politics and policies in 
Europe� Specifically, it comparatively explores processes 
of  human  rights  litigation  and  state  implementation  of 
European  Court  of  Human  Rights  judgements,  as  well 
as the effects of the latter in national legislative reform 
and policy making in a number of EU Member States and 
Associate Candidate States� 

‘aims at formulating policy 
recommendations concerning the rights of 
religious, ethnic and immigrant minorities, 
the combating of discrimination, and the 
protection of personal privacy’

The  project  examines  domestic  processes  of 
implementation  of  Strasbourg  Court  judgements  and 
their impact on the legal norms, institutional structures 
and  policies  of  national  states  that  are  parties  to 
the  Convention�  It  focuses  on  the  Court’s  growing 
jurisprudence pertaining to the civil rights of individuals 
and  communities,  and  their  participation  in  the  public 
sphere in a democratic setting�

Such  case  law  has  primarily  grown  out  of  specific 
categories  of  cases  brought  to  the  European  Court  of 
Human Rights, in which individuals claim a violation of 
their  right  to  privacy  and  family  life,  religious  freedom 
and  conscience,  freedom  of  expression,  assembly  and 
association, and discriminatory treatment�

Overall,  the  large  number  of  cases  that  still  reach 
Strasbourg,  in  spite  of  the  existence  of  domestic 
guarantees, raises issues considered problematic from 
a national perspective regarding democracy and human 
rights protection� JURISTRAS aims at formulating policy 
recommendations  concerning  the  rights  of  religious, 
ethnic  and  immigrant  minorities,  the  combating  of 
discrimination, and the protection of personal privacy�

 Project acronym:   MICROCON

Project title:   A  Micro  Level  Analysis  of  Violent 

Conflict

Coordinator:   Institute  of  Development  Studies, 
University of Sussex
(United Kingdom)
  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:   EUR 4m

Website:   www.microconflict.eu

Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH)

61

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

MICROCON aims to promote understanding of individual 
and  group  interactions  leading  to  and  resulting  from 
violent mass conflicts� In doing so, the project can better 
assist conflict policy, and place individuals and groups at 
the centre of interventions�

•  gender aspects of violent conflicts; 
•  migration, displacement and refugees; 
•  risk, security and coping mechanisms; 
•  poverty, inequality and social exclusion; 
•  violent conflict and health outcomes; 
•  governance and institutions� 

lives 

in  conflict-affected 

innovative  programme  uses  a  micro-level, 
Its 
multidisciplinary  approach  to  studying  the  conflict 
cycle� Currently, approximately one third of the world’s 
population 
low-income 
countries�  The  project  coordinators  posit  that  at  a 
fundamental  level,  conflict  originates  from  people’s 
behaviour  and  how  they  interact  with  society  and  their 
environment  (from  its  “micro”  foundations)�  However, 
most  conflict  research  and  policy  focuses  on  macro 
perspectives which MICROCON seeks to redress�

62

Twenty-eight  different  research  projects  have  been 
organised and are underway in over 40 countries� These 
individual projects cover eight main themes: 

•  group formation, identities and mobilisation; 
•  contemporary  conflicts  and  ethnic-religious 

tensions; 

The MICROCON consortium came together for the first 
time  at  a  kick-off  workshop  on  28  and  29  March  2007� 
The  main  purpose  of  the  workshop  was  to  discuss 
the  conceptual  framework,  research  methods,  data 
collection, research ethics and the gender action plan�

Migration 

 Project acronym:   FEMAGE

Project title:   Needs 

for  Female 

Immigrants 
in  Ageing 

and  their  Integration 
Societies
Coordinator:   Federal 

Institute 

for  Population 

Research (Germany)

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:    EUR 973 887

Website:    www.bib-demographie.de/femage

FEMAGE  addresses 
the  challenges  of  Europe’s 
demographic  future  and  social  cohesion�  Its  main 
objective  is  to  provide  a  knowledge  base  for  relevant 

‘the project coordinators posit that at a 
fundamental level, conflict originates from 
people’s behaviour and how they interact 
with society and their environment’

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policy  building  at  national  and  European  levels  by 
monitoring,  tracking  and  elaborating  the  viewpoints  of 
native and immigrant women, as well as the perceptions 
of  key  policy  stakeholders�  More  specifically,  this 
innovative  research  focuses  on  the  need  for  effective 
social  integration,  and  the  emancipation  of  female 
immigrants  in  European  societies�  It  aims  to  identify 
gaps in knowledge in the following areas:

•  life-chances  and  expectations  of 

immigrant 

women in eight Member States;

•  integration  requirements  for  female  immigrants 
already  present  in  the  host  country,  taking  into 
account their current needs but also the fact that 
immigrants  themselves  age  and  need  care  and 
social security at a high age;

•  long-term demand for immigrants and the impact 
on the host society in view of the experiences and 
expectations of national populations and expected 
socio-demographic developments�

Results  from  the  project  (including  findings  from 
interviews  with  some  21  000  native  citizens  from  8 
European  countries)  were  presented  at  the  European 
Parliament  on  17  October  2007�  According  to  the 
published  report,  integration  needs  to  be  a  two-way 
process because populations are poorly informed about 
the  real  magnitude  of  the  presence  of  foreigners  and 
their potential for contribution to the host country�

FEMAGE shows that migration histories and integration 
processes differ for women and men, and general policy 
support in the host counties needs to be complemented 
by gender-friendly measures� Furthermore, the fact that 
most women want to stay in the host country, puts the 
issue of ageing of women immigrants at the top of the 
social policy agenda�

 Project acronym:   POLITIS

Project title:   Building Europe with New Citizens? 
An Inquiry into the Civic Participation 
of Naturalised Citizens and Foreign 
Residents in 25 Countries

63

Coordinator:   Interdisciplinary 

Migration 

for 
Centre 
Education 
and  Communication 
in 
processes 
(Interdisziplinäres  Zentrum 
für 
in 
Bildung  und  Kommunikation 
Migrationsprozessen,  Universität 
Oldenburg) (Germany)

‘this innovative research focuses on the
need for effective social integration, and
the emancipation of female immigrants in
European societies’

  Funded under:   FP6–Citizens  and  Governance  in  a 

Knowledge-Based Society

EU funding:    EUR 850 380

Website:   www.uni-oldenburg.de/politis-europe 

Populations  of  immigrants  are  growing  and  changing 
in  Europe�  The  POLITIS  project  explored  the  potential 

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FP5/FP6 Project Results 

of  immigrants  in  the  development  of  a  civically  active 
European society, starting with the perceptions foreign 
students have of Europe, and focusing on the sustained 
social and political activities of immigrants� 

The  project  was  divided  into  3  parts:  a  comparative 
literature  review  on  migration  and  immigrant  civic 
participation 
in  25  Member  States;  a  comparative 
analysis  of  foreign  students’  perceptions  of  Europe, 
exploring  the  potential  of  their  ideas  with  the  help  of 
essays and focus group discussions; and a comparative 
analysis of 176 qualitative interviews with civic activists 
of immigrant origin in the EU, to identify favourable and 
unfavourable  biographical  and  national  conditions  for 
active participation�

The  project  brought  together  significant  resources 
from  25  countries,  including  a  network  of  35  experts, 
more  than  70  international  student  partners  (who 
participated  in  2  European  summer  schools),  a  group 
of  students  involved  in  the  registration  and  analysis  of 
these perceptions, and more than 176 immigrants who 
participated  in  interviews�  In  particular,  the  project 
demonstrated  the  positive  contribution  by  civically, 
highly  active  (and  usually  highly  educated)  immigrants 
to their host country societies�

The  experts  were  involved  in  the  production  of  Country 
Reports  on  Immigrant  Civic  Participation  for  all  25  EU 
Member  States�  These  reports  present  information 
on  national  migration,  integration  policy,  and  civic 
participation�  For  the  first  time  ever,  they  offer  a 
systematic information source for 25 Member States on 
these issues�

64

‘these reports present information on
national migration, integration policy, and 
civic participation. For the first time ever, 
they offer a systematic information source 
for 25 Member States’

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SIS

Science in Society

6

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Science in Society (SIS)

FP6 Project Funding Summary

With a budget of EUR 88 million, the Science and Society (S&S) programme funded a total of 134 
projects during the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6)� This selection was based on a number 
of proposals received from 20 Calls for Proposals covering research activities in the areas
highlighted below�

1� Bringing research closer to society:

a�  Governance and scientific advice, 
b�  Science shops: research for local civil society; 

2� Responsible research and application of science and 
technology:

a�  Research into ethics,
b�  Deepening the understanding of ethical problems,
c�  Risk, governance and ethics, 
d�  Uncertainty,  risk  and  implementing  the  precau-

tionary principle;

3� Stepping up the science/society dialogue and women 
in science: 

a�  Promoting  science  and  scientific  culture,  young 
people,  science  education  and  careers,  science 
communication,

b�  René Descartes Prizes,
c�  Women and science,
d�  European Platform of Women Scientists�

66

society

science

policy

A publication and CD-ROM detailing the synopses of 
projects funded under the FP6 SIS programme are 
available� Copies of this publication and others prefaced 
in this section are available from the SIS portal at 
www�ec�europa�eu/research/science-society

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society

science

policy

Strategic Evaluations

During the implementation of the first Science and Society (S&S) programme of the Sixth 
Framework Programme (FP6), the Directorate implemented an internal evaluation in order to gather 
useful lessons on the programme’s future development and direction� The two following reports provide 
a summary of the evaluation’s findings and recommendations� 

Mid-Term Assessment of Science and 
Society Activities 2002–2006

T he  main  goal  of  this  report  was  to  evaluate 

whether the activities within the S&S programme 
were  meeting  the  stated  goals  and  objectives� 
This  was  achieved  by  reviewing  several  representative 
actions  across  the  themes  of  the  programme,  and 
analysing the potential impact of existing results on both 
European policies and on related activities supported by 
the European Commission and its Member States�
This was a challenging task, as part of the report’s brief 
was to assess the S&S programme as an innovation in 
the  framework  programme�  Moreover,  the  evaluation 
exercise is a “mid-term” assessment which means that 
the majority of the actions supported in FP6 have not yet 
reached their full term and the results are not yet fully 
formulated�
In the initial stages, a panel of five experts reviewed and 
assessed  a  set  of  selected  S&S  activities  for  the  five 
thematic  areas  of  the  programme  (science  education, 
scientific  advice  and  governance,  ethics,  women  and 
science, and science communication), and evaluated their 

‘main achievements include the 
establishment of a forum and a context 
at European level for examining S&S 
issues in a manner that provides reflective 
activities’

potential impact on future policy development� The next 
stage consisted of a second panel of six experts which 
formed  the  impact  assessment  panel�  They  integrated 
the  review  reports  of  the  first  level  with  findings  from 
other evaluations� 
Based on this work, the report puts forward the strengths 
and weaknesses of the programme, a number of policy 
recommendations for future activities, as well as further 
policy development in this area�
Overall,  the  report  considers  that  the  activities  of  the 
programme  are  in  line  with  the  main  objectives,  as 
defined by the action plan and all that the activities have 
contributed to its implementation� 
The main achievements include the establishment of a 
forum  and  a  context  at  European  level,  for  examining 
S&S issues in a manner that provides reflective activities 
on specific issues related to scientific and technological 
research� Projects which involved non-European partners 
have provided a valuable international dimension to the 
programme�
With  regard  to  the  weaknesses,  it  was  discovered  that 
the scope of several projects, and possibly of the work 
programme,  was  too  narrowly  defined�  This  led  to  the 
situation that very few, if any, of the projects were able 
to  address  “transversal”  issues,  such  as  ethics  and 
governance, and gender issues in science education�
As  a  response,  the  report  presents  a  number  of 
recommendations  including  that  the  overall  reach  and 
perspective of the programme be broadened in two ways� 
Firstly,  by  correcting  instances  where  the  programme 

Science in Society (SIS)

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Strategic Evaluations 

focused its objectives or activities too narrowly, especially 
in  the  areas  of  science  communication,  and  scientific 
advice and governance� Secondly, by introducing new topics 
which address the “transversal” issues and social science 
research activities that would strengthen the knowledge 
base that is deemed necessary for the actions�

Citizens and Governance in a Knowledge Based Society� 
The second part of the report presents the findings and 
conclusions of the embedding study itself, which focused 
on education, stakeholder dialogue and public outreach 
in FP6�

The report found that FP6 funded research projects, to 
a  large  extent,  responded  well  to  both  formal  and  in-
formal guidance on S&S issues which are given at pro-
gramme  level�  The  formal  guidance  includes  the  work 
programmes, guidance to proposers, evaluation criteria 
and  procedures,  and  reporting  requirements�  Informal 
guidance covers the support given during project evalu-
ation, negotiation and implementation�

