![[group]](https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/sites/default/files/assets/slideshow/2014-11/ssh-global-overview%20cropped%20for%20front.jpg "Several groups representing universities from around the world gathered in the Netherlands to sign an agreement promoting social sciences and humanities research.")
Several groups representing universities from around the world gathered in the Netherlands to sign an agreement promoting social sciences and humanities research.![[signing]](https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/ "The document, which recognizes the fundamental role social sciences and humanities research play in the global community, is officially signed.")
The document, which recognizes the fundamental role social sciences and humanities research play in the global community, is officially signed.- Representatives of the various networks of research-intensive universities gather for a photo following the official signing.
![[signing]](https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/sites/default/files/assets/slideshow/2014-11/ssh-global-signing-statement%20cropped.jpg "The document, which recognizes the fundamental role social sciences and humanities research play in the global community, is officially signed.")
![[group photo]](https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/sites/default/files/assets/slideshow/2014-11/SSH-global-group-picture%20cropped_0.jpg "Representatives of the various networks of research-intensive universities gather for a photo following the official signing.")
![[Queen's in the World]](/gazette/sites/default/files/assets/stories/2014/11/tricolour-globe-60px.gif)
Daniel Woolf, Queen's Principal and Vice-Chancellor, recently signed a statement on behalf of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities that promotes research in social sciences and humanities.
“Promoting research in the social sciences and humanities is a crucial step in developing solutions to problems facing not only Canada, but the world at large,” says Principal Woolf, who also serves as the vice-chair of U15, a group of 15 Canadian universities that aims to bolster research in Canada. “The social sciences and humanities contribute to better cross-cultural understanding, whether this be through history, law, economics, literature, sociology or any other related discipline.
The U15 along with the League of European Research Universities, the Association of American Universities, the Association of East Asian Research Universities, the Group of Eight (Australia), the RU11 Japan, the Russell Group (UK) have all committed themselves to championing the fundamental role that social sciences and humanities research plays in the global community.