“Auf die Plätze! Citizen Science in deiner Stadt“ (On your mark, get set, go! Citizen Science in your city) is a competition for citizen science projects in order to raise awareness around them and promote structural measures for citizen science activities on the ground. Local actors from academia and civil society as well as municipal administration and business, who want to explore local topics together with citizens, can participate. The aim is to make it possible to experience citizen science locally, and anchor it in a sustainable way. Contestants can submit their project ideas for citizen science projects, and five finalists develop their idea further into a concept with 5.000 euros each. In a second round three of the five finalists will receive 50.000 euros each to implement their local citizen science idea and actions. The competition “Auf die Plätze! Citizen Science in deiner Stadt” is implemented by Wissenschaft im Dialog and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin in close collaboration with the Citizen Science plattform „Bürger schaffen Wissen”.
Everybody has what it takes to be a scientist! From measuring light pollution via a smartphone app to analyzing pollution on the beach or mapping invasive mosquitoes – these are just three examples of projects in Germany where citizens collaborate with science. Citizen science invites non-professionals to support and conduct scientific research by collecting and analyzing data and bringing in their own questions.
The online platform Bürger schaffen Wissen – Citizens Create Knowledge informs about citizen science, different projects and the opportunities to participate. The platform also connects current projects to each other and seeks to increase public awareness of Citizen science. Bürger schaffen Wissen is a joint project of Wissenschaft im Dialog and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. The platform is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; additional funding is provided by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft.
CS Track aims to extend our knowledge about citizen science by conducting a systematic large-scale investigation of citizen science activities in Europe and associated countries. Based on this research, the project will disseminate good practices and formulate knowledge-based policy recommendations to help maximize the benefit of citizen science for individual citizens, organizations, and society at large. As a project partner in CS Track, WiD provides expertise on citizen science initiatives in Germany and takes on various tasks in research, conceptualisation and qualitative analysis, as well as in the dissemination of results and findings. CS Track „Expanding our knowledge on Citizen Science through analytics and analysis“ is funded by the European Commission within the context of development programme Horizon 2020.
The main aim of the project "Die Debatte" (The Debate") is to bring in scientific perspectives into societal debates and to initiate open and informed discussions. Thus, we want to show that science has something to contribute to a broad range of topics.
The project is a collaboration between Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD) and the Technische Universität Braunschweig. It is funded by the Volkswagenstiftung and the Stifterverband.
In DiPubHealth new formats for public health communication are developed, based on research about discourse dynamics on public health topics. It is crucial to adapt the communication of public health to the communication conditions and to communicate better and not only more. In a first step Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) and Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH) will jointly investigate the public discourse dynamics of selected public debates on public health issues. Therefore KIT and RWTH are developing a toolbox with evaluation grids, typologies and criteria catalogues that enable the analysis of discursive events. Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD) supports the research by communicating it. Based on the research results WiD will develop and test formats for science communication. The project is financed by the Bayer Foundation.
The online competition “Fast Forward Science“ honours people who are not only passionate about science themselves, but can also inspire others. The contestants are passionate about research, innovative multimedia formats and communication. Whether you are a student, postdoc, vlogger or communicator, you can submit social media contributions on scientific topics. The aim is to convey current research - understandable, targeted and with an aha-experience. The online competition is worth a total of 23.000 euros. It has taken place since 2013 and is a joint project of Wissenschaft im Dialog and Stifterverband.
Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation is the largest conference for science communication in the German-speaking area. The conference is organised annually by Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD), the joint organisation of the German science for science communication. Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation 2022 is planned as a physical event 4 – 6 October in Hannover. The thematic focus of Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation 2022 is "Shaping transformation – Science communication for a changing society".
We are happy that the Klaus Tschira Stiftung and Stifterverband join as sponsors and the Leibniz University Hannover and VolkswagenStiftung support Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation 2022 as local partners.
The Future of Science Communication Conference brings together researchers and practitioners of science communication. It is organised by Wissenschaft im Dialog and ALLEA (All European Academies). In 2021 the conference took place as an online event. The follow-up event took place in Brussels on 26 April 2022.
There are places all over Germany that are connected to the topic of the universe in different ways, such as the impact crater of the Nördlinger Ries or the site where the Nebra Sky Disk was found. The project Hiker's Guide through the Galaxy wants to bring these places to life. For this purpose, cycling and hiking tours are organised throughout Germany that are accompanied by scientists and experts. The project aims at picking up on society’s fascination with the universe and promoting the dialogue between citizens and scientists.
The Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy takes place as part of the Year of Science 2023 - Our Universe and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The location scouting and hikes are supported and co-promoted by local chapters of the Association of Friends of the Stars and Astronomers for Planet Earth.
The Hochschulwettbewerb is a communication challenge for young scientists from all research areas. Open to college and university students, PhD students and young scientists from all research areas, competitors are asked to design projects on the topic of the current German Science Year. The challenge is twofold: On the one hand competitors must show the value of science for society in an interactive way and on the other they must present research results related to the working life of the future understandably.
I’m a Scientist is an online education activity suitable from Year 5 onwards which connects students with scientists. Through live chats and a question tool, children and teenagers can directly communicate with researchers. In this manner, they learn about the daily routine of scientists and their current research. They get to know that scientists are also "just normal people". In addition, students can vote for their favorite scientist. The winner with the most votes receives a prize of 500 €, which will be invested in science communication projects.