Of all the S&S issues studied, perhaps the most disap-
pointing area was in the actions intended to reach and 
educate  young  people,  as  this  appeared  to  be  the  area 
least well addressed by FP6 projects� On the other hand, 
communication  actions  targeting  stakeholders  and  the 
public were the most widely used�  

In  moving  forward,  three  key  recommendations  were 
made  for  the  successful  integration  of  SIS  issues  into 
FP7:  the  creation  of  precise  definitions  of  the  various 
SIS  issues;  convincing  arguments  and  demonstrations 
of the relevance of SIS issues to FP7 programmes and 
projects; and practical examples of how SIS issues can 
be addressed in the mainstream�

6

Final Report of the Study on the Inte-
gration of Science and Society Issues 
in  FP6  Thematic  Research  Priorities 
(Embedding Study)

The S&S action plan was initiated by the European Com-
mission  following  discussions  on  the  relationship  be-
tween  science,  society  and  Europe’s  citizens�  For  the 
four-year period (2002-2006), EUR 88 million was allo-
cated to S&S activities� This report presents the findings 
of the study on the integration of S&S issues into FP6, 
and is a valuable resource for scientists, policy makers 
and the general public�

The report is divided into two main areas� The first part 
presents the conclusions of a number of studies address-
ing the integration of S&S issues in FP6 thematic priori-
ties� Based on these findings, it also presents its recom-
mendations for Science in Society (SIS) issues in FP7� This 
section is divided into five chapters, each one addressing 
the thematic areas of the programme: science education 
for young people; user and stakeholder dialogue; science 
communication  with  the  public;  women  in  scientific  re-
search; and gender in scientific research� The sixth chap-
ter  deals  with    socio-economic  dimensions  in  scientific 
research,  which  was  part  of  a  separate  programme  on 

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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Work Programmes in 2007 

The Science in Society programme for the period 2007 to 2013 builds on the actions of the Sixth 
Framework Programme (FP6) with greater coherence across its different elements and with the 
involvement of different actors� It also addresses new and emerging themes� 

B oth  the  2007  and  2008  Science  in  Society  work 

programmes  are  organised  along  three  main 
action lines described by the specific programme 
(together with a fourth action line that contains strategic 
and horizontal actions):

A more dynamic governance of the science and society 
relationship

Topics under this action line included the following:

•  transnational  exchange  of  experience  between 

1�  “a  more  dynamic  governance  of  the  science  and 

research integrity structures; 

•  activity focusing on the scientific publishing system 
as  regards  research  excellence  and  sharing  of 
knowledge; 

6

society relationship”; 

2�  “strengthening  potential,  broadening  horizons” 
with  respect  to  issues  of  gender  and  science 
education; 

3�  “science  and  society  communicate”  to  promote 
effective  communication  that  enables  the  public 
to engage with science and vice versa�  

The  content  of  the  work  programmes  has  been  based 
on input received from the following groups: the Science 
in  Society  Advisory  Group,  the  Programme  Committee 
of  this  theme,  the  European  Research  Advisory  Board, 
SINAPSE (Scientific information and expertise for policy 
support in Europe), expert groups and other stakeholder 
consultations�  The  findings  and  recommendations  from 
the FP6 Science and Society Mid-term Assessment Report 
were also considered�

‘to promote effective communication that 
enables the public to engage with science 
and vice versa’

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Science in Society (SIS)

Work Programmes in 2007  

•  support  for  the  transnational  networking  of  ad-
visory structures and the further development of 
SINAPSE; 

•  support as regards capacity-building on ethics in 
developing countries and emerging economies; 
•  research on ethics and new and emerging fields 

Science and society communicate

Focus topics for this action line include the following:

•  training  actions  to  bridge  the  gap  between  the 

media and the scientific community;

of science and technology;

•  activity to encourage cooperation and networking 

•  definition of better framework conditions for more 

between organisers of science events;

efficient university research� 

Furthermore,  it  supports  exchanges  between  and  co-
operation of local actors on scientific culture, action on 
university-based  research,  and  the  development  of  a 
data-collection network on research-active universities� 
The cross-thematic activities focus on nanoscience, gov-
ernance in the production of health and medical knowl-
edge, and the ethical aspects of security technologies� 

0

Strengthening potential, broadening horizons

•  science promotion by audiovisual means, includ-
ing co-productions and the circulation of science 
programmes,  as  well  as  by  promoting  transna-
tional  research  and  science  communication  by 
means of popular prizes�

Strategic activities under the fourth action line include 
coordination  of  the  activities  of  the  National  Contact 
Points (NCPs) for Science in Society, a project to Moni-
tor Activities on Science in Society (MASIS), a European 
Platform for Science in Society Initiatives and research 
on the social impact of research�

Focus topics for this action line include the following:

•  gender management in research organisations;
•  research on the influence of the perception of sci-

ence on study choices; 

•  analysis of gender and leadership in medicine;
•  an expert group to take stock of 10 years of activi-

ties on women in science� 

Topics also call for work on young people and science, 
including identifying trends in scientific studies, and ac-
tions  to  support  innovative  methods  in  science  educa-
tion  (inquiry-based  teaching  methods)�  The  latter  rep-
resents a continuation of work produced in the report of 
the group chaired by Michel Rocard, “Science Education 
Now: a Renewed Pedagogy for the Future of Europe”�

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

‘identifying trends in scientific studies, and 
actions to support innovative methods in 
science education’

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FP7 Funding Results for 2007

Twenty-eight projects were selected in 2007 for the Science in Society (SIS) programme under the 
Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)� Combined, these projects represent a funding total of EUR 21 
million� The projects signify an injection of research into governance, strengthening the participation of 
young people in science, and facilitating a better communication exchange in 
the science and society relationship�

Capacity building for CSOs
Activities  supported  the  aim  to  foster  dialogue  and 
exchanges  between  researchers  and  civil  society 
organisations  (CSOs)�  In  one  project,  six  European 
research  centres  and  seven  CSOs  will  test  recent 
ecological economics tools and indicators in the regions 
where the participating CSOs are located� 

Civil society to support sustainable development
A  funded  project  will  address  civil  society  participation 
in the EU Sustainable Development Strategy� CSOs will 
assist  in  identifying  research  needs  and  developing 
processes on sustainable consumption and production in 
the areas of food, housing and mobility (areas responsible 
for 70 % of environmental damage in the EU)�

Mapping out scientific and technical controversies
Top-level scholars from the area of science, technology 
and society will cooperate in a common project to create 
a platform in which to gather and organise information 
on controversial scientific subjects�

Debating on ethics and governance
A  pan-European  project  on  ethics  and  governance  of 
personal detection technologies and biometrics will aim 
to create the ideal environment for structured discourse 
to stimulate progress�

Addressing gender issues in scientific professions
A project will compare various strategies implemented 
in  Europe  and  in  third  countries  for  promoting  the 
presence of women in decision-making bodies relating 
to scientific research public institutions�

Encouraging careers in science and technology
Another  project  will  gather,  exchange,  develop  and 
disseminate  good  practices  in  inquiry-based  science 
teaching (IBST)� The overall aim is to stimulate a more 
engaging and interesting teaching method� 

Art and science
A  travelling  exhibition  on  a  centennial  sailing  boat  has 
been supported� The exhibition will showcase the work 
of Swedish and Turkish artists and scientists, in which 
art is used to explain scientific issues� The boat will visit 
10 EU cities in 2008 and 2009�

1

‘the exhibition will showcase the work
of Swedish and Turkish artists and 
scientists, in which art is used to explain 
scientific issues’

Science in Society (SIS)

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FP7 Funding Results for 2007

Promoting scientific literacy
What  are 
the  social,  cultural  and  philosophical 
foundations of science? Work on improving strategies for 
the development and implementation of domain-relevant 
materials into educational practice will be carried out by 
10 partners from 8 countries�

Engaging the public
A  funded  project  will  cover  the  structure  of  science 
audiovisual  programmes  in  Europe  by  classifying  and 
analysing  existing  data  available  in  Member  States� 
The  European  Commission  will  ultimately  be  provided 
with an action plan to improve public engagement with 
science programmes�

2

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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Monitoring Research and Policy Activities of Science in Society (MASIS)

MASIS (Monitoring Research and Policy Activities of Science in Society) is a new action launched under 
the Science in Society (SIS) structure of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)� It aims to increase 
the visibility of SIS activities and strengthen their impact in European policy and society� To achieve 
these ends, the action will map the SIS policy and research landscape and monitor its developments at 
national and European levels�

T he change from Science and Society (S&S) in FP6 to 

Science in Society (SIS) in FP7 signified a paradigm 
shift�  To  reflect  this,  the  reference  framework 
consists of an inclusive perspective on research in its wider 
societal  and  policy  context�  MASIS  is  a  strategic  activity 
that aspires to achieve these new aims by stimulating the 
harmonious  integration  of  scientific  and  technological 
endeavors and associated research policies in European 
society, with a view to building a democratic knowledge-
based society�

To  achieve  this,  MASIS  will  prepare  a  system  to  map 
the  landscape  of  SIS  policy  and  research  activities  and 
monitor  its  development  at  national  and  European 
levels� This action will be carried out in conjunction with 
the Member States and the associated countries� 

Three major deliverables are projected to be completed 
as  part  of  the  programme:  a  European  report  on  main 
trends of SIS activities in Europe; a conference on SIS in 
Europe; and the MASIS online portal� 

The  European  report  will  include  a  description  of  the 
different components of the SIS landscape� This will detail 

‘integration of scientific and technological
endeavors and associated research 
policies in European society, with a view to 
building a democratic knowledge-based
society’

important and emerging trends, priorities, strengths and 
weaknesses,  the  needs  of  the  framework  programme, 
and  other  EU  policies  in  SIS  developments�  It  will  also 
include  the  structures  of  funding,  performance  and 
governance in EU Member States� 

In addition to the European conference on SIS (scheduled 
for  May  2010),  the  work  of  MASIS  will  be  presented 
and  debated  in  strategic  round-tables  and  academic 
sessions�  The  online  portal  will  be  structured  around 
the  information  gathered  as  part  of  the  European 
report� This includes national reports, national research 
programmes,  databases  and  analyses  of  trends  from 
national, regional and European levels�

These actions will help achieve the programme’s three 
core aims: to inform relevant policy makers and all other 
stakeholders; increase the visibility of such activities in 
different  parts  of  the  EU;  and  increase  their  impact  in 
European policy and society� 

MASIS  activity  will  be  overseen  by  an  expert  group  rep-
resented by the SIS community� Members will advise on 
data  collection  and  will  also  take  editorial  responsibility 
for the output of the programme� This expert group will be 
made up of 15 members, including one chairperson and 
one special rapporteur� Jointly, they will be responsible for 
the provision of a variety of views and approaches� Addi-
tional experts may be added to the group either to replace 
members who withdraw or to address new specific tasks�

Science in Society (SIS)

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Research for the Benefit of Specific Groups — Civil Society Organisations (BSG-CSO)

Customarily used as a forum in which to discuss scientific results, there is now growing interest from 
civil society organisations (CSOs) and researchers to exchange views and work together from the onset 
of the research process�

T he  BSG-CSO  scheme,  introduced  in  2007  for  the 

duration  of  the  Seventh  Framework  Programme 
(FP7),  responds  to  this  need  by  structuring 
partnerships  between  researchers  and  CSOs  (defined 
as  non-governmental,  not-for-profit,  not  representing 
commercial interests and pursuing a common purpose 
for the public interest)� 

Specifically, the funding scheme:

•  allows  CSOs  to  find  scientific  responses  to  their 

needs;

4

•  provides  researchers  with  new  inputs  and  per-

spectives for their activities;

•  contributes to enriching public research agendas;
•  broadens public access to scientific results�

BSG-CSO  can  be  made  available  in  specific  Calls  for 
Proposals� When CSOs require scientific knowledge in a 
field covered by one of these calls, they source appropriate 
research organisations to prepare a joint project� If the 
proposal is accepted, research organisations and CSOs 
then  combine  their  knowledge  to  conduct  the  planned 
activities� 

Provisions  for  the  ownership  and  use  of  the  research 
results are set out in a consortium agreement between 
the grant beneficiaries� In addition to research activities, 
training,  debates  and  dissemination  activities  can  be 
supported through the scheme�

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

As  a  general  requirement  under  FP7,  the  participation 
of three independent legal entities established in three 
different  Member  States  or  associated  countries  is 
required� The maximum grant accommodated is specified 
in  the  work  programmes�  The  maximum  funding  rates 
of eligible costs vary according to the type of activities: 
research and technological development (50 % or 75 % 
for non-profit public bodies, education establishments, 
non-profit  research  organisations  and  small  and 
medium-sized enterprises); and management, training 
and dissemination (100 %)�

