Thematic Areas
The ESF represents all scientific fields. To promote high quality science at a European level ESF manages this wide ranging portfolio of activities under five main disciplinary headings:
In order to achieve its aims, ESF has developed 5 Standing Committees which include almost all the scientific disciplines in which all the Member Organisations are represented. These Committees are the responsible groups for supervising the activities of ESF and they are described as follows:
- European Medical Research Councils (EMRC)
EMRC, the European Medical Research Councils is the membership organisation for all the Medical Research Councils in Europe under the European Science Foundation in Strasbourg (France). The mission of the European Medical Research Councils (EMRC) is to promote innovative medical research and its clinical application towards improved human health. EMRC offers authoritative strategic advice for policy making, research management, ethics, and better health services. In its activities, EMRC serves as a voice of its Member Organisations and the European scientific community. EMRC disseminates knowledge and promotes the socio-economic value of medical research to the general public and the decision makers. - Standing Committee for the Life and Environmental Sciences (LESC) The Life, Earth and Environmental Standing Committee aims to better understand biological, environmental and Earth systems across time and space. It covers activities from molecular and systems biology to global change of the environment. LESC facilitates new activities in interdisciplinary areas by initiating and funding networks and projects. Many LESC projects have involved policy makers and industry.
- Standing Committee for the Physical and Engineering Sciences (PESC) The goal of the ESF Standing Committee for Physical and Engineering Sciences (PESC) is to become the pan-European platform for innovative research and competitive new ideas while addressing societal issues in a more effective and sustainable manner. The Committee is a unique cross-disciplinary group, with networking activities comprising a good mix of experimental and theoretical approaches. It distinguishes itself by focusing on fundamental research and engineering. PESC covers the following broad spectrum of fields;
- chemistry
- mathematics
- informatics and the computer sciences
- physics
- fundamental engineering sciences
- materials sciences
- Standing Committee for the Humanities (SCH)
SCH encourages the exchange between different currents and traditions of Humanities research in Europe, which have contributed to its many linguistically and culturally distinct identities. SCH seeks to better interconnect these rich diversities by developing cross-national research infrastructures for the Humanities. SCH supports “bottom-up”, basic research in mono- and multidisciplinary frameworks, and aspires at refining methodologies and practices for the integration of humanities research into foresight activities, which will lead towards the production of new knowledge and improved understanding. Humanities research investigates transcultural and supranational challenges on a global scale, thus lending meaning to the complexity of modern societies, for example through comparative studies of science and societal values, religion and migration. SCH strives towards research that can transcend dichotomies between the natural and human sciences. Current topics of research include studies of consciousness, human dignity, and culture and sustainability. Humanities research addresses complex fields such as health and disease, cognitive science, globalisation and integration, and the impact of technological innovation on individuals and societies in past and present. - Standing Committee for the Social Sciences (SCSS)
The social sciences are key to the understanding of many of Europe’s societal issues such as the balance between economic growth and impact on the environment. In other words the social sciences examine what it means to be a social being, ranging from the minutiae of human behaviour and brain functions, to large scale social movements, demographics, economics and politics. The ESF’s Social Sciences Unit aims to advance social sciences on a European level by supporting innovative research ideas and approaches driving from the scientific community. The Social Sciences Unit encompasses a range of disciplines that examine and explain human functioning on a variety of interlocking levels, ranging from neural foundations to individual behavior, group processes and the functioning of entire societies.
ESF also has five (5) Expert Committees and Boards which focus on specific areas of interest for Europe and which are closely cooperating with the Standing Committees. Theses Expert Committees are:
· Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF)
· European Space Science Committee (ESSC)
· Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee (NuPECC)
· ESF Marine Board (ESF-MB)
· European Polar Board (EPB)