Research Ideas

If you have an idea for future research projects under the FP7-SSH theme you are welcomed to submit it on our database. The PLATON consortium will try to map your Collaboration Request with potential partners (SMEs, SME groupings and research organizations) and contact you as soon as possible. However, have in mind that the FP7-SSH workprogramme for the period 2009-2010 is not currently available. It is planned to be published in summer 2008.

Below you may find a list of ideas that were published during the 2007-2008 period for both deadlines (10/05/2007 and 29/11/2007). For some of them a consortium was formed and the respective proposal was submitted.

Please note that you are free to choose if your data will be published at the website so it will be visible to any organization. Otherwise it will be handled only by the PLATON team. Just check the relevant box after inserting your contact data at the next step. Thank you in advance.

	- Debates on the cultural heritage: excluding or including into the civil society?
(for FP7-SSH, please refer to the relevant topics) Abstract : Research aim: To investigate how the idea of cultural heritage is used in the public discourse and the different civil activities (organised by non-govermental organisations, local communities and local government). We assume that in the post communist and post totalitarian societies the transformation from the dictatorial identity to democratic identity is in the process. People in such societies have identified with the democratic values and norms and they have been learning how to act as the citizens. One of the aspects of these new identities is the respect of the cultural pluralism based on the acceptance of the others citizens’ freedom and the respect of the equal dignity of them. The other features of the democratic identity are willingness and ability to take the responsibility for the others, openness and ability to cooperage and empathy. The features of the dictatorial identity derive from the nature of the dictator-ship: concentration of the power in one hand without the real instruments of controlling the state by the citizens, the principle of national sovereignty and excluding the pluralism. It is not expected from the citizens that they will behave in according to their consciences but the absolute obedience and subordination are highly estimated. As the result the political identity in such regimes is connected with the luck of responsibility, weakness and low level of the trust toward other people. It is often connected with the self-image as a victim. The feeling of guilt and inferiority complex are also typical for such identity’s type.
	- Product Placement in Europe
(for FP7-SSH, please refer to the relevant topics) Abstract : The project will focus on new possibilities of advertisement for SMEs. Main aspects within the project will be product placement, the development of media plans and advertising effects. The project will also cover consumer protection topics and the role of the consumer in the digital age. Twenty years ago marketing communication consisted of coordinating activities in advertising, personal selling, public relations and sales promotion. In the meantime sponsoring, event marketing and product placement were established as important communication tools in marketing. Managing this diverse array of activities has become a challenge for many companies, especially as marketing budgets were cut often dramatically after 2001. Furthermore we are facing an increasing number of TV and radio channels, published journals and magazines and new ambient media to select from when working out a media plan. New technologies like the internet or mobile telephony must be considered as well as digitalization of TV and radio. Targeting consumers effectively becomes more and more difficult and therefore budgets must be spent in a thoughtful way. Marketing communication and media planning will therefore become more and more complex. Big companies with a strong marketing department can handle this challenge but SMEs will have more difficulties to deal with the situation. One of the new marketing tools is product placement, already well established in the US but still underdeveloped in Europe. The German University has done research in this area for many years. In the future, there will be a special focus on the international management of product placement. Countries like the USA, France, UK and Italy already have their own product placement environment, other European countries are currently establishing their legal basis. The expected adoption of the "Television without Frontiers" directive under the responsibility of Viviane Reding will probably bring a harmonization within the European Union. The main research will focus on the advantages of product placement for different sectors so that the SMEs involved can reach new markets. The coordinator is looking for an SME that is searching for new ways of advertisement. The interested SMEs should be a) advertising agencies or b)industrial SME organisations that are looking for new media plans and want to enhance their potential markets. Programme: Research for the benefit of SMEs (FP7-Capacities) Deadline: 15 August 2007
	SSH-2007-1.2.2. The implications of developments in the service economy for the European economy and society - Study and assessment of the future evolution of the knowledge intensive and business services in Europe
(for FP7-SSH, please refer to the relevant topics) Abstract : The Competition in the Service Economy for the EU originates mainly from two sources. The first one is the US economy, which has a longer presence in the Service Economy combined with its Economies of Scale and its specialization. The second one is related to certain developing countries, which demonstrate a particularly high potential in certain aspects, such as human capital dynamism and appear to be threatening the majority of the developed economies in the Service Sector. Therefore, in order to face successfully the new challenges within Europe, it is necessary to develop new strategic tools that will be able to: a) Monitor on a continuous basis the main socio-economic and technological trends and variables that are determining the Service Economy Performance in terms of Growth, Competitiveness and Innovation; b) Study and assess the significance of the above mentioned issues; c) Provide insight information for the Service Sector and suggest actions that will improve the position of Europe in the global Service Economy field. The Knowledge Intensive Services and Business Consulting Services, on which the particular proposal is focused, involves the following participants in the sector: i) Research Institutes ii) Business Research Centers (Business Incubators, Technological and Science Parks) iii) Consulting Firms of small, medium and large size The present proposal will not be involved in the field of financial and social services.
	SSH-2007-2.2.1. Regional development challenges in an evolving international context - EU regional development and convergence through improvement of export performance - Development of a regional trade (exports/imports) monitoring syste
