HERA – Humanities in the European Research Area – is a partnership between 26 Humanities Research Councils across Europe and the European Commission, with the objective of firmly establishing the humanities in the European Research Area and in the European Commission Framework Programmes. We are committed to leading and developing funding opportunities for humanities researchers in Europe.
Background
The origins of HERA go back to 2002 when the Danish, Dutch and Irish Research Councils established a European Network of Research Councils aimed at co-ordinating support for humanities research across Europe. In 2004, the network re-named itself ‘Humanities in the European Research Area’ (HERA) and increased its membership to 14 partner agencies. From 2004 to 2009 the HERA network was supported with funding by the EU Framework Programme 6’s ERA-Net co-funding scheme with the objective of bringing national research programmes together to strengthen the European platform for the humanities. By 2017, HERA’s membership has grown to 26 research funding agencies in 25 countries.
HERA Mission
The mission of HERA is to promote and support European arts and humanities research through research funding, collaboration and advocacy. We are committed to the view that historical, cultural, artistic and philosophical knowledge is indispensable for understanding humanity’s past, for dealing with the key societal challenges of the present, and for imagining possible futures. We support the methods of reflective critique, transnational collaboration and interdisciplinarity. We are dedicated to building relationships among humanities researchers across Europe and enabling the widespread sharing of knowledge and expertise. We are also committed to bringing arts and humanities research into productive dialogue with policy-makers, industry and the wider public
HERA is dedicated to
- pooling national and European funding to support innovative, collaborative humanities-focused research across borders
- developing humanities-focused research questions that require a transnational and multi-disciplinary approach
- supporting knowledge exchange with a wide range of stakeholders
- assisting in capacity-building for collaborative humanities research
- sharing knowledge and best practice in joint research programming
- giving a strong voice to the humanities in the European Research Area
HERA Public Spaces (2019-2022)
HERA launched a new funding call in 2017. We are seeking innovative humanities-led research proposals addressing the theme ‘Public Spaces: Culture and Integration in Europe’