SSRG Newsletter - January 2001: Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences

Academy E.Mail Newsletter Issue 2000/06 13 December 2000

This edition contains information about European funding for the social sciences.

The policy focus is on the idea of a European Research Area (ERA), to reinforce the technical and scientific base for research across Europe as a whole.

The means of supporting an ERA have not been finalised, but on the agenda is the possibility of supporting very large programmes of research. This could mean a delegation of research powers and responsibilities to, say, a co-ordinating team in one country. Also, research infrastructure would be provided. These developments would represent a major departure for the Commission and member governments, but would have major advantages for the European research community.

There are moves to prepare the ground for the ERA proposal the most significant of which is Mapping Excellence, ie, discovering where the best work is done, and by whom. The Academy would like to know how and where the best European research springs from. Furthermore, we want to be able to capture information about the great deal of excellent work being done by new entrants to the profession.

Peer Review

The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP), the European Association of Science Editors (EASE) and the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences (The Academy) are conducting a joint survey to discover how Peer Review is typically carried out at ' present in different disciplines. The findings will be discussed at a joint seminar on 'Best Practice in Peer Review', to be held on 17 January 2001.

More Social Scientists Needed!

A recent report commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has shown that the European Union's Fifth Framework Programme (FPV) needs more input from social scientists.

The 15 billion Euro FPV funding programme has adopted a multi-disciplinary, problem oriented approach that seeks to promote the exploitation of innovations and to contribute to policy goals of wealth creation, sustainability and the quality of life. Social scientists can now make an important contribution to FPVs Thematic Programmes of Research and Technology Development (RTD), through focussed studies and interdisciplinary RTD projects, as well as its specific social science programme: Improving the Socio-Economic Knowledge Base.

Please see Lyall, C.,Tait, J. and Williams, R., European Fifth Framework Programme: Support for UK Social Science Participation in the Key Actions May 2000.
Contact Scottish Universities Policy, Research and Advice Network for details

Information about the different types of activity funded by FPV can be found at www.ukro.ac.uk