The EU's Horizon Europe programme calls for interdisciplinary research teams. But how do you find suitable project partners? It's easy: with the SSH-STEM VernetzBar, the new digital platform for interdisciplinary networking between researchers from the social sciences and humanities (SSH) and STEM disciplines (STEM).
NKS Gesellschaft
Collaboration between the humanities and social sciences (SSH) and the STEM subjects (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology) is becoming increasingly important in European research. Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027), is designed to be inter- and transdisciplinary in order to tackle current societal challenges in the EU. But how do researchers from different disciplines come together nationally and beyond Germany's borders?
NKS Gesellschaft
The National Contact Points (NCPs) are the first point of contact for researchers who need support in submitting applications or finding partners. The NCP teams, which are based in EU member states, offer targeted advice on funding opportunities in Horizon Europe, including in Germany. They help to optimally design the application for interdisciplinary projects - throughout the entire process, from selecting the right programme area to finding potential partners. As the name suggests, the newly developed SSH-STEM VernetzBar of the local NCP Society makes networking easier.
The aim of the SSH-STEM VernetzBar is to facilitate interdisciplinary networking between German stakeholders from the various disciplines in order to submit successful applications for SSH-flagged call topics in Horizon Europe together with partner organisations from other countries. The VernetzBar offers the opportunity - initially at national level - to arrange targeted bilateral meetings with experts from other disciplines, initiate new collaborations and jointly build innovative research consortia.
On 2 April 2025, the time has come: At the launch event, the NCP Society will present the "SSH Integration" concept and the functionalities of the VernetzBar. Representatives of the National Contact Points will provide an initial overview of the objectives and structure of their respective clusters. They will provide examples of what a topic in which the participation of stakeholders from the humanities and social sciences is required might look like and provide an insight into SSH-flagged, i.e. specially marked topics in clusters 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Take the opportunity to network, discover new horizons and shape the future of research together. Register now and become part of the VernetzBar community!
The National Contact Point Society (NCP Society) is responsible for the humanities and social sciences in Germany. It works on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and is based at the Project Management Agency at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR Project Management Agency). The experts at the NCP Society provide information, advice and networking. They help researchers as well as stakeholders from the cultural and creative industries, administration, civil society and other interested parties to identify funding opportunities in Horizon Europe's Cluster 2 "Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society", to set up consortia and to formulate their applications in a suitable and appropriate manner. In addition, the NCP Society provides specific information on possible participation of the humanities and social sciences in other research areas (SSH Integration): In almost all funding areas of Horizon Europe, as well as in the missions, the partnerships and the New European Bauhaus Facility, participation of the humanities and social sciences is possible and desired!
Horizon Europe is the European Union's ninth research framework programme and the world's largest single funding programme for research and innovation. It aims to build a knowledge- and innovation-based society and a competitive economy while contributing to sustainable development. Horizon Europe contributes to the implementation of the European Commission's political guidelines. It plays a particularly important role in the digital and green transitions. Horizon Europe will have a budget of around 95.5 billion euros for the programme period from 2021-2027.