(for FP7-SSH, please refer to the relevant topics) Abstract : Currently, the Greek trade balance is being studied only at national level, examining Greece’s trade sectors and bilateral figures in total, without taking into account statistical data per prefecture and / or region. This acts as a prohibiting factor when trying to assess the characteristics of Greece’s economy, especially with regard to the analysis and planning of policies with the twofold target of improving the national trade deficit, while catering for regional development through increased exports, as well. Similar challenges exist when attempting to expand such targets at a cross-border, intra-regional level. Analysis of factors affecting trade balance, and in particular, exports performance, is a difficult task not only for Greece, but also for the majority of European countries. There is a clear need to create such tools and methodologies, e.g. analogous to the IMD’s World Competitiveness Report, at a pan-european level, taking into consideration regional convergence. The following issues need to be elicited: How is export capacity and performance measured at the regional level across Europe? How is data availability, relevance and integrity safeguarded? Are there methodologies capable of handling the increased complexity of today’s international economic environment? Are the indicators actively used for the formation of policies to improve trade facilitation within the EU and with third countries? Research of these issues is expected to yield a system to monitor trade at the European regions’ level through leading and lagging indicators, as a means of (a) measuring the impact of regional development and convergence policies, and (b) providing feedback for the continuous improvement of such policies. The proposed research project involves the following types of participants: 1) Universities / Research Institutes 2) Business Research Centres 3) Consulting Firms 4) Trade Promotion Organizations.
	SSH-2007-3.1.1 The impact of demographic changes in Europe - Demographic changes in neighbourhoods - development of a control system (early warning system) to enhance integration at neighbourhood level
(for FP7-SSH, please refer to the relevant topics) Abstract : Social and cultural segregation will grow at neighbourhood level due to present demographic changes. Culture fitting solutions are amiss. Community politics, urban development and housing agencies are in need of an early warning system that enables them to react in time and to develop neighbourhoods that are capable of tackling the challenges they face due to numerous disparities in the residential areas. The subject demographic changes has received much attention during the past years. While public debates concentrate rather on the social systems regarding this question there is extensive research regarding geographic consequences of a society which is growing old and during the past years is also shrinking. Beside these two aspects of demographic changes there is the fact that the number of people with an immigration background is growing. The growing ethnic and cultural mingling of the population will lead to the fact that migration will be a key characteristic of many neighbourhoods, to a much greater extent than it is already today. These changes and their potential consequences will show especially in the day-to-day life of human beings in urban areas and will challenge the changing culture, mutual tolerance and the readiness to live together permanently. - How to foster integration and living together in a neighbourhood given the shrinking of the German population? - How will new regional identification processes develop and how can responsibilities be taken up at neighbourhood level? - Will consensual process be accepted locally and how can acceptance be augmented on a long lasting way? Which new possibilities for participation and communication exist or can be developed? - Which guidelines can be developed for creating integrating residential areas? The research project should be carried out in cooperation with communities and housing agencies.
	SSH-2007-4.3.1 Europe seen from outside - Quality change of human capital in the context of transnational interaction
(for FP7-SSH, please refer to the relevant topics) Abstract : The focus of interest of the research is the situation of transnational interaction, the kind of stable interaction that is formed beyond socio-cultural frame of a country. The aim of the research is to evaluate the influence of transnational interaction on the structure and quality of human capital. Under the human capital we mean the integrated indicator that includes the level of one’s education, cultural competence, tightness of integration to social networks and the idea of social and individual socio-cultural space character and nature.
	SSH-2007-5.1.1 Democratic ownership and participation - Biomedicine: risk assessment, ethics, participation and deliberation
(for FP7-SSH, please refer to the relevant topics) Abstract : The objective is to achieve a comprehensive knowledge of why and how participation and democratic "ownership" develop or are hampered, with the focus on Europe. Research shall include the role of civil society, social partners, non-governmental organizations, political parties and other relevant organisations; factors causing non participation of citizens and new processes instruments and structures enabling better informed and effective participation; political integration and participation of citizens of the Union residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals; minorities and migrants; women and youth as social and political actors in the reconfiguration of democratic practices. The role of education and life long learning for citizenship could also be included. Research should compare and assess different forms of participation including direct participation and representative participation (e.g. electoral participation, referenda, formal consultation, citizen's initiatives, conventions as a form of preparing policy) in policy making. Issues of access to politics, expertise -including the role of think tanks, economic resources and justice and relations between citizens and elites will be addressed, particularly in the context of multilevel governance.
	SSH-2007-5.1.1 Democratic ownership and participation - Debates on the cultural heritage: excluding or including into the civil society?
(for FP7-SSH, please refer to the relevant topics) Abstract : Research aim: to investigate how the idea of cultural heritage is used in the public discourse and the different civil activities (organised by non-govermental organisations, local communities and local government). We expect to find out how the historical policy and activity concerning protection of the cultural heritage are the factor shaping the civil society in the post communist countries. We are planning to cooperate with different non-governmental organisations, schools and local government to prepare for them practical suggestions, advises how to protect the cultural heritage in efficient way.
	SSH-2007-6.2.1 Improved ways of measuring both the potential for and impact of policy - Economic Consumer Confidence Indicator for the New Members of the European Union
(for FP7-SSH, please refer to the relevant topics) Abstract : The concept of the project is to create the Economic Consumer Confidence Indicator (ECCI) for new member states of the European Union. The ECCI pretend to measure well known and widely used by European Commission policy makers phenomenon known under the names: consumer confidence index or consumer optimism index or consumer well-being index or a welfare index. Let’s call them traditional consumer indexes. The traditional indexes are created by surveying a carefully selected sample of consumers. The reverse version of consumer confidence index could be called a misery index or discomfort index. The difference between the traditional indexes and the new index (ECCI) is based on the different source of the data, but results shown by both indexes are expected to be similar. The ECCI is created based on the economic data collected by the countries’ official statistical office and available at the Eurostat. The ECCI is a composite index, which means that the ECCI is formed base on a sample of other economic variables. Those variables for example could be such as: inflation rate, unemployment rate, interest rate, wages, and household income. Typical variables to consider as components of the ECCI would be those which might influence consumer’s opinion on the current state of their well-being or in an opposite terminology their misery or discomfort. The correlation of the results of both indexes was noticed when we studied Misery/Discomfort Index for the United State and for Poland.