As long as its availability is specified under each Call for 
Proposal, BSG-CSO can be used within the Cooperation 
and  the  Capacities  programmes�  In  2007,  the  funding 
scheme  was  used  in  the  Environment  and  Socio-
economic Sciences and Humanities themes�

‘when CSOs require scientific knowledge in 
a field covered by one of these calls, they 
source appropriate research organisations 
to prepare a joint project’

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Research for the Benefit of Specific Groups — Civil Society Organisations (BSG-CSO)

SIS Events

In 2007, some key events took place within the Science in Society (SIS) programme in support of its aim 
to promote greater participation in and access to issues that position scientific research in society�

Lisbon, 16-19 September 2007: the first world conference 
on  research  integrity,  entitled  “Research  Integrity  and 
Fostering Responsible Research”, was jointly organised 
by  the  European  Science  Foundation  and  the  Office  for 
Research Integrity as part of the Portuguese Presidency 
of  the  Council  of  the  European  Union�  Attendees:  over 
300 scientists, scientific managers and magazine editors 
from 52 countries�



Brussels, 15-16 February 2007: the conference entitled 
“Scientific  Publishing  in  the  European  Research  Area 
—  Access,  Dissemination  and  Preservation 
in  the 
Digital  Age”  brought  together  stakeholders  concerned 
with  access,  dissemination  and  preservation  issues 
in  connection  with  scientific  publication  and  data�  The 
event  provided  a  forum  for  funding  bodies,  publishers, 
researchers,  and  libraries  to  debate  policy  options  for 
scientific  publishing  under  FP7  and  in  the  European 
Research  Area�  Key  attendees:  Commissioner  for 
Science and Research Janez Potočnik and Commissioner 
for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding�

its  Partners  Building  Capacity 

Brussels,  14-15  May  2007:  international  conference 
entitled  “Ethics,  Research  &  Globalisation  —  Europe 
in  Research 
and 
Ethics”� The conference brought together stakeholders 
from  developed  countries,  emerging  economies  and 
developing countries in an effort to identify policy options 
together,  as  well  as  to  encourage  the  development  of 
support  actions  under  FP7  in  the  European  Research 
Area and worldwide� 

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Science in Society (SIS)

Governance and Ethics

The year 2007 has been a significant one for the field of governance and ethics, with concrete steps put 
in place to advance work in the sector� All proposals submitted to the Seventh Framework Programme 
(FP7) that explore ethical content are now submitted to ethical review before they can be funded� This 
guarantees that all FP7 projects respect commonly approved ethical standards in Europe� 

F urthermore, 

innovative  governance  projects 
have  been  selected,  putting  into  practice  the 
principles developed during the Sixth Framework 
Programme  (such  as  inclusive  framing  of  issues  and 
cooperative  research  processes)  in  the  fields  of  nano-
technology,  energy  and  the  environment,  agriculture, 
agro-industry and fisheries� Finally, an assessment has 
been initiated aiming to reinforce research integrity and 
improve access to scientific information (including open 
access to peer-reviewed publications)�

 Project acronym:   CAPOIRA

Project title:   Capacity-building for Patient Organ-
isations  to  Participate  in  Research 
Activities

Coordinator:   European Organisation for Rare Dis-

eases (France)

  Funded under:   FP6–Science and Society

EU funding:   EUR 154 581

Website:  www.eurordis.org/article.php3?id_

article=1223

6

The  two  following  projects  represent  some  of  the  work 
currently underway in the field of governance and ethics�

CAPOIRA aims to address the needs of patient organisa-
tions in health research and to foster their participation 
in research activities� The project team has set two key 
deliverables:

•  to  develop  a  capacity-building  module  on  the 
understanding  of  clinical  trial  protocols  in  three 
Member States (Italy, Denmark and Spain);

•  to organise a European conference entitled “Gain-
ing  Access  to  Rare  Diseases  Research  Resourc-
es“ aimed at increasing the capacities of patient 
representatives  to  understand  health  research 
activities at EU level, and to act as catalysts for the 
development of research on their own disease�  

‘to address the needs of patient 
organisations in health research and 
to foster their participation in research 
activities’

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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The training sessions on clinical trial protocols are based 
on an improved version of a module previously developed 
by EURORDIS (European Organisation for Rare Diseases) 
and INSERM (National Institute for Health and Medical 
Research)� The module aims at familiarising patients and 
patient  representatives  with  the  vocabulary,  concepts 
and key issues of evidence-based medicine and clinical 
research�

The  underlying  objective  is  to  provide  patients  with 
the  tools  to  build  their  own  research  agenda  and  start 
contributing concretely to research policy development 
in  Europe�  Overall,  at  least  250  patient  representatives 
from across Europe will benefit from the national training 
sessions  and  the  European  conference  (the  latter  took 
place on 4 and 5 May 2007)�

 Project acronym:   ENHANCE 

Project title:   Enhancing  Human  Capacities:  Eth-
ics, Regulation and European Policy 
Coordinator:   Centre  for  Ethics  in  Medicine,  Uni-

enhancement of human capacities in body and mind� If we 
are to prepare our society to cope with the enhancement 
perspective  of  the  emerging  biotechnologies,  we  must 
consider ethical and philosophical questions within the 
context of the current biotechnological development� 

the 

investigated 

latest 
The  ENHANCE  project 
developments  within 
research  on  biology,  bio-
gerontology  and  neuroscience  in  order  to  reach  a 
deeper  understanding  of  the  ethical  and  philosophical 
consequences when moving from “therapy” perspective 
towards the one of “enhancement”� The project’s main 
objectives were to: 

•  document  current  and 

imminent  scientific 
advances that may enhance human capacities in 
cognition, mood, physical performance (in sport) 
and ageing; 

•  evaluate  these  advances  from  a  philosophical, 

ethical and social perspective; 

•  facilitate policy making to the emerging dual-use 



versity of Bristol (United Kingdom)

technologies; 

  Funded under:   FP6–Priority 4.3.2.3, Deepening Un-

•  promote  public  understanding  of  dual-use 

derstanding in Ethical Issues

technologies and the ethical debate� 

EU funding:   EUR 570 000

Website:   www.enhanceproject.org

Most emerging biotechnologies are being developed with 
the purpose of curing people of severe diseases� However, 
many of these new technologies also have the potential 
to  be  used  beyond  the  frame  of  therapy,  namely  for 

The  ethical  research  (the  core  of  the  project)  was 
based  on  in-depth  scientific  understanding  of  the  new 
technologies provided from experts within neuroscience, 
biology  and  bio-gerontology�  To  reach  the  objectives  of 
the project, the research combined literature searches, 
workshops  and  conferences  (the  final  conference  took 
place on 27 September 2007)� 

‘we must consider ethical and 
philosophical questions within the 
context of the current biotechnological 
development’

Science in Society (SIS)

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Access to Scientific Information



In the digital age, access to scientific information refers both to access to as well as dissemination and 
preservation of scientific research results, particularly those resulting from the Seventh Framework 
Programme (FP7) and other publicly-funded research programmes� Publishing an article of research 
data in “open access” mode means that it is available over the Internet at no monetary cost to the 
reader� The concept has emerged as a means to promote access to research results to the widest 
possible audience through journals and by self-archiving on so-called “institutional repositories”�

T he European Commission is working together with 

all concerned stakeholders (such as researchers, 
universities, libraries, and publishers) to develop 
ways to improve access to research data and publications 
resulting from projects funded under FP7�

In  February  2007, 
the  Commission  adopted  a 
Communication on “Scientific information in the digital 
age:  access,  dissemination  and  preservation”  (COM 
(2007) 56)� This Communication provided an overview of 
the current state of play in Europe regarding access to 
scientific information (including data and peer-reviewed 
publications) and the preservation of research results� It 
laid down a series of future actions to be undertaken at 
Commission level in the following areas: developing rules 
for research funded under the framework programme, 
co-funding of e-infrastructure, contribution to the policy 
debate, and policy coordination� 

This Communication was presented during a high level 
conference in Brussels entitled “Scientific Publishing in 
the  European  Research  Area  —  Access,  Dissemination 
and  Preservation  in  the  Digital  Age”  (15-16  February 
2007)�  This  conference,  hosted  by  Commissioner  for 
Science and Research Janez Potočnik and Commissioner 
for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding, brought 
together stakeholders to debate the issues surrounding 
scientific publishing� 

The  importance  of  the  issue  of  access  to  scientific 
information  was  also  reflected  in  the  policy  process 
surrounding  the  Green  Paper  on  the  Future  of  the 
European  Research  Area  (ERA)�  Open  access  was 
identified as a key issue in the Green Paper’s “knowledge 
sharing” axis and was included in a questionnaire on the 
ERA submitted to a public consultation after the Green 
Paper  was  published  in  April  2007�  An  overwhelming 
majority of the online respondents (80 %) welcome the 
concept  of  open  access  to  publicly-funded  research 
results�

More recently, the issues associated with access to and 
dissemination and preservation of scientific information 
were addressed by Competitiveness Council Conclusions 
under the Portuguese Presidency on 22 and 23 November 
2007�  The issue of access to scientific information was 
identified as ‘crucial for the development of the European 
Research  Area,  and  [as  being  able  to]  help  accelerate 
innovation’ (Council document 15362/07)� 

For  more  information  on  scientific  publications,  visit 
www�ec�europa�eu/research/science-society/index�
cfm?fuseaction=public�topic&id=122 

‘an overwhelming majority of the online 
respondents (80 %) welcome the concept 
of open access to publicly-funded 
research results’

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Gender and Research

Since the 1990s, the number of female university graduates in Europe has been steadily increasing� 
However, many of these graduates begin their careers in science, only to move to a different sector 
later on� Evidence of this career change is compelling, and the pattern is constant across the European 
continent� The resulting loss of the female perspective in the sciences is costing Europe dearly� 

T he primary reasons given for this apparent brain 

drain  include  the  scarcity  of  women  in  senior 
positions  (and  on  scientific  boards),  inflexible 
working  conditions,  and  archaic  career  structures� 
Coupled with these factors, a key feature of their careers 
is international mobility� Additionally, scientists undergo 
the  longest  period  of  training  and  have  high  levels  of 
career insecurity� 

 Project acronym:   EPWS

Project title:   European  Platform  of  Women  Sci-

entists

Coordinator:   Centre  of  Excellence  Women  and 

Science (Germany)

  Funded under:   FP6-2002-Science and Society-6

EU funding:   EUR 1 988 010
Website:   www.epws.org

Since  1999,  various  actions  have  been  launched  in  a 
concerted  effort  to  ensure  that  science  and  research 
becomes  gender  neutral�  As  the  future  of  Europe  also 
depends on an intensified research effort, the increased 
participation of women is needed� The scientific commu-
nity, funding institutions and contemporary society as a 
whole, need to think more openly on this issue�

‘various actions have been launched in a
concerted effort to ensure that science 
and research becomes gender neutral’



Networking  has  been 
identified  as  an  essential 
empowerment tool for women scientists to participate in 
the policy debate and to enhance their professional and 
career advancement� The European Platform of Women 
Scientists (EPWS) supports the work of a whole range of 
existing national, European and international networks of 
women scientists from all disciplines (natural, medical, 
social sciences, engineering and technology, as well as 
the humanities and arts)� 

As  an  umbrella  organisation,  the  platform’s  mission 
is  to  represent  the  concerns,  needs,  aspirations  and 
interests  of  women  scientists  in  all  stages  of  their 
careers�  The  platform  encourages  women  scientists 
to  better  understand  the  role  that  they  can  play  in  the 
research  policy  debate  and  how  to  fully  benefit  from 
these opportunities� Its purpose is to build a structural 
link  between  women  scientists  and  research  policy 
makers, and to introduce a new key strategic actor into 
the research policy debate by making the voice of women 
scientists heard�

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Gender and Research

0

More specifically, the EPWS aims to:

•  represent European women scientists in dialogue 

with policy makers; 

•  coordinate  EU  value  added  support  activities  for 

women scientists;

•  promote  the  understanding  and  the  inclusion  of 
the gender dimension in science, which includes 
profiling the work of women scientists�

 Project acronym:   EuroWistdom

Support  packages  were  awarded  to  writers  in  order  to 
facilitate  the  development  of  ideas  for  new  TV  drama 
series  or  feature-length  TV  films  on  a  theme  involving 
contemporary  science  and  technology  that  also  gave 
prominence  to  women  as  scientists  or  engineers� 
Finance  and  scientific  support  was  also  provided  for 
seven  new  TV  drama  proposals  featuring  women 
scientist or engineers in leading roles� The project also 
hosted a number of workshops and conference events in 
Paris, Berlin and Ljubljana�

