Universiteiten van Nederland
Universiteiten van Nederland
Horizon

COALESCE: Coordinated Opportunities for Advanced Leadership and Engagement in Science Communication in Europe

Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

The COALESCE project’s primary aim is the establishment of a self-sustaining European Competence Centre for Science Communication. Science communication is increasingly vital for our world, as more and more critical issues arise in an increasingly mediated era. Making sense of scientific knowledge is crucial for an informed public and effective science communication makes science more accessible and transparent, giving people a general understanding of scientific issues, challenges and crises like a pandemic or climate change. As a critical part of public engagement, good science communication equips individuals to make informed decisions, foster critical thinking, and encourage more scientific literacy within society. This enables better means for addressing global challenges with a deeper awareness of their impact and implications.

To support the effectiveness of science communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam leads this project in which we seek to decrease the distance in European societies to scientific understanding and address issues concerning public distrust and policy responses to scientific crises. It does so by building on and adding to existing forms of excellence in science communication, public engagement with sciences and co-creation practices. 

Tony Lockett (Communication Head of Unit - DG Research & Innovation) - “Projects like COALESCE will help to contribute to convincing people that science communication is an integral part of scientific excellence” 

Impact

Through collaborating with societal stakeholders, including science communicators, science journalists, researchers, policy makers and the wider public –, COALESCE transforms the knowledge from projects funded through the EU Science with and for Society (SwafS-19) programme, as well as other EU-funded and national science-communication projects, into resources and tools to achieve high-quality, evidence-based and interdisciplinary science communication. The project provides an online platform on which one can find a library of science communication resources, tools bringing together researchers, science communication professionals and journalists, and an associated Science Communication Academy that provides training aligned with the EU competence frameworks, and enables networking and peer learning. The European Competence Centre for Science Communication will be a central source for everything related to science communication, cooperating with and supporting national and regional science communication hubs.  

More information: https://coalesceproject.eu/, https://scicommcentre.eu/  

Horizon Europe - Reforming and enhancing the European R&I system

Meer verhalen van Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

Horizon