Workshop on Public Awareness of Research Infrastructures

Garching bei München, Germany

- Expectations – Experiences – Examples –

Scope of the workshop

A common task at large scale facilities is to present to their funding bodies as well to the national scientific organisation the research they conduct with their considerable budget. A similar expectation on public relations (PR) and dissemination concerns large EU funded projects as I3s or bigger consortia. Even though a consensus exists, that good communication is a fundamental part of innovation, the expectations from the funding bodies with regards to science communication activities are unclear, and a well-defined work programme is often missing.

The aim of the workshop is to bring together representatives of funding agencies (European and national) with facility and project managers to discuss what should be expected from scientific dissemination activities. Furthermore it should be a forum for PR and information officers to share experience of their work and gain insights into the expectations of funding bodies as well as from the general public.

Who should attend?

• Representatives of funding agencies (European and national organisations) and managers of large scale facilities, research organisations, EU projects, and consortia to express their expectations on science communication activities.
• Press officers and information managers of large scale facilities and research projects to share their experience on the cross-cutting area between meeting expectations on the impact of PR activities and the difficulties to raise European public awareness of science.
• Experts from academia dealing with the topics of communication and public understanding of science.
• Journalists involved in science policy and dissemination.

Venue

European Southern Observatory
Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2
85748 Garching bei München
Germany

Registration fee
150€ (including access to workshop and social dinner)

ERF-AISBL, MLZ, ESO