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Sep 12, 2018 Book Review

Book review: The science communication challenge. Truth and disagreement in democratic knowledge societies

The Science Communication Challenge by Gitte Meyer, a Danish science communication scholar with a previous career in science journalism, is a collection of essays on the interrelationships among science, society and politics in modern knowledge societies. The book is valuable as it contributes to the important debate on the “whys” (instead of the “hows”) of science communication and its (long term) impact on science and society. However, it does not present explicit solutions to the questions in focus but rather reads as a large patchwork of ideas, theories and concepts which require readers to have at least some basic knowledge.

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Sep 10, 2018 Article

Structure and development of science communication research: co-citation analysis of a developing field

by Adrian Rauchfleisch , Mike S. Schäfer

Since the early 1990s, there has been a considerable increase in the number of scientific studies on science communication, and this increase has been accompanied by a diversification of the research field. This study focuses on one aspect of this development: it analyses how citation network structures within the field have developed over time, and whether science communication research shows signs of becoming a research field or a discipline in its own right. Employing a co-citation analysis of scholarly publications published between 1996 and 2015, it assesses to what extent a coherent communication network exists within science communication research. The results show a field with a diverse internal structure and clear internal changes over time which suggest an increasing emancipation of the field.

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Sep 03, 2018 Commentary

Steering research and innovation through RRI. What horizon for Europe?

by Angela Simone

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is gaining momentum worldwide and is envisaged as a needed tool to properly govern controversial innovative technology (i.e. genome editing, AI). Europe is considered a leader in fostering such approach, notably through its institutionalization. Even so, the future of European Research and Innovation (R&I) seems to be designed without a central role for RRI. After long effort and so much public EU money to support projects to ground RRI principles and practices in key contexts for the flourishing of science and technology in Europe, such as the industrial realm and regional settings, this counter-intuitive decision could undermine the leadership of Europe in prioritizing civil and human rights and needs, values and expectations of its citizens when steering science and technology, that European R&I strongly need to go further.

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Sep 03, 2018 Commentary

Introduction to “Science, society and citizens: suggestions (and hopes) on how to foster RRI in Horizon Europe”

by Marzia Mazzonetto , Angela Simone

At the beginning of May, 2018, the European Commission has presented its proposal for Horizon Europe, the framework programme which defines priorities and budget distribution for the future of European Research and Innovation (2021–2027). The announcement has raised concerns within the community of stakeholders engaged in Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), a democratization process leading to connecting science to the values and interests of European citizens by mean of participatory processes. Through this flash commentary we aim at providing a wide range of arguments, as well as strong examples and concrete suggestions, to the importance of maintaining and strengthening RRI within Horizon Europe, with the hope to inspire amendments to the current proposal.

Steering research and innovation through RRI. What horizon for Europe?

by Angela Simone

Towards an inclusive European innovation policy

by Bjørn Bedsted, Lise Bitsch, Lars Klüver, Rasmus Øjvind Nielsen and Marie Louise Margrethe Jørgensen

More democratic research and innovation

by Robert Braun and Erich Griessler

A key moment for European science policy

by Niels Mejlgaard, Richard Woolley, Carter Bloch, Susanne Buehrer, Erich Griessler, Angela Jaeger, Ralf Lindner, Emil Bargmann Madsen, Frédéric Maier, Ingeborg Meijer, Viola Peter, Jack Stilgoe and Milena Wuketich

RRI: How to ‘mainstream’ the ‘upstream’ engagement

by Alexander Gerber

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Sep 03, 2018 Commentary

RRI: How to ‘mainstream’ the ‘upstream’ engagement

by Alexander Gerber

There are strong arguments for and against having either a dedicated funding scheme for science communication in the next European Framework Programme, or mainstreaming upstream engagement across all disciplines. How could both approaches be combined? The success of either will depend on its operationalisation.

Volume 17Issue 032018

Sep 03, 2018 Commentary

Towards an inclusive European innovation policy

by Bjørn Bedsted , Lise Bitsch , Lars Klüver , Rasmus Øjvind Nielsen , Marie Louise Margrethe Jørgensen

With “Horizon Europe”, the European Commission sets out the framework for research and innovation in Europe over the next seven years. The proposal outlines the contours of an innovative science policy that is open and responsive to societal needs, and where societal actors jointly undertake missions to discover sustainable solutions to present-day and future challenges. In our commentary we point to a number of modifications needed to strengthen the cross-cutting implementation of activities for societal engagement and responsible research and innovation.

Volume 17Issue 032018

Sep 03, 2018 Commentary

More democratic research and innovation

by Robert Braun , Erich Griessler

For decades the idea that scientists, policy makers and industry know best in research and innovation has been convincingly challenged. The concept of Responsible Research and Innovation [RRI] combines various strands of critique and takes up the idea that research and innovation need to be democratized and must engage with the public in order to serve the public. The proposed future EU research funding framework programme, Horizon Europe, excludes a specific program line on research in RRI. We propose a number of steps the European Parliament should take to institutionalize RRI in Horizon Europe and beyond.

Volume 17Issue 032018

Sep 03, 2018 Commentary

A key moment for European science policy

by Niels Mejlgaard , Richard Woolley , Carter Bloch , Susanne Buehrer , Erich Griessler , Angela Jaeger , Ralf Lindner , Emil Bargmann Madsen , Frédéric Maier , Ingeborg Meijer , Viola Peter , Jack Stilgoe , Milena Wuketich

We argue that the commitment to science-society integration and Responsible Research and Innovation in past European framework programmes has already made considerable progress in better aligning research and innovation with European societies. The framework programmes have important socialisation effects and recent research point to positive trends across key areas of Responsible Research and Innovation within academic organisations. What appears to be a step away from the concerted efforts to facilitate European citizens' meaningful contribution to research and innovation in the upcoming Horizon Europe framework programme seems counter-productive and poorly timed.

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Aug 22, 2018 Conference Review

The land of rising science communication: the first Japan Scicom Forum

by Ayumi Koso , Amanda Alvarez

The first Japan Scicom Forum in Tokyo on April 20, 2018 gathered nearly 120 attendees to discuss the growing need and demand for English-language science communication in Japan and Asia. Keynotes and workshops addressed both the philosophy and motivations for scicomm in Japan and also the best practices for international outreach. Global science communication has reached a critical mass in Japan but securing sustainable funding, integrating the community and retaining momentum present ongoing challenges. As an online community and (hopefully) a recurring event, Japan Scicom Forum will foster a network of science communicators, professionalize and legitimize the field and boost English-language science communication in a country where it is still nascent.

Volume 17Issue 032018

Aug 06, 2018 Article

Science created by crowds: a case study of science crowdfunding in Japan

by Yuko Ikkatai , Euan McKay , Hiromi M. Yokoyama

“Science crowdfunding” is a research funding system in which members of the public make small financial contributions towards a research project via the Internet. We compared the more common research process involving public research funding with science crowdfunding. In the former, academic-peer communities review the research carried out whereas the Crowd Community, an aggregation of backers, carries out this function in the latter. In this paper, we propose that science crowdfunding can be successfully used to generate “crowd-supported science” by means of this Crowd Community.

Volume 17Issue 032018

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