Social Sciences & Humanities (SSH): new name for ESFRI SWG

ESFRI is pleased to announce an official update: The Social and Cultural Innovation (SCI) Strategy Working Group has undergone a name change to Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH).

Social Sciences and Humanities is widely used as a disciplinary description in Europe, at the national level in many countries and by the respective research communities themselves. The earlier name “Social and Cultural Innovation”, was not an established term outside ESFRI, nor even within ESFRI. For many stakeholders, it was not entirely clear what SCI stands for and what it encompasses. With the name change, it is immediately clear which scholarly domains SSH research infrastructures belong to, thus helping us to increase the visibility of the field. “I am extremely happy about the name change”, said Chair of the SWG SSH Hanna Snellman, after the 86th ESFRI Forum decision.
 
The Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) Landscape covers a wide range of academic disciplines, which help us to understand ourselves, others, and the human societies and cultures around us. Besides the individual disciplines in the Social Sciences and Humanities, SSH contributes to multidisciplinary research, for example in the fields of environmental, health, security, urban studies, science and technology studies, as well as providing significant societal impact. 
 
The vision of the group is to advocate for and demonstrate the value of SSH Research Infrastructures (RIs) as being both essential for excellent research in the Social Sciences and Humanities, and crucial for stimulating the multi and transdisciplinary research to tackle today’s societal challenges. To ensure this vision becomes a reality, the SWG SSH monitors and assesses the implementation of existing SSH RIs and shares best practices between them. Furthermore, the group scans the horizon for innovations which can be embedded into SSH RIs to support the evolving needs of researchers in the Social Sciences and Humanities.