Publication released: Results of the European Research Infrastructure Conference “Facing the Future” – available online (Open Access)

ALLEA in cooperation with the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Data Forum (Rat SWD) has released a publication summerising the results of the conference “Facing the Future – European Research Infrastructure for the Humanities and Social Sciences” organised by the four institutions in November last year.

Working Group member Gerhard Lauer

Working Group member Gerhard Lauer

On that occasion, more than 70 social science and humanities experts, representatives from research policy and funding, and research infrastructure coordinators from 19 European countries met in Berlin to discuss emerging research issues and infrastructure needs, and to outline a roadmap for strengthening European research infrastructures in the social sciences and humanities in the years to come. The ALLEA Working Group E Humanities significantly contributed to the conference. Working Group Chair Sandra Collins co-chaired the session “Digital Humanities” and Working Group member Gerhard Lauer (picture) provided a lecture on present issues of the digital humanities (read more)

A publication condensing the lectures and outcomes of the conference has now been released in printed and digital format (open access): DUSA, Adrian; NELLE, Dietrich; STOCK, Günter; WAGNER, Gert. G.: Facing the Future: European Research Infrastructures for the Humanities and Social Sciences. 1. Aufl. Berlin: Scivero Verlag, 2014.

In 20 articles the authors discuss current challenges and future advancements of European research infrastructures for the humanities and social sciences, particularly in view of the funding scheme Horizon 2020 and the ESRFI Roadmap update. Starting with an overview of SSH infrastructures it elaborates on four specific areas that increasingly demand a pan-European approach. Drawing from the SSH infrastructure projects´ experience, it then (re-) defines the requirements and potential for next generation infrastructure projects.

The conference was held as part of the pan-European “Survey and Analysis of Basic Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities” (SASSH) at the science academies, learned societies, and related research institutes of Europe that is currently being conducted by ALLEA in close cooperation with the Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities. Running from August 2013 until April 2015 the project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Many of the ALLEA member academies have already contributed to the project by submitting information about their respective SSH research projects. The initial phase of collecting data has now been closed. With a total of more than 600 answers the survey provides a substantial database of which first analyses can be drawn.

More information about the ALLEA Working Group E Humanities can be found here.