Existing and rising inequalities pose fundamental challenges to European societies and economies. Large disparities in human and social capacities are counterproductive to a sustainable and creative economy and participatory governance and inclusion. The increasing gulf between rich and poor, exacerbated by the recent financial and economic crises, is a key concern. The sources of inequalities in contemporary societies are complex and highly intertwined and they and their consequences can only be understood through comprehensive, comparative and innovative research activities.

It is for this reason that the NORFACE Network is committed to launch a transnational research programme on the topic of Dynamics of Inequality Across the Life-course: structures and processes (DIAL). The DIAL programme will contribute to understanding the dynamics of inequalities as they unfold over the life-course, causal processes and drivers in relation to these inequalities, the role of time with regard to inequalities and the impact of these inequalities on social cohesion. The specific challenge of this Call is to address the dynamics comparatively in their social, cultural, economic and political dimensions and to disentangle the impact of past events and current circumstances on later outcomes to provide solutions to reverse inequalities across the life-course.

The NORFACE DIAL programme will coordinate the research efforts of the participating European Member States by implementing a joint trans-national call with European Commission co-funding to fund innovative comparative, transnational and interdisciplinary research initiatives within this thematic field. The NORFACE Network has received core funding under the European Union’s ERA-Net scheme since 2004 and has developed a close partnership of European national agencies responsible for funding research activities in the social sciences. The DIAL programme builds on the successes of the NORFACE Network.