The National Network of Houses of Human Sciences
The national Network of Houses of Human Sciences (RnMSH) is a research infrastructure which has been registered since 2012 on the national roadmap of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. It coordinates a national territorial network of 22 Houses of Human Sciences (MSH), which - in collaboration with the CNRS, the CPU and the Athena Alliance - structure the scientific policy in the human and social sciences in France, proposing innovative and transformative methodologies in the human and social sciences, according to a "project" logic.
The RnMSH is a scientific interest grouping (GIS). Two recently renewed texts guide the actions of the RnMSH: the GIS convention and the MSH Charter.
The governance of the RnMSH is now made up of a bureau (6 MSH directors elected from amongst the 22) and a board of directors (3 of the 6 – these are also elected).
The board of directors defines the overall strategy of the actions implemented by the RnMSH. For the 2019-2022 mandate, the members of the board of directors are:
- Pascal Buléon (MRSH, Caen)
- Gilles Pollet (MSH LSE)
- Nicolas Thély (MSHB)
Two CNRS engineers accompany the members of the board of directors: Myriam Danon-Szmydt, Strategic Secretary General and Director of UMS3603 on which the ISU is based, and Chiara Chelini, community facilitator.
The RnMSH is setting up operating chains for the processing of scientific data amongst its federating actions. These operating chains are reflected in the constitution of five networks of technological platforms located within the MSH. They also launch an annual call for interdisciplinary and inter-MSH projects, intended to finance exploratory, structuring, inter- or multidisciplinary projects. These can be between or outside the humanities and social sciences.
Research engineering processes have been developed in varied and cutting-edge fields for the humanities and social sciences. These include digital humanities, scientific and technical information, open science, the technology transfer of research, as well as the pooling of resources. The MSH and their networks of technological platforms also simplify the access to two systems deployed by the humanities and social sciences: Huma-Num and Progedo.