Project title:   European  Women  in  Science  TV 
Drama on Message 

 Project acronym:   PROMETEA

Coordinator:   Femtec (Germany)
  Funded under:   FP6–Science and Society

EU funding:   EUR 319 300 

Website:   www.eurowistdom.eu

Europe’s  continuing  prosperity  depends  upon  scientific 
and  technological  innovation�  Unfortunately,  despite 
their  importance,  these  subjects  attract  little  interest 
among  young  people  (particularly  women),  according 
to  a  recent  international  ROSE  (Relevance  of  Science 
Education)  survey�  In  Germany,  for  instance,  only  1�9 
% of the characters in TV films, drama series and soap 
operas work in technical professions� 

The EuroWistdom project aimed to discover new ways of 
using science and technology as a source of inspiration 
for themes and characters in popular TV formats across 
Europe  and  develop  positive  role  models  for  young 
women,  rather  than  the  usual  clichéd  stereotypes� 
The  project  sought  to  show  women  in  leading  roles  in 
science,  engineering  and  technology-based  stories  by 
encouraging writers or producer-writer teams from all 
over Europe to develop new ideas for television drama� 

Project title:   Empowering  Women  Engineers 
Careers in Industrial and Academic 
Research 

Coordinator:   Conférence des Directeurs d’Ecoles 

et Formations d’Ingénieur (France)

  Funded under:   FP6-2004-Science and Society-10

EU funding:   EUR 1 220 000

Website:   www.prometea.info

The aim of PROMETEA is to develop a better understanding 
of gender issues in engineering and technology research 
settings,  in  order  to  propose  effective  measures  and 
recommendations  to  empower  the  careers  of  women 
engineers in academic and industrial research in Europe� 
The project focuses on:

•  gender  dynamics  of  male  and  female  careers, 
comparisons  between  different  fields 
of 
engineering and their interrelations, recruitment, 
full-time and part-time work, survival curves and 

‘to discover new ways of using 
science and technology as a source of 
inspiration  for themes and characters in 
popular TV formats’

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tenure,  vertical  segregation,  pay  gaps,  school  to 
work  transitions,  work-life  balance,  and  double 
careers patterns;

plenary  sessions  devoted  to  specific  themes�  A  round-
table session and networking events also took place� 

•  differential  effect  of  organisational  cultures  on 

 Project acronym:   SET-Routes

male and female careers;

•  recognition  of  excellence  in  engineering  and 
technology research, impact on female and male 
careers�  These  include  gate-keepers  and  gate-
keeping in research funding committees, women’s 
and  men’s  success  rates  in  research  funding, 
analysis  of  scientific  publishing  and  publicity, 
patents,  experiences  of  “excellent  women”  at 
the top of technological research, and prizes and 
awards in technology and engineering;

Project title:   Pan-European Women Ambassadors 
Programme bringing Role Models to 
Schools  and  Universities  to  Stimu-
late  and  Mobilise  Girls  and  Young 
Women  for  Studies  and  Careers  in 
SET

Coordinator:   European  Molecular  Biology  Labo-
ratory  (Europaisches  Laboratorium 
für Molekularbiologie) (Germany)
  Funded under:   FP6-2005-Science and Society-17

•  identification and evaluation of good practice�

EU funding:   EUR 533 200

Website:   www.set-routes.org

In  2007,  the  international  conference  titled  “Women  in 
Engineering  and  Technology  Research”  was  held  (26-
27  October)  within  the  framework  of  the  PROMETEA 
project�  The  conference  was  structured  around  five 

‘to mobilise successful women in science,
engineering and technology for 
ambassador positions in schools and 
universities in Europe and beyond’

1

SET-Routes  aims 
to  mobilise  successful  women 
in  science,  engineering  and  technology  (SET)  for 
ambassador  positions  in  schools  and  universities  in 
Europe  and  beyond�  These  ambassadors  (representing 
disciplines  ranging  from  biology,  medical  imaging, 
astronomy  and  robotics)  will  act  as  inspirational  role 
models  to  rekindle  young  peoples’  enthusiasm  for 
science,  encourage  young  women  science  graduates 
to pursue further studies and careers in SET, and help 
change future perceptions of women in science� 

These  goals  will  be  achieved  through  the  launch  of  a 
pan-European  SET  women  ambassadors  programme 
consisting  of  four  initiatives:  a  Start-up  Conference,  a 
Schools Programme, a Universities Programme and an 
Insight Lecture series� 

The  Start-up  Conference  (9  and  11  May  2007)  brought 
together  stakeholders  to  examine  the  current  state 

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Gender and Research

2

of  affairs  of  women  in  science,  re-define  hurdles  and 
signpost ways forward, thus preparing the ambassadors 
for the programme� 

The subsequent schools and universities initiatives will 
provide  young  people  and  stakeholders  in  education 
with insight into routes and job perspectives in SET, and 
information about particular growth areas within science� 
The series of Insight Lectures presented by top women 
scientists will further dispel the stereotypes of women 
in  science  on  a  broader  scale  and  produce  innovative 
teaching material for European classrooms�

 Project acronym:   TRANSGEN

Project title:   Gender  Mainstreaming  European  

Transport Research and Policies.  
Building  the  Knowledge  Base  and 
Mapping Good Practices

Coordinator:   Coordination  for  Gender  Studies, 
Department of Sociology, University 
of Copenhagen (Denmark)

  Funded under:   FP6-2005-Science and Society-17

EU funding:   EUR 160 211

Website:   www.sociology.ku.dk/koordinatio-

nen/transgen

TRANSGEN aims to develop the knowledge base for future 
research  and  interventions  in  the  Seventh  Framework 
Programme (FP7) by linking gender mainstreaming with 
the thematic area of transport� The project pursues the 
following questions:

•  How  can  mainstreaming  goals  be  ensured  in 
relation  to  planning,  production  and  decision-
making processes in relation to transport?

•  How  can  gender  mainstreaming  be  linked  to 

current  goals  of  greening  and  smartening  the 
European transport systems?

•  How do gender-related access and use of transport 
systems  affect  the  overall  European  goals  of 
enhancing employment and competitiveness?

TRANSGEN addresses a gap in current European research 
strategic  initiatives,  where  evaluations,  assessments 
and actions are missing in the vital area of transport� The 
project supports the FP7 goal of transport benefiting the 
citizen and society in a broad and democratic sense, as 
well as the overarching goals of enhancing sustainable 
developments and respect for the environment�

Its  activities  consist  of  mapping  existing  research  as 
well  as  generating  assessments  of  policy  strategies� 
TRANSGEN will act as instigator for future interventions 
and  interdisciplinary  research  networks�  It  will  also 

‘addresses a gap in current European 
research strategic initiatives, where 
evaluations, assessments and actions are 
missing in the vital area of transport’

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clarify  current  EU  research  programmes  and  equality 
policies and will provide the knowledge base for gender 
mainstreaming of future transport research�

  Group acronym:   WiST2

Group title:   Women  in  Science  and  Technology 

The working group was inaugurated in June 2007 and will 
deliver a final report on its findings at the end of 2008� 
This report will also include recommendations on how to 
change the corporate culture with a view to embedding 
work-life balance best practices� 

working group

 Project acronym:  WomenInNano

The  European  Commission  decided  to  continue  the 
WiST  initiative  following  the  interest  expressed  by  the 
participating  companies  in  the  first  Women  in  Science 
and  Technology  working  group  (introduced  in  January 
2005)� The second WiST working group will focus on two 
main areas: 

•  the  business  case  of  work-life  balance  (the 
correlation  between  work-life  balance  and 
motivation  and  satisfaction,  as  well  as  the 
correlation  between  work-life  balance  and 
productivity);

•  reducing  the  leaky  “pipeline”  (how  to  attract/

promote and retain women in SET)�

WiST2 will provide more companies with the opportunity 
to  join  the  group  and  at  the  same  time  extend  the 
invitation  to  the  academic  world�  Indeed,  numerous 
studies  as  well  as  the  work  of  the  first  WiST  working 
group  showed  that  the  pipeline  starts  to  leak  very 
early, in many cases before the professional career has 
started� The collaboration with universities therefore is 
seen as crucial for increasing the potential of women in 
industrial research�

‘numerous studies as well as the work of 
the first WiST working group showed that 
the pipeline starts to leak very early, in 
many cases before the professional career 
has started’

Project title:   Strengthening  the  Role  of  Women 

Scientists in Nano-Science 

Coordinator:   Leibniz  Institute  for  Solid  State  and 
Materials Research Dresden (Leibniz-
Institut für Festkörper- und Werkst-
offforschung Dresden) (Germany)

  Funded under:   FP6-2004-Science and Society-10

EU funding:   EUR 533 860

Website:   www.womeninnano.de

WomenInNano  allows  high-level  women  scientists 
working  in  nano-science  to  act  as  ambassadors  to 
raise awareness of gender issues (specifically in nano-
science)  and  to  encourage  women  to  pursue  careers 
in  scientific  fields�  The  project  aims  to  empower  and 
enlarge the group of women scientists working in nano-
science and increase its visibility within the international 
scientific community� 

Since  2005,  WomenInNano  has  organised  a  series  of 
activities  to  create  and  stimulate  structural  links  at 
national,  trans-national,  regional  and  trans-regional 
level  between  scientists  (female  and  male),  policy 
makers  and  society  at  large�  In  2007,  this  included  a 
workshop  on  nanomaterials  and  gender  aspects  in 
research and technology (18-19 October) which provided 
presentations on nanomaterials (e�g� funding situation, 
current  applications)  and  male/female  perspectives  on 
research and career development� 

Science in Society (SIS)

3

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Gender and Research

A  winter  school  (7-9  February)  and  the  final  European 
workshop  titled  “Strengthening  the  Role  of  Women 
Scientists in Nano-science” (6-7 March) will take place 
early in 2008�

 Project acronym:   WONBIT

Project title:   Women on Biotechnology, Scientific 

and Feminist Approaches

Coordinator:   Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini (Italy) 

  Funded under:   FP6-2005-Science and Society-17

EU funding:   EUR 273 252

Website:   www.wonbit.net

The  Wonbit  project  aims  to  empower  women 
in 
biotechnological  research  by  strengthening  the  links 
with  the  feminist  movement  and,  at  the  same  time,  to 
create  a  better  social  and  political  understanding  of 
current biotechnological research� 

The  aim  of  the  Wonbit  conference  (21-23  June  2007) 
was  to  promote  an  interdisciplinary  and  wide-ranging 
debate  amongst  feminists  and  scientists�  Several 
speakers  elaborated  on  four  main  themes:  women 
scientists  in  academic  and  industrial  biotechnological 
research;  bodies,  cultures,  and  scientific  metaphors; 
environmental  effects  of  biotechnologies;  and  facing 
impact (society and biotechnologies)� A recommendations 
paper was expanded during the conference, detailing a 
three-level approach to improving the future of women 
in biotechnological research�

4

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

‘to promote an interdisciplinary and
 wide-ranging debate amongst
 feminists and scientists’

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Science Education

Science education activities are dictated by the aim to contribute to the Lisbon agenda by increasing 
the number of young people from all backgrounds entering careers in science, research and 
technology, as well as by raising the general level of scientific literacy to increase awareness of the 
societal impact of science�

O bserving, investigating and experimenting science 

instead  of  learning  the  concepts  —  the  Rocard 
Report below gives recommendations on how to 
bring  about  a  change  in  science  teaching  in  European 
schools� It is followed by two examples of projects funded 
in support of the aims of science education�

been to present concepts, their logical implications and 
examples of how they can be applied� However, in Inquiry-
Based Science Education (IBSE), more room is given to 
observation and experimentation and pupils, under their 
teacher’s  guidance,  are  encouraged  to  construct  their 
own knowledge�

Experts believe that IBSE is effective at gaining a child’s 
interest  and  in  increasing  attainment  levels  in  science 
at both the primary and secondary level� This approach 
is  particularly  suitable  for  students  suffering  from  low 
self  confidence  and/or  a  disadvantaged  background, 
while allowing the most able students to achieve a deep 
knowledge of the subject�



The Rocard Report — a roadmap for science education

A  radical  rethink  in  the  way  that  science  is  taught  in 
European  schools  is  needed  if  we  are  to  reverse  the 
decline  in  school  children’s  interest  in  the  subject�  An 
expert group was set up by EU Commissioner for Science 
and  Research  Janez  Potočnik  and  Commissioner  for 
Education,  Training,  Culture  and  Youth,  Ján  Figel’,  and 
chaired  by  Member  of  the  European  Parliament  and 
former  French  Prime  Minister  Michel  Rocard�  The  aim 
was  to  identify  best  practices  for  encouraging  young 
people’s  interest  in  science,  with  a  particular  focus  on 
the way science is taught in schools�

