President Dalia Grybauskaitė opened an international conference entitled Horizons for Social Sciences and Humanities as one of the events of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the EU on 24 September. The 400 participants included researchers, NGO representatives, international academic publishers and government institutions from EU member states. It is therefore “social sciences and humanities that allow us to better perceive ourselves and the surrounding environment, help find the answers to existential questions, as well as to understand our expectations and our own place in the world. The contribution by representatives of social sciences and humanities is important to our well-being as their ideas and enthusiasm build a road to a modern and strong Europe,” she said.

According to her, the social sciences and humanities deliver knowledge and experience to address conflicts and achieve peace through negotiations, collaborative work and communication – not by force or arms. Studies in these sciences offer society the communication and co-operation skills, a broad cultural outlook, and a humanistic approach to the world. The discussion included key aspects of promoting higher education in Europe and the role social sciences and humanities should play in implementing the strategic framework Horizon 2020. Horizon 2020 aims to boost scientific development, attract and foster talented people, develop research infrastructure, deal with today’s major social challenges, and to increase the EU’s global competitiveness.

The event provided a chance to Lithuania’s higher education institutions to establish new contacts with researchers and scientific organizations from other EU Member States, as well as to engage more actively in the European science policy process.