EASSH members

FORS is the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences. We implement large-scale national and international surveys, offer data and research information services to researchers and academic institutions, and conduct methodological and thematic research. FORS is financed by the Federal Government (State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI), by contributions from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and by the University of Lausanne.

Our strategic priorities are the following:

• Data and consulting services for social science researchers and research institutions in Switzerland

This includes data collections as part of the national and international social science infrastructure and services on a mandate basis supporting the entire data life cycle of social science projects in Switzerland.

• Providing tools for the national and international information infrastructure

We acquire, document, preserve and disseminate high quality quantitative and qualitative data and research information in conformity with national and international standards.

• Doing research related to methodological and thematic research

Thanks to its own research activities, FORS is an integral part of the social science research community in Switzerland. To fulfil its key mission, FORS participates in academic research in two main fields: thematic and methodological research.

In Belgium, Ghent University has been a pioneer in its strategy for quality enhancement and impact of SSH research since 2012. Supportive measures included a structural investment in interdisciplinary research consortia in the fields of culture & heritage, psychology, global studies, criminology and economics.

In 2018-2019, the university reinforced its efforts, leveraging these consortia towards even more ambitious interdisciplinary collaborations and societal impact. Next, UGent funded a university-wide roll-out of the initiative. There now exist ten competitively selected Interdisciplinary Consortia for Societal Impact (IDC), covering a wide variety of disciplines in SSH and STEMM, and breaking down traditional barriers inside academia as well as with stakeholders.

HERA – Humanities in the European Research Area – is a network of 26 Humanities Research Funders from 25 countries across Europe. The network’s mission is to promote and support European arts and humanities research through research funding, collaboration and advocacy.

HERA is committed to the view that historical, cultural, artistic and philosophical knowledge is indispensable for understanding humanity’s past, for dealing with the key societal challenges of the present, and for imagining possible futures. HERA supports the methods of reflective critique, transnational collaboration and interdisciplinarity and is dedicated to building relationships among humanities researchers across Europe and enabling the widespread sharing of knowledge and expertise.

HERA is also committed to bringing arts and humanities research into productive dialogue with policymakers, industry and the wider public. With the objective of firmly establishing the humanities in the European Research Area and in the European Commission Framework Programmes, HERA, with co-funding from the European Commission, has developed and implemented four rounds of transnational humanities calls for proposals to date.

Humanistica est l’association francophone des humanités numériques/digitales. Elle cherche à réunir autour d’actions communes toutes les personnes intéressées par le mouvement des digital humanities telles qu’elles peuvent s’exercer et se penser en langue française.

Humanistica is the French-speaking digital humanities association. It seeks to unite all those interested in the digital humanities movement around common actions that can be practiced and thought of in the French language.

Humtank is a think tank for research and education in the humanities created by a unique collaboration between faculties of humanities at originally twelve and, from the autumn of 2017, fifteen Swedish universities. The purpose is to strengthen and enhance the role of the humanities both within and outside academic institutions. We also want to explain to the public the relevance and sustainability of the humanities in society as a whole.

We operate on a broad front and participate in public debate with the aim of establishing a humanities-oriented research policy and a fairer distribution of educational resources, as well as changing the public's perception of and attitudes towards the humanities.

The Irish Humanities Alliance (IHA) was formed in September 2013. It is a joint initiative of Humanities researchers within eleven higher education and research institutions, including all of the universities, North and South, Dublin Institute of Technology and the Royal Irish Academy.

The Alliance is working to generate public awareness of the importance of humanities teaching and research in higher education and society at large. It is concerned also to inform and shape public policy in both jurisdictions and in the EU.

The Alliance has established working groups to address the main areas of strategy which impinge on the roles of the humanities in education and research today. Through these it will aim to engage productively with policymakers and funders in the wider interests of the university systems in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Institute for Social Research is an independent research institute in Oslo. The Institute for Social Research is organised as a foundation and has, since its establishment in 1950, played a vital role in the development of Norwegian social research.

The main research topics of the institute are: working life, media and the public sphere, gender equality, migration and integration, civil society, elections and democracy, and welfare.

The International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) is a global Humanities and Social Sciences institute and a knowledge exchange platform that supports with programmes which engage Asian and other international partners.

IIAS aims to contribute to a better and more integrated understanding of present-day Asian realities as well as to rethink 'Asian Studies' in a changing global context. 

IIAS takes a thematic and multisectoral approach to the study of Asia and actively involves scholars and experts from different disciplines and regions in its activities. IIAS thus acts as a global mediator, bringing together academic and non-academic actors. Its current thematic research clusters are Asian Heritages, Asian Cities, and Global Asia.

The activities of these clusters are all built around the notion of social agency and address questions relevant to present-day Asian societies, while paying attention to their cultural and historical contexts.

The Institute was established in 1993 by the Dutch Ministry of Education, originally as a joint cooperation between the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and three Dutch universities. It was established with the objective to encourage the interdisciplinary study of Asia and to promote national and international cooperation.

Today, IIAS is based at Leiden University, where it works as a globally oriented interdisciplinary institute with strong connections throughout the Netherlands, Europe, Asia and beyond. IIAS also acts as Secretariat for the International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) and the European Alliance for Asian Studies (EAAS).

KU Leuven is an international community where innovative research forms the basis of all our academic programmes. Across the university, driven researchers and curious students continually gain new insights and use their knowledge to tackle the foremost challenges of our time.

