Greater international focus thanks to ERA-NETs

Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences is becoming more international. This is reflected in the SNSF’s participation in a number of ERA-NET initiatives which aim to improve research cooperation among EU members and associated states. Since April 2015, the SNSF has been a full member of the ERA-NET NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe), which is dedicated to strengthening international cooperation in the social sciences. The SNSF is also participating in the ERA-NET HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area), which aims to strengthen the humanities at European level. As a result, researchers in Switzerland were able to submit proposals to the 2015 call of the joint research programme “Uses of the Past”, which focuses on pressing societal questions of identity, integration, political legitimacy and cultural dynamics. More than 80 pre-proposals with Swiss participation were submitted.