The  report  recommends  seeking  a  change  in  school 
science  teaching  from  mainly  deductive  to  inquiry-
based methods� The traditional deductive approach has 

‘stimulating interest among European 
youngsters for science and technology 
is crucial if a truly knowledge-based 
society is to emerge’

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Science in Society (SIS)

Science Education 

The  report  stresses  that  deductive  and  enquiry-based 
approaches  are  not  mutually  exclusive  and  should  be 
combined to accommodate the full spectrum of students’ 
abilities� Therefore, the expert group has recommended 
support and training for teachers and teachers’ networks 
so that IBSE can be used as effectively as possible� 

 Project acronym:   PROMISE

Project title:   Promotion  of  Migrants  in  Science 

Education

Coordinator:   European  Training  and  Research 
Centre  for  Human  Rights  and  De-
mocracy (Austria)

Priority  should  also  be  given  to 
increasing  the 
participation  of  girls  in  science  subjects�  It  has  been 
found that the IBSE helps engage girls’ enthusiasm for 
science activities� 

Greater  articulation  between  national  activities  and 
those funded at a European level is also called for, with 
the report recommending that the EU contribute EUR 60 
million over a ten-year period for these activities�

6

The report also recommends the creation of a European 
Science  Education  Advisory  Board,  which  can  monitor 
initiatives on IBSE, encouraging them to cooperate and 
exchange information at the European level� 

Stimulating  interest  among  European  youngsters  for 
science and technology is crucial if a truly knowledge-
based  society  is  to  emerge  in  the  future�  Therefore, 
decision-makers  must  insist  on  action  being  taken  at 
the local, regional, national and European level in order 
to implement change�

  Funded under:   FP6

EU funding:   EUR 296 000

Website:   www.promise.at

The objective of PROMISE is to provide equal opportunities 
in science education and to enhance the choice of science 
studies and careers for migrants� The project’s strategy 
is based on five key actions:

•  to  promote  migrant  girls  at  high  school  and 

university level through Club Lise;

•  to  inform  teachers  and  school  authorities  of 
the  specific  problems  faced  by  multilingual  and 
multicultural groups; 

•  to  develop  new  teaching  concepts  by  bringing 
teachers  and  experts  of  science, 

together 
language and intercultural education; 

•  to  train  teachers  in  special  science  education 
methods for multicultural/multilingual classes; 
•  to  facilitate  cooperation  between  teachers  and 
education  experts  (with  participation  from  both 
countries of origin and countries of residence)�

Named  after  the  renowned  physicist  Lise  Meitner,  a 
“Club  Lise”  is  an  intercultural  girls’  working  group 

‘each club’s aim is to promote greater 
choice in science studies for migrant girls 
(the most underrepresented 
group in science)’

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on  science  topics�  A  Club  Lise  has  been  established 
at  every  partner  university,  and  each  club’s  aim  is  to 
promote  greater  choice  in  science  studies  for  migrant 
girls (the most underrepresented group in science)� The 
young  women  work  together  with  female  scientist  role 
models (women of migrant backgrounds), participate in 
laboratory  work  and  lectures,  and  engage  with  all  the 
Clubs on key science topics�  

 Project acronym:   Roberta-EU 

Project title:    Roberta-Goes-EU
Coordinator:   Fraunhofer IAIS (Germany)

  Funded under:   FP6

EU funding:   EUR 632 281

Website:   www.roberta-home.eu

Highly  qualified  engineers  in  key  areas  such  as  IT, 
mechatronics,  and  robotics  are  essential  for  the 
sustainability  of  society�  Technical  subjects  and 

‘highly qualified engineers in key areas 
such as IT, mechatronics, and robotics are 
essential for the sustainability of society’

professions, however, interest girls even less than they 
interest boys� Young people, especially girls, need to be 
encouraged to take up engineering studies� 

into 

takes 

young  people 

Roberta-Goes-EU 
the 
fascinating  world  of  robots,  where  they  can  learn  and 
“do”  science,  technology  and  IT  in  an  exciting  way�  By 
designing,  constructing,  programming,  and  testing 
autonomous mobile robots, children learn how technical 
systems  are  developed  and  realise  that  technology  is 
fun�  Constructing  and  using  robots  is  the  ideal  way  to 
communicate the types of knowledge that are important 
for understanding technical problems�

The project provides teachers with training courses and 
comprehensive teaching materials in several European 
languages�  Roberta  instructors  are  specially  trained  in 
gender-sensitive  course  organisation�  Roberta-Goes-
EU  continues  to  build  a  European  network  of  Roberta 



teams 

Regional  Centres  and  encourages  the  participation 
like 
of  student 
RoboCupJunior�  In  2007,  the  Roberta  consortium  built 
new  regional  centres,  trained  additional  teachers,  and 
delivered Roberta courses to hundreds of students�  

in  robotics  competitions 

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Science in Society (SIS)

 
 
 
 
 Science Communication

It may seem extraordinary that the sciences — the very source of so many incredible changes and 
technological advancements — sometimes have difficulty attracting the curiosity and talent of people 
today� This, however, is precisely what is happening� The complexity of many scientific principles, and 
the intense technical detail in a great deal of research, can give the impression that the sciences are not 
instantly accessible�



T hat  is  why  part  of  the  European  Commission’s 

drive  to  increase  the  number  of  researchers  in 
the  EU  is  focused  on  communicating  science 
to  the  public�  Through  various  initiatives,  projects  as 
well  as  recognition  given  to  science  communicators, 
the  Commission  aims  to  inspire  greater  interest  and 
participation in the sciences of future generations�

Rewards for Excellence 

The  Descartes  Prize  for  Collaborative  Research  has 
been supported under the framework programme since 
2000  and  was  complemented  in  2004  by  an  additional 
prize  that  sought  to  recognise  excellence  in  science 
communication at the European level� The most recent 
prize winners were announced early in 2007 at an awards 
ceremony  in  Brussels�  The  next  awards  ceremony 
will take place in March 2008 based on a call that was 
published under the new Science in Society part of the 
Capacities specific programme�

The  Descartes  Prize 
for  Collaborative  Research 
celebrates excellent results from scientific collaborative 
research  in  all  areas  of  science�  Work  is  judged  on 
the  criteria  of  scientific  excellence  and  cross-border 
cooperation at international level� Proposals for this prize 
may be submitted by teams of scientists themselves or 
by  public  or  private  organisations,  such  as  research 
centres, foundations or universities, which can nominate 

candidates  for  the  prize�  In  2007,  EUR  1  150  000  was 
granted to research teams for demonstrating scientific 
excellence  through  close  transnational  cooperation  in 
all  areas  of  science,  including  the  social  sciences  and 
humanities�

Through the Science Communication Prize, the European 
Commission seeks to stimulate scientists and the media 
to improve the quality of science communication to the 
public�  Candidatures  are  accepted  from  organisations 
or individuals who have achieved outstanding results in 
this  field�  Organisers  of  science  communication  prizes 
may send their winners as candidates for the EU prize�  
In  2007,  awards  totalling  EUR  275  000  were  shared 
among  winning  scientists,  filmmakers  and  specialist 
communicators�

The  2007  award  ceremony  took  place  on  7  March  in 
Brussels,  within  the  framework  of  the  “Today  is  the 
Future” launch of the Seventh Framework Programme 
and to celebrate 50 years of European research� 

The ceremony was attended by European Commissioner 
for  Science  and  Research  Janez  Potočnik,  German 

‘through the Science Communication 
Prize, the European Commission 
seeks to stimulate scientists and the 
media to improve the quality of science 
communication to the public’

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Science  and  Education  Minister  Annette  Schavan, 
President of the Descartes Grand Jury Claudie Haigneré, 
and  President  of  the  Communication  Jury  Suzanne  de 
Cheveigné�

Finalists: NEMABS, “Gaining a clear picture of molecules 
through  colouring” 
(Germany  and  Belgium),  and 
QGATES, “Quantum mechanics brings breakthroughs to 
information processing” (Austria, UK, Germany, Slovakia, 
France and Spain)�

For the Descartes Prize, laureates and finalists for the 
2006 awards were selected by the Research Grand Jury 
made up of 22 eminent scientists from 11 EU countries, 
as well as Brazil, Morocco, Russia and Turkey� The jury 
represents a broad range of scientific disciplines� 

Winners, finalists and nominees 
of the 2006 Descartes Prize for 
Collaborative Research

Thirteen projects from 20 countries were nominated for 
the prize from a field of 65 submissions� Three research 
projects  were  awarded  the  2006  Descartes  Prize  for 
Collaborative Research�

Basic sciences

Nominees:  FULCARS,  “Developing  friendly  and  useful 
carbon nanotubes for industry and medical applications” 
(Italy, France, Germany, UK and Spain), and QUMAGDE, 
“From  magnetic  avalanches  to  magnetic  deflagration: 
a  new  field  of  physics  is  born”  (Spain,  Germany  and 
Belgium)�

‘laureates and finalists for the 2006 
awards were selected by the Research 
Grand Jury made up of 22 eminent 
scientists’

Winner: H�E�S�S�, “A new glimpse at the highest-energy 
universe”  (Germany,  Czech  Republic,  UK,  Poland, 
France, Ireland, South Africa and Armenia)�

Engineering

Winner: HYDROSOL, “Solar hydrogen production via wa-
ter splitting” (Greece, Germany, Denmark and UK)�

Information sciences

Nominee: AVISPA, “Bringing internet security to the next 
level” (Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland)�



Finalist:  TAM-RAM,  “Thermally  assisted  magnetic  ran-
dom access memory” (France, Portugal and Germany)�

Life sciences

Nominee:  EUROGENOS,  “Uncovering  genetic  determi-
nants  of  osteoporosis  and  other  bone  diseases”  (UK, 
Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy and France)�

Finalist: DYNAQPRIM, “Protein dynamics in cell nuclei” 
(UK, Germany and Denmark)�

Winner:  APOPTOSIS,  “Understanding  cell  death:  path-
ways for future treatments of cancer and AIDS” (France, 
Austria, Denmark, Italy, Sweden and Germany)�

Science in Society (SIS)

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 Science Communication

Socio-economic sciences

Nominee: DOSEI, “Analysis of constitution building in the 
European  Union”  (Germany,  Ireland,  the  Netherlands, 
UK, Greece, Belgium and Switzerland)�

Finalist:  GLOBALIFE, “Life courses in the globalisation 
process” 
the  Netherlands  and 
Hungary)�

(Germany,  Spain, 

Winners,  finalists  and  nominees  of 
the 2006 Descartes Prize for Science 
Communication

0

Thirty-three  candidates  from  18  countries  were  nomi-
nated for the prize from a field of 80 submissions� Five 
individuals and groups were awarded the 2006 Descartes 
Prize for Science Communication�

munication (Italy), The origins and evolution of the Ho-
minids  (Spain),  Popular  Swedish  science  magazine 
Forskning & Framsteg  (Sweden),  The  ethical  and  sci-
entific  conflicts  of  transplanting  animal  organs  to  hu-
mans  — XENESIS,  science-based  fiction  (Switzerland), 
Critical Mass: the behaviour of matter (United Kingdom), 
and Cells — the building blocks of our body and mind 
(France)�

Winner:  Eureka  weekly  science  magazine  for  children 
(Ireland)�

Popularising  science  through  audiovisual  and  elec-
tronic media 

Nominees: The Science caster (Switzerland), From Kiss 
to Baby (France), Malaria, the secret storm (France) and 
Océanautes: explorers of the deep sea (France)� 

Winner: Europe, a Natural History (Austria)� 

Professional  scientists  engaged  in  science  communi-
cation to the public 

Innovative action for science communication

Nominees:  Fran  Balkwill  (United  Kingdom),  Osmo  Pe-
konen  (Finland),  Jean-Marie  Pelt  and  Alain  de  Sedouy 
(France) and Steven Rose (United Kingdom)�

Finalists: Jean-Marc Lévy-Leblond (France) and Gerold 
Wefer (Germany)�

Winner: Wendy Sadler (United Kingdom)�

Popularising science through the written word 

Nominees: A life dedicated to science and science com-

Nominees: School competition bringing life sciences to 
developing  countries,  IMAGINE  (the  Netherlands),  De-
livering science and technology to the people — TECH-
NOPOLIS  science  communication  centre  (Belgium),  A 
hydrogen  powered  automobile,  HYSUN3000  (Germa-
ny),  “Advice  of  Professor  Chimico  on  chemical  risks” 
(France),  Exhibition  “Conversations  with  snow  and  ice” 
(Japan), KVARKADABRA, a society for explaining science 

