Don’t just complain, take the lead! Social Sciences and Humanities must look to integrate into Horizon 2020 targets.

It is a crucial point in time for the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) to demonstrate their value and relevance. Nothing would be more fatal than to fall back to the “complaining mode”, argues Helga Nowotny, President of the European Research Council. Rather, SSH must accept the fact that integration into policy research programmes is necessary and beneficial. Furthermore, disciplines themselves must take the lead to ensure this integration doesn’t turn into box-ticking, empty rhetoric.