The main purpose of COMESE is understanding and enhancing the relationships between science, politics and society.COMESE integrates science and society studies in the following areas: evidence and decision-making processes in the interaction between science, society and politics; communication of science and the scientific community; representations of international migrations and representations of migrants in textbooks; science teaching and participation in scientific debate; scientific dissemination and participatory models. The use of participatory methodologies to involve the various social actors in research activities is transversal with respect to the various thematic areas.

Among the operational objectives: - understanding of the relationships between knowledge, trust and support for science; - expansion of the possibilities for conscious and responsible participation in the scientific and social debate; - promotion of decision-making processes based on scientific evidence and identification of suitable paths for this purpose; - approaching young people and citizens to science and scientific and social issues (e.g. immigration) according to methodologies that allow for the construction of a scientific path that highlights the salient aspects of the issue, helping to overcome a simplified image and leading to greater understanding phenomena; - refinement in schools and in society of the skills of critical analysis of texts and images, in an era in which there is an overabundance of information sources which requires young people to acquire critical information management tools; -analysis of the epistemological effects of bibliometry.