‘five individuals and groups were awarded 
the 2006 Descartes Prize for Science 
Communication’

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(Slovenia),  International  Science  Festival  in  Göteborg 
(Sweden) and The Science Café (Denmark)�

The  European  Union  Contest  for 
Young Scientists (EUCYS)

Finalists: A compass-port to science infotainment, EN-
COMPASS (Hungary) and “Inhabiting the world to under-
stand the biosphere” (Spain)�

Winners: ‘Città della Scienza Napoli’: Italy’s first science 
centre  (Italy),  and  Exploring  the  secrets  of  the  depths, 
MAR-ECO (Norway)�

Communicators at the start of their career

Nominee:  “The  unique  voice  of  Stradivarius  violins” 
(Spain)�

Finalist: The Big Dipper Science Bus (Estonia)�

EUCYS is part of the European Union’s wider Science in 
Society programme and addresses the problem of young 
people who are turning away from scientific studies and 
professions by encouraging them to pursue their interest 
in science and embark on scientific careers� By using the 
competition as a platform, the European Commission is 
able  to  strengthen  efforts  made  by  each  participating 
country in attracting more and more young people into 
these careers�

Since  1989,  more  than  1  000  students  from  all  over 
Europe  and  beyond  have  exhibited  their  promising 
research work on the European stage, and an increasing 
number  of  young  women  scientists  have  taken  part  in 
the contest�

1

The  event  takes  place  annually  (hosted  by  a  different 
European  country  each  year)  and  gives  students  (aged 
14  to  21)  from  Europe  and  beyond  the  opportunity  to 
compete  at  European  level  with  other  winners  from 
national  competitions�  Only  projects  that  have  won  a 
top  prize  at  a  national  young-scientist  competition  can 
participate�

More than just a competition, the event has also become 
a meeting place between leading scientists and talented 
young people with a passion for science� The participants 
meet  others  with  similar  abilities  and  interests,  and 
exchange  views�  For  many  of  them  it  is  also  the  first 
time they will have travelled in Europe and embarked on 
a  challenging  experience  to  present  their  projects  to  a 
professional jury of renowned scientists�   

Science in Society (SIS)

President of the Descartes Research 
Grand Jury Claudie Haigneré, former 
French Minister for EU Affairs and ESA 
Astronaut.

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 Science Communication

The  EU  Contest  for  Young  Scientists  has  become  an 
important  instrument  to  promote  science  amongst 
young  people,  but  also  to  promote  cultural  exchange� 
The  latter  is  an  important  pillar  of  Europe’s  existence, 
since  the  European  Union  itself  is  based  on  exchange 
and  cooperation  between  countries  with  a  rich  and 
diverse cultural heritage� 

Every year, the EUCYS grows and becomes an ever more 
important visible event, where the spotlight is on young 
people and their creativity� 

This year’s event, which was hosted by the University of 
Valencia, gathered 124 participants (80 young men and 
44 young women) who presented a total of 81 projects, 
covering  a  wide  range  of  scientific  disciplines,  from 
astronomy and earth sciences to biology, medicine and 
social sciences� 

2

The standard of entries is consistently high every year, 
and  several  past  participants  have  achieved  major 
scientific breakthroughs, or set up businesses to market 
the ideas developed for the contest�

Among  the  winners  of  this  year’s  EU  contest  were 
young  scientists  from  Germany,  Hungary  and  Ireland� 
The  projects,  from  fields  such  as  physics,  biology  and 
mathematics, were selected by an international jury of 
15 experts�

European Science Week 2007 

The emphasis of European Science Week is on promoting 
lively  projects  and  activities  to  capture  the  imagination 
and  show  how  science  — 
impacts,  uses  and 
applications — is relevant to all Europeans regardless of 
age, background and education� 

its 

European Science Week 2007 was held between 19 and 
25  November�  The  four  projects  below  ran  throughout 
2007,  including  Science  Week�  From  2008,  the  events 
represented  will  evolve  into  a  series  of  projects  that 
facilitate  the  cooperation  and  networking  between 
science  museums,  science  centres  and/or  organisers 
of  national  and  regional  events�  This  will  allow  for  the 
development and exchange of ambitious and interactive 
exhibitions on European research topics� 

Winners of the 19th EU Contest for Young Scientists. 
Valencia, Spain.

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

‘several past participants have achieved
major scientific breakthroughs, or set up
businesses to market the ideas’

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 Project acronym:   Discovery Days

Coordinator:   International  Environment 
Quality Services S.A. (Greece)

participated in the project’s activities, while an estimated 
300 individuals attended the Science Week conference�

and 

  Funded under:   FP6-2005-Science and Society-19

 Project acronym:   MEYPS SC²

EU funding:   EUR 350 000 

Website:   www.ea.gr/ep/discoverydays

The  Discovery  Days  project  introduced  several  pan-
European  science  and  cultural  celebration  initiatives, 
which  reached  their  momentum  during  European  Sci-
ence Week 2007� These initiatives consisted of two main 
activities: realisation of eight Discovery Days in several 
European  Cities  (each  Discovery  Day  included  demon-
strations of advanced technological applications in real 
environments, workshops of specific subjects of general 
interest, and special events focusing on young visitors to 
the museums and the science centres)  and an interna-
tional three-day conference during Science Week� 

Discovery  Days  presented  the  vision  for  the  future  op-
eration  of  museums,  science  centres  and  thematic 
parks, and gave members of the public the opportunity 
to  experience  new  technological  achievements  during 
their  visits�  A  rich  collection  of  examples  of  futuristic 
scenarios and visions were presented and discussed in 
detail� These offered a glimpse of a future in which visi-
tors could explore worlds and cultures beyond their own, 
both in distance and time, as if they were there� 

It  is  estimated  that  at  least  50  000  visitors  (including 
virtual visitors) of science centres, parks and museums 

‘presented the vision for the future 
operation of museums, science centres and 
thematic parks and gave members of the 
public the opportunity to experience new 
technological achievements’

Project title:   European  Mobility  of  Young  People 
and  Scientists  in  Scientific  Culture 
Context

Coordinator:   Université des Sciences et Technol-

ogies de Lille (France)  

  Funded under:   FP6-2005-Science and Society-19

EU funding:   EUR 200 000

Website:   www.ec.europa.eu/research/science-
society/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.
topic&id=616#1 

The two-year MEYPS SC² project started in January 2007� 
Its objective is to bring science closer to society through 
participatory and interactive events� It focuses on:

•  promoting young people’s interest in science, sci-
ence  education  and  careers  as  well  as  general 
public interest in science;

•  various pedagogical approaches on science com-

munication for citizens and young people; 
•  a transnational exchange for young people;
•  the use of art in making science more accessible�

The activities include artistic events created by students 
and  artists  promoting  science,  competitions  at  the 
secondary school level (the winners participate in science 
festivals) and interactive European workshop exhibitions 
involving students, engineers and technicians�  

The  project  is  part  of  the  portfolio  of  activities  of 
several festivals and science-related events� A key final 
objective of MEYPS SC² is to create a European Network 

Science in Society (SIS)

3

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 Science Communication

4

of  Universities  on  Science  Communication  with  the 
objective of raising awareness on science and technology 
for young people and the general public�

 Project acronym:   SWEETS

Project title:   Space  Weather  and  Europe  —  an 

Educational Tool with the Sun 

Coordinator:   Ernst  Moritz  Arndt  University  of 
(Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-

Greifswald 
Universität Greifswald) (Germany)
  Funded under:   FP6-2005-Science and Society-19

EU funding:   EUR 500 405

Website:   www.sweets2007.eu

is  primarily  an  astronomical 
Space  weather  (SW) 
phenomenon,  linked  to  solar  activity  and  cosmic  rays� 
Its study is by nature interdisciplinary and encompasses 
various  fields  of  physics,  engineering  and  human 
activities�  SW  has  already  revealed  significant  effects, 
such  as  failures  in  satellite  navigation  (GPS)  and  in 
telecommunication,  as  well  as  spacecraft 
losses, 
pipeline corrosion, and radiation risks� 

The aim of the SWEETS project was to demonstrate the 
significance of the sun, solar activities, cosmic rays and 
space weather� Despite their great scientific, commercial 
and security potential, these phenomena remain largely 
ignored by the public� Furthermore, Europe has achieved 
significant  capacities  in  the  SW  field  as  well  as  solar 
science and this was also considered an important issue 
that needed greater public attention�

The  SWEETS  project  promoted  and  raised  public 
awareness  during  science  weeks  and  festivals  in  27 
countries all over Europe� Some of the 13 elements that 
made up the project included: an on-tour mobile truck 

with space weather exhibition and a small fair; TV/internet 
streaming of the main space weather festival/forum at 
Schwerin castle; video links to space weather telescopes 
in Australia, Japan and Germany; rocket/balloon launch 
and  aurora  movie  production;  SW  multimedia  dance 
show; and real time SW storm displays�

 Project acronym:   WONDERS 07  

Project title:   Welcome to Observations, News and 
Demonstrations  of  European  Re-
search and Science
Coordinator:   European  Science  Events  Associa-

  Funded under:   FP6-2005-Science and Society-19

tion

EU funding:   EUR 450 000

Website:   www.wonders.at

WONDERS used the strengths, experiences and capacities 
of existing major European networks and institutions in 
the  field  of  science  communication  to  promote  greater 
awareness  for  Europeans  in  science,  technology  and 
the humanities, and to stimulate dialogue about science 
within  society�  WONDERS  was  designed  to  inspire 
European science communicators to work together and 
collaborate on similar programmes in future years�

The  activities  of  WONDERS  took  place  across  most 
of  Europe�  The  principal  activity,  the  Carousel  of 
Science,  was  an  inter-European  exchange  of  the  best 
science  communication  presentations  between  the  31 
participating  organisations�  In  addition  to  Carousel, 

‘Europe has achieved significant capacities 
in the SW field as well as solar science 
and this was also considered an important 
issue that needed greater public attention’

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throughout  2007,  school  students  came  together  with 
teachers,  journalists  and  scientists  in  a  special  group 
dialogue game called Talk�

perspective�  It  also  proposes  to  the  Commission  a 
research  agenda  consisting  of  a  set  of  proposals  on 
science,  technology  and  medicine  from  an  historical 
perspective�

The  project  came  to  an  official  close  with  the  finals  at 
the  Pavilhão  de  Conhecimento  in  Lisbon,  Portugal, 
where Carousel’s “best of the best” were chosen on 24 
November 2007�

Pestre Report 

On  29  and  30  June  2006,  an  open  and  exploratory 
workshop  entitled  “Historical  Perspectives  on  Science 
and Politics” was held by Directorate L� The ultimate aim 
of the workshop was to provide input to policy making at 
EU level regarding science and/in society�

The event was organised by Dominique Pestre, director 
of  studies  at  L’Ecole  des  Hautes  Etudes  en  Sciences 
Sociales,  along  with  Peter  Galison,  Harvard  University, 
Jean-Paul Gaudilliere, Institut National de la Santé et de 
la Recherche Médicale, and Simon Schaffer, Cambridge 
University�

A direct outcome of the workshop was a report released 
in  2007  of  the  same  title  written  by  Prof�  Pestre�  The 
report provides a set of direct messages for the Science, 
Economy  and  Society  Directorate  to  help  it  enrich  its 
approach  to  science  and  society  issues  from  a  policy 

‘a research agenda consisting of a set 
of proposals on science, technology and 
medicine from an historical perspective’ 

Science is a product of human beings living in society and 
has always been linked to those in power, helping them 
better understand and subsequently manage nature and 
societies� Science is not a simple and neutral vehicle for 
progress and there has been a recent tendency to think 
the  world  is  becoming  anti-scientific  and  irrational� 
However, criticism and opposition to science has always 
been essential for the development of safer technological 
systems�

Scientific knowledge tends to be hierarchical and exclusive 
whereas  democratic  decision  tends,  in  principle,  to  be 
more egalitarian, more inclusive and less dependent on 
levels of authority� The policy of the EU has been to foster 
wide  ranging  participation  in  the  decision  processes, 
which is a highly positive move, according to the group�



Over the last few decades, international finance, courts 
and governance have played a greater role than before, 
while  the  role  of  national  administrative  bodies  and 
elected representatives has become less significant� Key 
changes  have  also  occurred  in  the  area  of  intellectual 
property rights and patenting� Societies have undergone 
parallel  changes,  becoming  flatter  with  fewer  class 
distinctions  but  greater  polarisation  between  rich  and 
poor�  The  alliance  developed  during  the  19th  century 
among  politicians,  administration,  scientists  and 
economic  elites  has  also  been  eroded,  while  a  new 
definition of the political has emerged� 

