This paper examines sustainable development in the context of Horizon Europe reference documents, utilizing discourse analytical methods. Launched in 2021, Horizon Europe is the world's largest funding programme for research and innovation. With the current, worldwide issue of sustainable development, it is important to examine how the European Union, in its research funding, constructs a view of sustainability. Discourse analysis, the study of language in use, allows the analyst to examine how words are put together by people to communicate and do things (Jones, 2012). In its rhetoric, the European Union emphasizes the prioritization of climate-neutrality and green initiatives (European Commission, 2021). A detailed analysis of texts will show how the EU addresses sustainability in practice, in the guiding documents of Horizon Europe. Researchers can find practical use in the findings of this paper, for example in planning their study or developing grant proposals. This study demonstrates the importance of studying reference documents to discover how an organization prioritizes, or does not prioritize, crucial issues such as sustainability. It answers the following research questions:
- What is being communicated as to what is taken to be valuable and correct (Gee, 2011) in Horizon Europe?
- What features in the linguistic details and structure, such as in the lexicon or syntax of the texts, shape the European Union's view of sustainability?
- How is the agency of individuals and society linked to sustainable development?
- How does the EU consider issues of inclusivity and equality in sustainable development?
This paper allows for the reflection of how our societies think about sustainability, as well as how those who fund and influence our societies, construct sustainable development. Given the recent launch of Horizon Europe, its documents have not yet been studied outside of Puputti's (2022) work, particularly with these methods. The topic of sustainability further adds to the relevance of this paper.
References
European Commission. (2021). Horizon Europe – Investing to shape our future. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/horizon-europe-investing-shape-our-future_en
Gee, J.P. (2011). How to do discourse analysis: a toolkit. Routledge.
Jones, R. (2012). Discourse analysis A resource book for students. Routledge.
Puputti, H. (2022). Positioning social sciences and humanities actors in the ninth European Union Framework Programme: a discourse analysis of Horizon Europe reference documents. [Master's thesis, University of Oulu]. Jultika http://jultika.oulu.fi/Record/nbnfioulu-202204191603