KU Leuven will celebrate its 600^th anniversary in 2025, making it one of Europe’s oldest universities. Our institution has the double honour of being the oldest university in the Low Countries and the oldest extant Catholic university in the world.

Today, KU Leuven accommodates 50,000 students, spread across the various campuses in Leuven and elsewhere in Flanders. The University and University Hospitals Leuven each employ almost 10,000 people. For research, KU Leuven ranks among the world’s finest. KU Leuven has become a cosmopolitan institution in a rapidly changing urban environment. Its unique profile reconciles cutting-edge science with quality of life and openness to talent.

KU Leuven is dedicated to education and research in nearly all fields. Its fifteen faculties offer classes and degree-granting academic programmes, whilst research activities are organised by departments and research groups. These faculties and departments are clustered into three thematic groups: Humanities and Social Sciences, Science, Engineering and Technology (SET), and Biomedical Sciences. Each of these groups sponsors its own doctoral school for organising and awarding doctoral degrees.

KU Leuven boasts thirteen campuses, spread across 10 cities in Flanders.

Maastricht University is the most international university in the Netherlands and, with 18,000 students and 4,400 employees, is still growing. The university stands out for its innovative education model, international character and multidisciplinary approach to research and education.

Thanks to its high-quality research and study programmes as well as a strong focus on social engagement, UM has quickly built up a solid reputation. Today it is considered one of the best young universities in the world.

Founded in 1919, shortly after the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia, Masaryk University and its academic community have significantly contributed to the development of free and democratic Czechoslovakia.

Its activities are rooted in and guided by the values of respect, freedom and responsibility.
Today, Masaryk University with its highly international and dynamic environment, continues in the esteemed tradition of playing significant roles across all three main domains of higher education institutions – education, excellent research, and societal contribution and service to the community. The university comprises ten faculties and two research institutes, employing over seven thousand employees, and offers over 150 study programmes, with 20 per cent of these taught in English. It educates 33,000 students, including 7,000 from abroad, who all enjoy studying in Brno – one of the most popular student cities in the world.

It continuously improves its standings in international university rankings and, in the 2023 QS Sustainability Rankings, it was placed as the best of all Czech higher education institutions. Principles of sustainable development are integral to the university’s culture.

Masaryk University is dedicated to educating future leaders and stands as a leader and trendsetter in education, research, and culture. As a dynamic, growing and socially responsible higher education institution, it also prides itself on being a responsible and attractive employer, earnestly upholding principles of transparency, equality and non-discrimination. The university supports its employees in achieving their professional goals while also promoting a healthy a work-life balance.

Within Horizon Europe, there are so-called National Contact Points (NCPs) – dedicated research consulting bureaus – which provide support and guidance in preparing proposals and project realisation. The EU funded project “Net4Society” is the international network of National Contact Points for Cluster 2, “Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society”.

The main goal of Net4Society is both to improve the quality of consulting and to support researchers in submitting successful proposals in this funding area as well as to increase the visibility of SSH research. National Contact Points are available to applicants in all EU member states and many other countries. They provide individual guidance and support in the application for European research funding for free.

Net4Society was originally founded in 2008 during the 7th European Research Framework Programme (FP7, 2007-2013) as the network of National Contact Points for Socio-Economic Sciences and the Humanities (SSH). Since 2008, Net4Society has been increasing the quality of consulting in the field of social sciences and humanities and currently for SC6, through capacity building and networking measures. Currently, over 80 NCPs in 59 countries in Europe and beyond are part of the network.

The Network brings together 25 Institutes for Advanced Study across Europe. It was created in 2004 to stimulate a dialogue on IAS practices and possible forms of cooperation. Within the whole network, more than 500 researchers are hosted every year for up to one full academic year.

NetIAS members share the objective of creating international and multidisciplinary learning communities. This openness and the freedom the fellows enjoy for their researches serve to promote scientific and intellectual exchanges. The fellows are released from their usual teaching and research obligations and pursue their project in a privileged environment, that stimulates reflexion and innovation.  IAS tend to break from the intellectual routines, thus fostering the emergence of new perspectives, approaches and paradigms.

While sharing a common vision concerning the freedom of research, and representing an alternative to the national institutions of higher education and research, the IAS offer a considerable diversity in terms of fellowship conditions: individual or collective fellowships; invitations or open calls for applications; one academic year residencies or shorter periods. Furthermore, their scientific policies are characterized by different thematic or geographical orientations, a diverse openness to natural and hard sciences, or a special commitment to promoting early career researchers.

NORCE is an independent research institute that conducts research for both public and private sectors, to facilitate informed and sustainable choices for the future.

NORCE delivers research and innovation in energy, health care, climate, the environment, society and technology. Solutions address key challenges for society and contribute to value creation on the local, national and global levels. NORCE contributes to the adaptation of industry and business – in conjunction with businesses and universities, clusters and centres.

In addition, NORCE has an important role in research-based renewal of the public sector. We are represented throughout Norway. Our large local presence enables close collaboration with unique centres of excellence, as well as the business community and public authorities. This is all beneficial to research. NORCE is also represented in Brussels with an EU-office. The Head of Office is Sumathi Subramaniam.

NTNU is an international oriented university with headquarters in Trondheim and campuses in Gjøvik and Ålesund.

NTNU has a main profile in science and technology, a variety of programmes of professional study, and great academic breadth that also includes the humanities, social sciences, economics, medicine, health sciences, educational science, architecture, entrepreneurship, art disciplines and artistic activities. 

NTNU has five strategic research areas: Civil security, Ocean & Coast, Community, Energy, and Health & Life science.