Strategic Research Area : Transformation of Contemporary Societies
Profilschwerpunkt Wandel | SRA Transformation
The UDE's Strategic Research Area "Transformation of Contemporary Societies" is dedicated to researching current social change. The Research Area's primary focus is on analysing phenomena related to the formation of social order in a borderless world, i.e. social, political, and economic dynamics that lead to the dissolution, shifting, or redefinition of national borders. Continuous analysis of this complex interplay has brought together over 115 UDE researchers and engendered regional, national, and international research projects and collaborations.
European Research Council ERC Advanced Grant
Are you an established, leading principal investigator who wants long-term funding to pursue a ground-breaking, ambitious project? The ERC Advanced Grant could be for you:
Principal Investigators (PI) are expected to be active researchers who have a track-record of significant research achievements. Applicants can be made in any field of research. Research must be conducted in a public or private research organisation (Host Institution). The HI can be where the applicant already works, or any other HI located in one of the EU Member States or associated countries.
ERC grants support projects carried out by an individual researcher who can employ researchers of any nationality as team members. It is also possible to have one or more team members located in a non-European country.
Advanced Grants may be awarded up to EUR 2.5 million for a period of 5 years (pro rata of projects of shorter education).
If you are interested in applying or are already working on your application, the SSC's EU Office will be happy to provide further information and guidance.
European Research Council ERC Plus Grant
The European Research Council recently launched new funding scheme: The ERC Plus Grant. ERC Plus Grants are geared to support outstanding researchers from Europe and anywhere in the world with bold ideas and a vision for transofrmative research that goes beyond the scope of existing ERC programmes.
Scholars at all career stages can apply for an ERC Plus Grant if they have an outstanding record of scientific achievement at the forefront of their field. Researchers may only hold one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime.
Applications can be made in any field of research. Research must be conducted in a public or private research organisation (Host Institution). The HI can be where the applicant already works, or any other HI located in one of the EU Member States or associated countries.
ERC Plus Grants are awarded for a miminum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. The maximum grant size is EUR 7 million with no possibility to request addtional funding.
If you are interested in applying, please contact the SSC's EU Office for further information.
College for Social Sciences and Humanities International Senior Fellowship Programme 2027/2028
The College for Social Sciences and Humanities is once again offering up to 20 Senior Fellowships to international researchers in the social sciences and the humanities. The call for applications for research stays starting in 2027 is open until 15 May 2026.
The Senior Fellowship Programme addresses established scholars in the social sciences and the humanities who feature an internationally recognised, outstanding research profile and are active members of a foreign university or research institution. Within the interdisciplinary environment of the College, Senior Fellows can work on independent research projects and expand their networks over the course of six months. Through the tandem principle, the programme enables researchers at the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) to establish new international collaborations or to expand existing contacts with renowned scholars abroad.
The College hosts up to ten Senior Fellows per half-year, with research stays commencing in March and September 2027 respectively. Beyond exceptional academic achievements, the selection criteria include the quality and collaborative character of the research project and its potential for innovation for the UA Ruhr.
Eligible candidates are welcome to submit their applications via the website of the College until 15 May 2026.
Through the Fellowship Programme, the College for Social Sciences and Humanities seeks to promote excellence in research in the social sciences and humanities within the UA Ruhr and to intensify international cooperation with top-level researchers worldwide. Since the programme was launched in spring 2024, the College has already hosted 36 fellows.
Contact: Sophia-Helena Zwaka, Fellow Management | phone: +49 201 183 6543, e-mail: fellowship[a]college-uaruhr.de
Aurora 2030 Research & Innovation Call for Incentive Research & Education Collaboration
Building on the success of the Aurora R&I programme Aurora is launching a new Call for Incentive Research and Education Collaboration.
This new call aims to address the intersection between research and education and incentivises the formation of original collaborative research and research-driven educational in Aurora’s six thematic hubs:
- Sustainability and Climate Change
- Digital Society and Global Citizenship
- Health and Wellbeing
- Culture: Identities and Diversities
- Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Peace Education
The call supports three key actions:
Exploratory and Collaborative Research Projects built at the interface between research and education, contribute to the increase of knowledge, address societal challenges, and develop long-term research communities within Aurora, creating perspectives for large-scale funding opportunities in the future.
Thematic Schools and Intensive Research Seminars focused on disciplinary and multi-disciplinary training that serve as a career development opportunity, a knowledge sharing hub and a network/community building activity for the participants and lecturers.
