At CHESS the humanities engage the sciences and society to promote knowledge for use. What kinds of academic knowledge — 'science' in the German sense — can best inform policy and practice, what methods will produce this knowledge and how should this knowledge be put to use? Special areas of focus are climate science, economic modelling, evidence-based social and economic policy, public health, biomedical science (especially genetics and stem-cell research) and general issues about the role of values in science.