The objective is to generate an in-depth, shared understanding of complex and interrelated socio-economic challenges Europe is confronted with, such as growth, employment and competitiveness, social cohesion, social, cultural and educational challenges in an enlarged European Union, sustainability, migration and integration, quality of life and global interdependence, in particular with the view of providing an improved knowledge base for
policies in the fields concerned.

Socio-economic sciences and humanities (SSH), by their nature, enable us to understand the way in which societies are organised and governed and how they evolve and change. The 2009 work programme capitalises on findings from previous research and concentrates on EU political priorities that require attention in a medium-term perspective: growth and jobs, competitiveness and the knowledge economy, sustainable Europe, modernisation of the Social Agenda, migration, putting the citizen first and Europe as a world partner.

The focus is on the production of new interdisciplinary knowledge, the interface with the needs and expectations of policy-makers and other interested stakeholders, and on strengthening the capability of the socio-economic sciences and humanities to contribute to the continuing development of the European Research Area. Additionally, based on an explicit demand by the scientific community, and the Member States, the work programme ensures that humanities research receives proper attention by drawing on the rich knowledge and experience of humanities researchers in addressing European challenges. In consequence proposals are expected to:
• Provide a comparative perspective and the largest possible European coverage in
relation to the research topics described in this work programme.
• Achieve co-operation within and between disciplines to the degree which is most
appropriate for the issues addressed.
• Involve, as appropriate, users and stakeholders in the implementation of the project.
• Define and pursue appropriate strategies for making the data generated in the project
available to the broader research community