Short-term Secondments for Research and/or Training for Early-stage career Researcher (Master, PhD, Postdocs) regarding short-term mobility for up to 3 months in a research laboratory or research unit of an Aurora 2030 full member university: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Iceland, University of Duisburg-Essen, University Federico II of Naples, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Universität Innsbruck, Palacký University Olomouc, Copenhagen Business School, and Université Paris-Est Créteil.
SRA Transformation of Contemporary Societies
The University of Duisburg-Essen's
Strategic Research Area "Transformation of Contemporary Societies" (SRA Transformation)
is dedicated to researching current social change.
The Strategic Research Area's primary focus is analysing phenomena related to the formation of social order in a borderless world, i.e. social, political, and economic dynamics that lead to the dissolution, shifting, or redefinition of national borders.
Continuous analysis of this complex interplay has brought together over 115 UDE research- ers and engendered regional, national, and international research projects and collaborations. Members of SRA Transformation are supported by university research infrastrutures across five faculties as well as a ten central research units and affiliated institutes. SRA Transformation's research focus brings together individual disciplines in the social sciences, economics, the humanites, and education, as well as regional and sectoral expertise.
The research projects situated within SRA Transformation's field of study are key building blocks for a better understanding of social change and the formation of social order in the context of a borderless world. They also form the foundation for SRA Transformation to achieve strategic goals with regard to developing and furthering the UDE's research profile across the humanities and social science disciplines, while also furthering internationalizaton processes and supporting early-career researchers.
Global and transnational Governance
Governance bezeichnet allgemein die Steuerung komplexer Organisationen, insbesondere von staatlichen Strukturen. Globale Governance ist die Steuerung von strukturellen Allokationsmechanismen zwischen Staaten oder durch einzelne Staaten, die die ganze Welt oder einen Großteil der Welt umfassen. Transnationale Governance ist der globalen Governance übergeordnet und bezeichnet die Grenzen des Nationalstaates überschreitende Steuerung, auch in im Kleinen. Welche Formen effizienter Steuerung im Spannungsfeld zwischen Nationalstaaten und Globalisierung sind möglich? Was sind die ordnungsbildenden Strukturen, auf denen aufbauend Governance (noch) stattfinden kann? Welchen Spielraum haben gesellschaftliche und wirtschaftliche Akteure in den „neuen“ Steuerungsstrukturen?
Transformation of Risk and Care
Die Wohlfahrt von Menschen und Gesellschaften ist neuen Herausforderungen ausgesetzt, die durch globale Veränderungen wie Deindustrialisierung, Tertiärisierung, demographischen Wandel, Klimawandel und politische Veränderungen ins Rollen gebracht werden. Dabei ändern sich die Risikostrukturen für individuelle, wirtschaftliche, gesellschaftliche und politische Akteure. Wie gehen diese Akteure mit den neuen Herausforderungen um? Was bedingt die unterschiedlichen Kristallisationen von Risiken und Wohlfahrt für unterschiedliche Akteure? Wie entwickelt sich der Komplexitätsgrad von Risiken und darauffolgenden Konsequenzen für Individuen und kollektive Akteure?
Translational Labor Markets
Nation-states are increasingly facing labor markets whose boundaries no longer align with their own. As a result, work is being performed in evolving contexts that create new challenges not only for labor market participants but also for governments, labor unions, and employer associations. How can work be organized under such circumstances? How is work perceived? What are the conditions for “good work”?
International Migration
International migration is a defining feature of the world at the beginning of the 21st century. Its causes in both countries of origin and destination, as well as its cultural, social, economic, and political consequences, are key components of social and political governance. The international comparative analysis of these patterns from an interdisciplinary perspective is a central focus of this research profile. Who migrates and why? What are the macro- or meso-level factors that determine individual behavior and thought? What consequences do migration flows have for societies, the economy, and politics? Is there such a thing as “optimal” migration flows? To what extent is international migration, in historical comparison, the norm rather than the exception? How do culture and society change through emigration and immigration? How is thinking transformed in a world with high migration flows?
Digital Transformation
The ongoing digital transformation poses challenges for contemporary societies. The technological transformation of media infrastructure in the 1990s and the rise of social media in the 2000s have triggered transformative effects at the macro, meso, and micro levels. This thematic area focuses on the disruptive elements associated with digitalization and the field of AI in education and participation, communication, politics, and society, as well as changes in digital practices in science and knowledge transfer.
Narratives of Political Communication
Considering the rapid changes both in analog and digital communication, the Strategic Research Area "Transformation of Contemproary Societies" has expanded its research scope to include the structure of meaningful narratives and their function in the context of political communication and socially relevant discourses.
Local Sites of Transformation
