(1)SHARE shall be designed by researchers for researchers. Excellence in research is paramount to all other considerations. The scientific excellence of SHARE shall be monitored by an independent Scientific Monitoring Board (Annex 2).
(2)SHARE shall be a supranational survey. Cross-national comparability within SHARE shall govern all design decisions. In addition, comparability with its sister surveys, notably the U.S. Health and Retirement Study and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, shall inform the design decisions of SHARE. Topics with supranational research potential shall have priority over topics applicable to single countries.
(3)SHARE shall integrate economics, health, and social science. Topics with interdisciplinary research potential shall have priority over topics applicable to single disciplines.
(4)SHARE shall be a longitudinal survey, following individuals as they age. Topics with longitudinal research potential shall have priority over topics applicable to single points in time.
(5)Research based on SHARE shall facilitate evidence-based EU policies, such as the Europe 2020 Innovation Union Initiative, to help meeting the challenges of population ageing in all countries of the EU.