Science in Society (SIS)

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 Science Communication

The  workshop  also  discussed  the  main  requirements 
for a research programme in history� It was agreed that 
the call should be open to all historians and other social 
sciences�  The  programme  should  seek  projects  that 
map  the  sites  of  science  and  knowledge  production  in 
society over the centuries� It should cover the restriction, 
control,  appropriation  and  forms  of  mastery  over 
knowledge  and  science  including  long-term  histories 
of patenting and intellectual property rights� The many 
forms  through  which  knowledge  and  techno-scientific 
products are “regulated” in democratic societies should 
also be studied� 

The  programme  should  also  consider  the  variety  and 
importance  of  amateurs’  knowledge  and  the  changing 
roles  of  amateurs,  patients  and  activists�  Governance 
and  management  through  knowledge  and  science  will 
also  be  considered,  as  will  the  evolution  of  the  audit 
culture  and  the  effects  on  knowledge  production�  The 
group also discussed whether the final product should 
be in the form of a book, film, exhibition, or other, and 
the question was raised whether a history office within 
the directorate could be envisaged� 

6

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Modernisation Agenda for Universities (2007-2013)

University-based research plays a crucial role in the development of a European knowledge-based 
society� At the European level, these actions support the ongoing reform of European universities, which 
is in line with the communication “Delivering on the Modernisation Agenda for Universities: Education, 
Research and Innovation” COM (2006) 208 of 10 May 2006� They will be carried out in conjunction with 
the ongoing activities launched by the Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC)�

T he objectives include:

efficient university research; 

•  to define better framework conditions for more 

•  to  promote  the  establishment  of  structured 

partnerships with the business sector;

•  to  reinforce  knowledge-sharing  between  uni-

versities and society at large� 

The  European  Commission  is  not  a  direct  actor  in  the 
process,  but  has  a  catalytic  role  in  providing  political 
impetus  and  targeted  funding�  The  following  six  policy 
activities  will  support  the  modernisation  process 
proposed in the May 2006 Communication�

Policy activity 1 is based on the mandate of the expert 
group  for  “Strengthening  research  institutions”,  with  a 
focus  on  University-based  Research  (UbR)�  The  expert 
group  will  provide  an  overview  of  recent  initiatives, 
current challenges and existing trends, and assess the 
various  policy  options  and  their  potential  impact�  The 
group  will  also  look  at  those  domains  where  progress 
has been made in enhancing European UbR� It will also 
examine those areas where progress is most needed� The 
question of what should be done at the European, national 

‘expert groups will be established to 
address, from the research perspective, 
different aspects of the reform process’

and institutional level to foster and sustain progress will 
be addressed� The role of the Commission in supporting 
the actions identified will also be investigated� 

Policy activity 2 is based on the mandate of the expert 
group on “Diversified funding streams for university-based 
research:  impact  of  external  project-based  research 
funding on financial management in universities”� There 
are increasing moves towards project-based funding at 
both European and national levels� Therefore, the expert 
group will provide an overview of the characteristics of 
external project-based funding mechanisms across the 
27 EU Member States, focussing on their financial and 
accounting requirements�

Policy  activity  3  is  based  on  the  text  of  the  work 
programme  2008�  Expert  groups  will  be  established 
to  address,  from  the  research  perspective,  different 
aspects  of  the  reform  process�  They  will 
identify 
good  practice  and  provide  recommendations  to  the 
Commission  and  Member  States�  In  2008,  an  expert 
group  will  be  set  up  for  “Assessment  of  UbR”�  It  will 
discuss methodologies for assessing UbR activities and 
feed into the policy process� Particular attention will be 
paid to  the assessment of UbR beyond strict academic 
outputs  (typically  publication  based)�  It  will  also  cover 
licensing and scientific participation in policy making� 



Science in Society (SIS)

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Modernisation Agenda for Universities (2007-2013)



Policy  activity  4  is  based  on  the  text  of  the  work 
programme  2008,  “Development  of  a  European  data 
collection  network  on  research-active  universities”� 
Suitable  data  and  indicators  are  limited  and  hinder 
benchmarking which would be of use to policy makers 
and  the 
institutions  themselves�  The  Commission, 
therefore,  will  support  the  development  of  a  data 
collection network in conjunction with Eurostat and DG 
EAC�

The  network  will  collect  data  on  research-active 
universities at institutional level� The intention is to build 
a  complete  census  of  European  universities,  beginning 
with those that are active in research� The pilot phase of 
the project will begin in 2008, while the operational phase 
will  commence  in  2010,  providing  full  data-collection 
services� The action will continue for the duration of the 
Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) via regular public 
procurement  calls,  which  will  be  issued  approximately 
every  two  years�  This  action  is  key  to  collating  data 
at  the  institution  level  with  regard  to  the  activities  of 
research-active  universities  throughout  Europe�  This 
will allow Member States, associated countries and the 
Commission to assess policy options in the area of UbR�

Policy  activity    is  based  on  the  text  of  the  Council 
resolution  on  ‘’Modernising  universities  for  Europe’s 
competitiveness 
in  a  global  knowledge  economy’’ 
COM  (2006)  208  of  16  November  2007�  Actions  include 
promoting excellence in higher education and research 
by attracting the best talent to Europe and in providing 
these institutions with the autonomy to develop their full 
potential�

Quality  assurance  through  independent  evaluation  will 
promote  the  internationalisation  of  higher  education 

institutions�  They  will  also  be  encouraged  to  develop 
partnerships with the private sector, research institutions, 
regional and local authorities and civil society� Measures 
will  also  be  taken  to  encourage  the  participation  of 
those  with  disabilities,  regardless  of  gender,  income, 
social  or  linguistic  background�  The  attractiveness  of 
European higher education systems will be enhanced by 
encouraging institutions to fully use the cooperation and 
mobility  opportunities  offered  by  the  Erasmus  Mundus 
programme for the promotion of academic excellence at 
worldwide level�

Policy  activity  6  is  based  on  the  draft  mandate  of  the 
CREST  (European  Union  Committee  for  Scientific  and 
Technical Research) working group, which will be setup 
in  2008�  The  group  will  monitor  the  effect  of  existing 
initiatives�  This  will  include  reporting  and  reviewing 
national  strategies  and  developing  recommendations 
and possible actions to facilitate the process� The group 
will  examine  the  effect  of  the  reforms  on  research 
performance�  The  questions  of  how  to  measure 
excellence in research and how it should be supported 
will also be addressed�

‘quality assurance through 
independent evaluation will promote 
the internationalisation of higher 
education institutions’

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Pairing Scheme between Researchers and MEPs

The Pairing Scheme assists in the transnational exchange of information and research practices� 
Ultimately, the scheme aims to build bridges between some of the best research workers from the EU 
Member States (and associated countries) with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)� In the 
United Kingdom where a similar programme has been running since 2001, over 80 scientists and MEPs 
have taken part with significant long-term success�

An informal greeting session at the outset of the workshop 
was  attended  by  scientists,  MEPs  as  well  as  Philippe 
Busquin,  president  of  the  Scientific  and  Technological 
Options  Assessment  (STOA)  unit�  The  subsequent 
week-long programme comprised numerous meetings, 
training sessions and networking events� Following this, 
each MEP will visit their “paired” scientist at their place 
of work�  

The  2007  Pairing  Scheme  benefited  from  the  informal 
support of the Royal Society and the European Academies 
Science  Advisory  Council  (EASAC)�  Both  have  several 
years of experience in implementing similar schemes�



A 

special  workshop  was  held  in  Brussels  from 
1  to  5  October  2007�  Fourteen  scientists  were 
specifically invited to take part in the event, and 
were paired with an equal number of MEPs� Through this 
scheme, policy makers were brought into direct contact 
with  scientists  and  researchers�  The  anticipated  result 
is  a  better  understanding  of  the  environment  in  which 
scientists  operate,  and  an  improvement  in  the  synergy 
between scientific advice and policy making� 

During  the  workshop,  MEPs  had  the  opportunity  to 
familiarise  themselves  with  the  process  of  scientific 
understanding  and  topical  research,  and  ultimately 
to  be  able  to  bring  this  knowledge  to  better  informed 
discussions  and  decision-making�  The  workshop  also 
created  the  opportunity  for  MEPs  to  forge  direct  links 
with a network of practising research scientists�

Likewise,  the  participating  scientists  were  better  able 
to  recognise  the  potential  methods  and  structures 
through  which  they  could  deliver  scientific  knowledge 
to  parliamentarians�  They  were  also  able  to  better 
understand the pressures under which MEPs operate�

‘the participating scientists were better 
able to recognise the potential methods 
and structures through which they 
could deliver scientific knowledge to 
parliamentarians’

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Science in Society (SIS)

SINAPSE

In accordance with the efforts undertaken to develop new forms of governance, the European 
Commission has developed the SINAPSE (Scientific information and expertise for policy support in 
Europe) e-network� By providing a range of essential tools, SINAPSE will help involve stakeholders 
that cannot at present be easily consulted� The main and general objective of the e-network is to make 
better use of expertise in policy making� 

S INAPSE  is  still  growing  and  has  now  registered 

more than 850 organisations and 3 000 members� 
Members come from a wide range of backgrounds 
— not just science — but all have a common purpose of 
expertise in European governance� 

SINAPSE  is  primarily  an  information  exchange  for 
experts to share their knowledge more easily� One of its 
main  activities  is  its  “e-Communities”  module,  which 
allows members with a common interest to create their 
own  communication  platform�  SINAPSE  communities 
offer  a  range  of  tools,  including  modules  to  launch  e-
debates  or  create  thematic  libraries  of  accessible 
documents/web links� There is also a notification system 
allowing members to be aware of new activities that are 
taking place, such as conferences and the posting of new 
documents� Some of SINAPSE’s information is stored on 
public pages so that the general public can access them, 
facilitating public debates and consultations�

100

include 

in  2007 

E-Communities  established 
the 
European  Science  Advice  Network  for  Health,  created 
jointly by the Belgian and Dutch National Health Council� 
This  community  aims  to  share  information  on  health 
between  scientific  advisory  bodies  in  Europe  in  order 
to avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts, and create, 
as  well  as  coordinate,  an  evidence-based  health  policy 
throughout Europe� 

Members aim to exchange and share scientific knowledge 
and  upgrade  the  quality  of  advisory  reports  in  order 
to  make  use  of  the  best  scientific  expertise  available� 
Work  will  also  be  carried  out  on  dovetailing  working 
programmes from different countries and shaping them 
for European policy� Issues that are affecting Europeans 
across  all  nations,  such  as  the  rise  in  obesity,  should 
be dealt with in this way� One objective is to issue joint 
advisory reports, whenever possible�

is  an 

in  2007, 

The  Forum  of  National  Ethics  Councils,  another 
independent 
e-Community  created 
platform  for  exchanging  information  and  experience 
on  issues  regarding  ethics  and  science�  Strengthening 
the  coordination  of  ethics  policies  is  vital  in  order  for 
the  EU  to  have  confidence  in  its  scientific  policies  and 
legislation� The forum intends to operate by exchanging 
details on conferences and workshops, making available 
new  articles  and  reports,  launching  online  debates, 
gathering  opinions  and  responding  to  requests  by 
different Commission departments for expert input and 
advice� 

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Three  e-Communities  have  also  been  created  by 
the  European  Aviation  Safety  Agency  to  organise  an 
information  exchange  in  the  areas  of  regulation  and 
standardisation with experts from both Member States 
and the rest of the world�

By serving the communication needs of the Commission 
services  and  encouraging  Europe-wide  expert  contact 
and  communication,  SINAPSE  will  help  to  develop  the 
European Research Area (ERA)�

101

SINAPSE is open for registration and use at www.europa.eu/sinapse 

‘SINAPSE is primarily an information 
exchange for experts to share their 
knowledge more easily’

Science in Society (SIS)

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EURAB — the European Research Advisory Board

The European Research Advisory Board (EURAB) was established in June 2001 to advise the European 
Commission (EC) on the design and implementation of Community Research and Technological 
Development (RTD) policy� EURAB represents a unique arena for the provision of advice on EU research 
policy through its shared membership from academia and industry� Its final report compiles all the 
introductory statements and explanatory notes in date order, together with recommendations from the 
board’s formal advice to the EC�

