Pillar III: Promoting public engagement in R&I and scientific literacy

Scope:

This topic aims to promote the adoption of ERA policies and practices delivering innovative approaches for enhancing science-society links and promoting scientific literacy. Proposals should contribute to the impact “Increasing trust in science and alignment of R&I with society’s needs, expectations and values”, thereby enhancing the democratic character and impact of science in the ERA.

Applicants should select and clearly identify one area being addressed, choosing from the two areas outlined below. Both areas are designed to contribute towards the implementation of the ERA Structural Policy “Enhancing Trust in Science through Citizen Participation, Engagement and Science Communication”. Proposals should develop the activities outlined for the selected area and propose additional activities that contribute to achieving the expected outcomes.

Project activities should reach large communities of stakeholders ensuring a wide geographical coverage, inclusivity, broad participation, and accessibility over the course of the project. Including stakeholders outside academia may be considered, for example, through citizen science. Proposals should describe their target group in terms of its scope and size.

In project activities, particular attention should be paid to promoting inclusive gender equality and addressing gender-specific challenges where relevant.

Expected project duration is up to 3 years without prejudice to a longer duration if justified.

Area 1: Youth, science and democracy

Expected outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Innovative ways for engaging young people in science and promoting scientific literacy;
• Common ERA approaches in engaging and communicating with young people in relation to R&I.

Scope: Society increasingly faces complex problems that require citizens to have the capacity to participate in processes incorporating scientific analysis with deliberation about societal goals. In particular, involving young people in participatory scientific activities aimed at tackling social challenges fosters their scientific skills and scientific literacy. At the same time, it allows them to develop their civic and democratic skills, as civic engagement and scientific practice share characteristics like understanding systems, considering alternative explanations, and debating critically within a community.

Area 1 promotes innovative ways to effectively and inclusively engage and involve young people in R&I. Additionally, it invites public engagement and science communication practitioners to build on best practices in the field and develop handbooks and guidelines, co-creating with relevant stakeholders, considering also previous EU-funded activities^[1].

Project activities should target actors such as research performing organisations, universities, researchers and innovators, civil society organisations working with youth, science communicators, and policymakers. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:

• Engage young people, in different national settings, in participatory science activities that tackle complex social issues (e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss, digital skills inequalities, economic effects of AI transitions, energy poverty, social inclusion), ensuring the inclusion of those not habitually involved in science;
• Create communities of practice that include public engagement experts, science communicators, citizen scientists, youth organisations, researchers and innovators, and policymakers with a view to co-developing handbooks and guidelines on engaging youth in science;
• Provide recommendations for developing common ERA approaches to engage and communicate with young people regarding R&I.

Area 2: Scaling up science engagement at EU level

Expected outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• Scaling-up national initiatives on public engagement in R&I to ERA level taking into consideration different audiences, languages and contexts;
• Improved engagement and cooperation of researchers and innovators, science communicators, and public engagement experts with civil society;
• Increased understanding of the value of scientific processes by society and the importance of public needs and values in addressing societal challenges through R&I.

Scope: Area 2 promotes scientific literacy and dialogue and constructive interactions between scientists and the wider public. To achieve this, it supports visits by researchers, for example, to civil society organisations, workplaces or community youth centres, enabling dialogue and collaboration between researchers and civil society and fostering mutual understanding. Event participants can thus enhance their knowledge of different scientific fields and research focuses, gain insights on the conduct of research and different research career pathways. Through these interactions, researchers can enhance their understanding of audiences and incorporate their knowledge and values into their work and communication.

To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should include the following activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:

• Develop online dialogue platforms, in different national (language) settings, containing profiles of researchers and innovators, their availability for public visits, and the scientific issues to be discussed; the platforms should also facilitate the arrangement of meetings between the researchers and interested organisations or institutions;
• Implement the meetings while taking care to reach out to and include members of the public not habitually involved in science, and adapting the science communication and public engagement for different audiences, languages and contexts;
• Take stock of all visits and provide lessons learned and recommendations for the future development of similar activities.

[1] Notably projects funded under the H2020 Swafs programme and building on the findings of the Mutual Learning Exercise on Public Engagement in R&I and the Mutual Learning Exercise on Citizen Science.