GUSTO is a research project funded by the European Commission’s Framework Programme Seven. Coping with economic uncertainty while seeking security is a central dilemma of public policy in a globalising economy. The aim of GUSTO is to study that process as it affects European countries and to consider policy options for the future. It requires a new approach, different from the focus of past research on industrial relations and human resource management. GUSTO brings together academic teams from ten European countries and Canada, and also has the active participation of the European Trade Union Institute.