Reports and recommendations produced by EURAB 

18�  Structural  Funds  and  the  research  component 

1�  The evaluation of proposals (April 2002)�
2�  Recommendations  regarding  the  European  Re-
search Area (ERA): the future (September 2002)� 
3�  Some issues affecting the future of university re-

search in ERA (November 2002)� 

4�  European Research Council (ERC) 

5� 
6� 

(November 2002)�
Improving innovation (November 2002)�
Increasing the attractiveness of science, engineer-
ing and technology careers (November 2002)�
7�  Boosting joint investment in research, towards 3 % 

of GDP (December 2002)�

8�   Enlargement and ERA (January 2003)�
9�  Research Infrastructures (October 2003)�
10�  The ERC — a possible implementation model 

(October 2003)�

(May 2004)� 

19�  FP6 assessment with a focus on instruments and 
with a forward look to FP7 (April 2005): recommen-
dations included increasing the profile of strategic 
research for the Joint European Technology Initia-
tive (JETI) and bottom-up frontier research for the 
ERC, and improving the participation of SMEs�
20�  The financial perspective for FP7 and criteria for 
the selection of topics for the work programmes 
(May 2005)�

21�  Science  and  society,  an  agenda  for  a  responsive 

and responsible European science in FP7
(September 2005)�

22�  Boosting  European  private  R&D,  the  foundation 
stone  of  the  new  Lisbon  strategy  (October  2005) 
recommended  improving  the  financial  environ-
ment for industrial R&D�

11�  Bureau  recommendations:  following  the  visit  to 

23�  Stimulating  the  regional  potential  for  research 

Washington DC (December 2003)�

and innovation (November 2005)�

12�  ERA and the social sciences and humanities (SSH) 

24�  Research  and  Technology  Organisations  (RTOS) 

(January 2004)�

and ERA (December 2005)�

102

13�  European  Technology  Platforms  (ETPs)  (January 

2004)�

14�  Interdisciplinarity in research (April 2004)�
15�  Evaluation (April 2004)�
16�  Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 

ERA (May 2004)�

17�  The Descartes Prize (May 2004)�

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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25�  EURAB  recommendation  on  the  proposed  Euro-
pean Institute of Technology (EIT) (April 2005)�
26�  EURAB  recommendations  on  cooperation  with 
third countries (non-EU Member States or states 
not associated with the FPs) (June 2005)�

27�  SSH in FP7 (December 2005)�

In  the  last  two  years,  the  following  advice  has  been 
produced:

28�  International  research  cooperation  (June  2006)� 
According to EURAB, the EC needs a new proac-
tive international policy in science and technology� 
This  policy  should  both  strengthen  its  scientific, 
technological and economic position, help to solve 
global environmental, health and other problems, 
and  give  opportunities  to  EU  researchers  to  de-
velop strong international partnerships� 

29�  Second  EURAB  opinion  on  the  EC’s  proposal  for 
an EIT (June 2006)� EURAB endorsed the view that 
efforts should be made to increase the competi-
tiveness of Europe through innovation, stemming 
from harmonising developments of research with 
those  of  higher  education,  However,  the  most 
pressing need was for an increase of funding for 
the framework programme and to progress with 
the establishment of the ERC�

‘efforts should be made to increase 
the competitiveness of Europe through 
innovation, stemming from harmonising 
developments of research with those of 
higher education’

30�  Scientific publication: policy on open access (De-
cember 2006) called for a clear policy at European 
level� The EC can play a role in three ways: as a 
funding, policy, and supporting body�

31�  Energising  Europe’s  knowledge  triangle  of  re-
search,  education  and  innovation  through  the 
Structural  Funds  (April  2007)�  EURAB  welcomed 
the joint effort of the EC to push forward the Re-
search, Education and Innovation (REI) dimension 
of the renewed Lisbon strategy, especially at the 
regional level� 

32�  Research management in ERA — education, com-
munication and exploitation (May 2007)� The board 
believes  that  education  is  essential,  to  raise  the 
level  of  skill  in  project  management  and  more 
generally  in  managing  research  strategy,  intelli-
gence and resources� Communication is vital, not 
just  between  functions  within  one  organisation 
but  increasingly  between  organisations  across 
Europe� Research cannot deliver the benefits that 
Europe  needs  without  managing  the  exploitation 
of results�

33�  Research  and  societal  engagement  (June  2007)� 
EURAB  recommended  that  researchers  are  ex-
posed to other perspectives of research and inno-
vation by integrating engagement societal actors 
into the university curriculum� Encouraging public 
engagement should be promoted as being benefi-
cial to researchers’ careers� Mechanisms need to 
be developed for societal actors to improve their 
research capacities and become involved in ETPs� 
Structures  for  partnerships  between  research-
ers  and  societal  actors  in  the  research  dialogue 
should  be  encouraged  and  societal  actors  in-
tegrated  into  the  various  stages  of  the  research 
evaluation process�

Science in Society (SIS)

103

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EURAB — the European Research Advisory Board

The evolution of EURAB: introducing ERAB

The  lesson  drawn  from  the  hard  work  and  success  of 
EURAB  is  that  any  following  advisory  structure  must 
contain  viewpoints  from  as  many  areas  as  possible� 
Every  effort  should  be  made  to  involve  leading  figures, 
acting truly independently but with access to the leading 
stakeholders in research�

On 15 October 2007, the first meeting took place of the 
European  Research  Area  Board  (ERAB)  Identification 
Committee� Its objectives are to reform EURAB, set up 
the new board and identify new members� The panel will 
submit its recommendations by January 2008�

ERAB  will  include  22  members  and  selection  will  be 
undertaken  by  the  Identification  Expert  Group�  This 
group  comprises  Dr  Claudie  Haigneré,  former  French 
minister for research and new technologies, Prof� Vaira 
Vike-Freiberga, former Latvian president, and Dr Andrew 
Dearing,  Secretary-General  of  the  European  Industrial 
Research Management Association�

104

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

For more information on EURAB and ERAB, log onto 
www�ec�europa�eu/research/eurab

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Directorate L

Science, Economy and Society Directorate

10

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Science, Economy and Society Directorate

Organisational Structure

The management responsibility of the Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities (SSH) theme under 
the Cooperation specific programme and the Science in Society (SIS) area under the Capacities specific 
programme rests with the Science, Economy and Society Directorate (Directorate L)�

106

W hile  three  units,  namely:  (1)  Research  in  the 

Economic, Social Sciences and Humanities —
Prospective; (2) Governance and Ethics; and (3) 
Scientific Culture and Gender Issues are more involved 
in the scientific content of projects (from selection to fi-
nal  report  stage),  their  activities  are  achieved  in  close 
cooperation with two other units: the Administration and 
Finance Unit, which coordinates the legal and financial 
aspects  of  the  management  of  projects,  and  the  Hori-
zontal Aspects and Coordination Unit, which coordinates 
the non-financial and non-legal issues regarding the im-
plementation of programmes�  

The Unit for Research in the Economic, Social Sciences 
and Humanities — Prospective is responsible for defining 
and  implementing  the  research  strategy  on  economic, 
social, and human sciences based on current research 
needs in Europe and requirements emanating from EU 
policies�  It  identifies  and  manages  research  projects 
most  suitable  to  this  strategy,  disseminates  research 
results  to  users,  policy  makers  and  stakeholders,  and 
promotes the use of these results� 

•  the interactions between world regions and gov-

ernance of these; 

•  the development of socio-economic and scientific 

indicators and foresight activities� 

The unit also launches initiatives designed to strengthen 
the EU scientific community in economic, social, and hu-
man  sciences,  with  a  view  to  reinforcing  the  European 
Research Area�

The  Unit  for  Governance  and  Ethics  is  responsible  for 
defining and supporting analysis and research, as well 
as  for  developing  and  fostering  strategies,  processes 
and  best  practices  that  contribute  to  a  more  inclusive 
and open approach to governance and ethics of RTD and 
innovation in Europe (based on a better understanding of 
their role and perception in society)�

The unit is also responsible for the following:

•  improving the role and quality of scientific advice 

in policy making; 

•  protecting fundamental rights in European Union 

Research is focused on: 

actions; 

•  growth,  employment  and  competitiveness  in  a 

knowledge society; 

•  consolidating  the  basis  for  sustainable  develop-

ment at European level; 

•  major societal trends and their implications; 

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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•  encouraging  international  dialogue  on  govern-

ance and ethics of science and technology; 

•  improving  the  knowledge  base  and  reflection  on 
citizenship and democracy, as well as the articu-
lation of rule of law and protection of human rights 
in the European Union and beyond (this includes 
the issues of conflicts and peace, and changes in 
international governance, such as multilateralism 
and external perceptions of Europe); 

•  ensuring that fundamental ethical principles are 
respected  in  the  implementation  of  the  frame-
work programme as a whole and in the research 
activities arising from the programme;

•  improving  access  to  publicly  funded  research 

results�

The  Unit  for  Scientific  Culture  and  Gender  Issues 
contributes  to  the  implementation  and  development  of 
European research policy in the areas of scientific culture, 
young  people  and  science,  and  equal  opportunities  in 
scientific research�

The unit is also responsible for defining and supporting 
research  activities  relating  to  major  trends  in  society, 
such  as  demographic  developments  and  migration, 
cultural  interactions  in  an  international  perspective 
(traditions of different societies, diversity, and problems 
of discrimination) and differences as well as similarities 
within Europe (historical origins, normative differences, 
cultural  heritage,  the  role  of  language,  arts  and 
religion)� 

The  unit  seeks  to  develop  synergies  with  relevant 
European policy areas for all of its activities and provides 
scientific  advice  to  European  policy  areas  based  on 
results from projects funded under its responsibility�

The  Unit  for  Administration  and  Finance  provides  the 
necessary  administrative,  legal,  budgetary,  financial 
and informatics advice and support to the units and the 
Directorate  as  a  whole,  so  that  they  accomplish  their 
respective missions� To achieve this, the unit is involved 
in  the  various  actions  of  the  Directorate,  particularly 
regarding 
framework 
implementation  of 
programme, in respect to the financial circuits adopted 
by the Directorate-General (DG)�

the 

the 

10

The  Unit  for  Horizontal  Aspects  and  Coordination 
coordinates  all  non-financial  and  non-legal  cross-
cutting issues regarding the implementation of the SSH 
theme  of  the  Cooperation  specific  programme  and  the 
SIS  area  of  the  Capacities  specific  programme  of  the 
Seventh  Framework  Programme�  It  supports  these 
activities through measures to increase the knowledge 
of  relevant  national  policies,  create  synergies,  and 
ensure  complementarities  with  other  parts  of  the 
framework programme, including background work for 
the development of relevant research infrastructures� 

The  unit  provides  the  interface  between  Directorate  L, 
other  Directorates  and  services,  external  bodies  (such 
as  the  relevant  Programme  Committees  and  Expert 
Advisory  Groups,  including  the  Scientific  Secretariat 
of  the  European  Research  Advisory  Board),  as  well  as 
other  relevant  national  and  international  groups  and 
organisations� It is responsible for the efficient planning, 
coordination  and  delivery  of  horizontal  functions  (non-
specific  to  the  thematic  units),  which  include  aspects 

Science, Economy and Society Directorate

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Organisational Structure

relating to international cooperation and implementation 
of  the  ERA-NET  scheme,  communication  activities  and 
strategic activity, planning and reporting�

The Communication Unit is also part of the Directorate� 
This unit is the “spokesperson” not only for Directorate 
L  but  for  all  the  Research  DGs�  Its  aim  is  to  provide 
and  improve  information  on  (as  well  as  access  to)  EU-
supported research programmes, projects and initiatives� 
Working in close cooperation with the DG’s scientific and 
horizontal  units,  it  promotes  the  visibility  of  European 
research, whether it be through publications, the Europa 
website, conferences, publications, the media and other 
activities�

Directorate  L  works  in  close  cooperation  with  other 
Research Directorates, such as the Unit for Universities 
and  Researchers  in  the  Directorate  for  the  European 
  This 
Research  Area:  Knowledge-Based  Economy� 
unit  conceives,  develops  and  implements  initiatives  to 
improve the careers and career mobility of researchers 
as well as to improve university-based research� It also 
provides the Research DG’s input for the development and 
implementation of the European Institute of Technology� 

The  Science,  Economy  and  Society  Directorate  began 
in  2007  with  some  104  staff  members�  This  number 
increased 
in  September  to  135,  when  the  DG’s 
Communication Unit joined the Directorate� This number 
is  made  up  of  69  administrators  and  national  experts 
working as managers, scientific and policy officers, and 
66  supporting  staff  dealing  mainly  with  administrative 
and financial procedures�

10

Socio-economic Sciences & Humanities and Science in Society in 2007 

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10

Directorate L staff

Science, Economy and Society Directorate

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SIS Annual-04.indd   110

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