Are you there, State funding? It’s us, social sciences

We hear a lot these days, and rightly so, about the importance of the Stem disciplines: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. There is broad understanding of the need for strong research in these disciplines, to deliver talented individuals and new thinking, and to underpin a vibrant enterprise sector and an informed society. Our strategy, funding and performance in Stem are monitored at the highest levels of government and industry.

However, other disciplines have not received such attention. Notable among these are the social and behavioural sciences: disciplines such as economics, psychology, political science and sociology, which seek to understand how we behave as individuals and as societies. There is now a strong case for enhanced emphasis on research in these areas.

First, there are the intrinsic benefits of this research. There is clear value for society in understanding social trends and policy options in key areas from early education, through labour market and welfare issues, to the challenges of an ageing population. Graduates with a deep research-informed knowledge of the social and behavioural sciences are needed in decision-making roles in public and private sectors, where they apply their expertise to access evidence, assess available options and make decisions.

These research benefits in the social and behavioural sciences are compelling. Increasingly, though, we need to consider the additional impacts that arise when researchers from the social sciences collaborate with Stem researchers on problems of mutual interest.

All the big global challenges such as energy, food, health and security have significant social dimensions that can undermine potential solutions or contribute to their success. New products and services require an understanding of consumer behaviour. A technically outstanding product innovation in agri-food counts for little if it does not affect the decisions made at the supermarket shelf. Successful devices that transform industries achieve their success not just because of their technical excellence, but because of how they anticipate and facilitate the way we want to live.

Further waves of technological innovation, if successful, will be linked to significant behavioural change. The “Internet of Things” envisages trillions of devices sharing information and controlling aspects of our homes, cars and workplaces. How much control will we be willing to surrender to achieve safer transport or greater energy efficiency? By comparison, think how much privacy we have already been willing to surrender for the convenience of mobile phones or search engines.

Understanding of consumers and citizens, and their willingness to adopt new goods, will differentiate companies, products and policies that succeed from those that fail. The insights of social and behavioural scientists – and colleagues in Stem – will be central to success.

International comparisons show Ireland's high quality of research and education in the social and behavioural sciences. There is a tradition of engagement and outreach by social scientists nationally, with concerted efforts to make research findings and data more accessible through broadcast and print media and, increasingly, online and social media. Links between Maynooth University and Dublin City Council to create the online Dublin Dashboard is a good example (http://dublindashboard.ie/pages/index).

Many of the areas in which behavioural insights will be key to the adoption of new technologies, such as the “Internet of Things”, big data and energy systems integration, are ones in which Ireland has a strong scientific presence and an agile enterprise base. Adding expertise from social and behavioural scientists will enhance their ability to deliver successful solutions. These can be piloted in our cities and institutions that are of a scale – big enough to be meaningful, but small enough to be manageable – that facilitates globally significant innovations.

The combination of expertise in social and behavioural sciences, then, with expertise in Stem presents a significant opportunity in research and innovation. A society with the capacity to understand its own structures, relationships and values is well placed not only to address the social and political challenges it faces, but also to foster better understanding of the potential for, and limits of, economic, scientific and technological progress. Research in the social and behavioural sciences underpins societal wellbeing as well as economic achievement.

Orla Feely is vice-president for research, innovation and impact at University College Dublin