Interdisciplinarity in Times of Crisis: Why the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Matter

Recorded May 14, 2020. The SHAPE-ID project (Shaping
Interdisciplinary Practices in Europe) is funded by the European
Commission to develop recommendations and tools for policy makers,
funders, researchers, Universities and others on improving
interdisciplinary cooperation between the Arts, Humanities and
Social Sciences (AHSS) and STEMM (Sciences, Technology,
Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) disciplines.
Interdisciplinarity in Times of Crisis: Why the Arts, Humanities
and Social Sciences Matter Immediate responses to the COVID-19
crisis have understandably tended to focus on funding research that
can fight the virus. At the same time, our world and ways of living
have changed suddenly and radically, and there is a widespread
sense that we cannot return to the old “normal”. Panellists will
discuss why it remains important to take seriously the perspectives
coming from Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences research in times
of crisis, and how we can work to ensure real collaboration between
these and other scientific approaches in understanding the crisis
and preparing for the post-crisis world. Professor Jane Ohlmeyer,
Principal Investigator of the SHAPE-ID project, Director of the
Trinity Long Room Hub and Chair of the Irish Research Council, will
chair the discussion. Panellists Gabi Lombardo is the Director of
the European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities
(www.eassh.eu), the largest advocacy and science policy
organisation for social sciences and humanities in Europe. She is
an expert in both higher education and global research policy and
has extensive high-level experience operating at the interface of
strategy, science policy, research support and funding. Gabi has
senior-level experience in strategic and ‘foresight’ planning in
elite higher education institutions, international research funders
and associations, having worked with the London School of Economics
(LSE), the European Research Council (ERC) and Science Europe (SE).
David Budtz Pedersen is Professor of Science Communication and
Director of the Humanomics Research Centre at Aalborg University,
Denmark. His research focuses on science communication, impact
assessment, and science and technology policy. He is the Principal
Investigator of ‘Responsible Impact’ (2016-2020), ‘Open Research
Analytics’ (2018-2021) and ‘Mapping the Public Value of Humanities’
(2017-2021). He is the Chair of the EU Commission COST Expert Group
on Science Communication. Alongside his research, David is adviser
to the Danish Government and European Commission, dealing with Open
Science, research impact and science advice. Daniel Carey, MRIA, is
Director of the Moore Institute for the Humanities and Social
Studies at NUI Galway and Professor of English in the School of
English and Creative Arts. He is a Vice-President of the Royal
Irish Academy and a board member of the Irish Research Council. He
was Chair of the Irish Humanities Alliance 2014-16. Overview of the
discussions Mission Covid-19: Global problems need a portfolio
approach Gabi Lombardo, European Alliance for Social Sciences and
Humanities Learn more at: https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/