The idea for I’m a Scientist originates from the United Kingdom. In 2022 the project is part of the Science Year 2022 – Participate! and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
What constitutes a coherent and successful presentation? How can one improve one’s self-confidence on stage, and which methods are most effective for comprehensive presentations? Presentations are an inherent part of our daily school life and everyday work. The project “Jugend präsentiert” provides training, concepts and teaching materials to enhance and impart presentation skills, focused on science subjects. Students benefit from the materials applied in class and can participate in the annual competition on presentations in science. The competition is declared nation-wide and amongst German schools abroad, and offers students the opportunity to practice their presentation skills beyond school. During the process of the competition, the students also receive training on presentation skills from professional rhetoric coaches.
In the school year of 2020/2021 “Jugend präsentiert” started “Jugend präsentiert Kids”, a programme to encourage presentation skills already in the early school years. Teachers are invited to attend training and to receive teaching materials. They also get support to organise presentation competitions in their schools.
A team of scientists from the department of rhetoric at the University of Tübingen develop and provide the materials for teacher training days and teaching resources. The project “Jugend präsentiert” is initiated by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung in cooperation with Wissenschaft im Dialog.
Junior Science Café KI - the dialog format with science at your school! Students in grades 8 and up organize their own café events at their schools, which enable an exchange with researchers in a relaxed atmosphere. The students are allowed to think of a specific topic from the field of artificial intelligence, invite experts, formulate questions for the scientists, and moderate the café event. They will be supported by the Science in Dialog project office.
What makes a good school? What are the challenges of everyday school life? And how can they be solved with digital and technical ideas? The project Make Your School – A Workshop for Ideas gives students the opportunity to improve their own school environment and to experiment with programming and electronics. The hackdays contribute to improving digital education and bring the pupils into contact with a broad range of digital and electronic tools. Students also develop their abilities to identify problems and create opportunities for improvement, as well as working independently to develop solutions. Wissenschaft im Dialog, with the support of the Klaus Tschira Foundation, aims to improve digital learning in schools through Make Your School. In the 2019/2020 school year forty hackdays will take place at schools throughout Germany.
Make Your School is subject to scientific monitoring in order to ensure quality and that it meets current standards. The Technische Universität Braunschweig began monitoring Make Your School in February 2018. Francine Meyer is investigating the effectiveness of the hackdays at schools as part of her doctoral work, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Monika Taddicken in the Department of Communication and Media Science.
Since 2002, the floating science center MS Wissenschaft has toured the waterways of Germany and Austria to carry its information to towns and citizens. The former barge, loaded with science and knowledge, offers its visitors an exhibition which focuses on the subject of the current German Science Year. The major objective is to draw attention to current scientific research and to encourage a lively dialogue between the world of science and the general public. The participating research institutes and universities provide the exhibits and thus use the opportunity to present their research to the public in unconventional ways. The project is implemented by Wissenschaft im Dialog on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
The “IdeenLauf“ (flow of ideas) is the central participatory initiative of the Science Year 2022. In the period from 14 January until 15 April, citizens were able to ask their questions for science in a wide-ranging public campaign. The aim is to initiate a dialogue between the public and the scientific communities, and to get new impulses for shaping the future of research and research policy. The questions will be discussed and classified by scientists and citizens in a cluster conference, and the results will be handed over to representatives from science and politics in autumn 2022. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Science Year 2022 – Participate!
POIESIS is a three-year European collaborative project funded by Horizon Europe. Together with six European partners, WiD investigates the influence that the integrity of science and increasing societal participation in the scientific process have on society's trust in science.
What is “green” hydrogen? How can CO₂ become a raw material for the industry? What will the power grids of the future look like? How can we increase energy efficiency in the industrial sector? These are questions that will be addressed by the exhibition "Power2Change: Mission Energiewende" (mission energy transition), starting in August 2022, and developed as part of the joint project "Science Communication Energy Transition".
The "Power2Change: Mission Energiewende" exhibition highlights the path to a climate-neutral future and presents possible approaches towards a secure and affordable energy supply with a focus on the industrial, business and transport sectors. What is special about the project is that partners from research, the museum sector and science communication have developed it together. The exhibition will open in August 2022 at the LWL Industrial Museum Henrichshütte in Hattingen. From January 2023, it will be on display at the Klimahaus Bremerhaven and will then tour Germany, focusing on the regional features of each location. The exhibition will be accompanied by a dialogue-oriented event programme and the “Energiemobil” (energy mobile), which will be on the road. The “Energiemobil” seeks to engage local people near the seven exhibition sites.
The joint project is coordinated by DECHEMA e. V. and Fraunhofer UMSICHT. It was developed by the LWL Industrial Museum, the Westphalian State Museum of Industrial Culture, and the Klimahaus Bremerhaven. Wissenschaft im Dialog is responsible for the supporting programme, the tour of the traveling exhibition and the project communication. The scientific content has been contributed by the Kopernikus projects, the joint project Carbon2Chem®, together with Fraunhofer UMSICHT, the Fraunhofer cluster CINES and other partners. The conception of the exhibition and its reception are researched and evaluated by the Technical University of Ilmenau’s department of communication science. Finally, the joint project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
In 2017 Wissenschaft im Dialog published the results of its fourth annual survey on public attitudes towards science and research – the Wissenschaftsbarometer. By including questions on science in general (e.g. interest in science, trust in science, funding of science) as well as items on specific issues or technologies (e.g. fracking, cooperation between research institutes and industy) the Wissenschaftsbarometer offers the opportunity to collect up-to-date opinions on current issues and can be used for longitudinal comparisons in the long term.
By making the public’s opinion on science available Wissenschaft im Dialog provides the German science communication community with information about their target groups and seeks an evidence-based discussion between science, politics, industry and civil society. The Wissenschaftsbarometer is funded by the Philip Morris Stiftung and supported by the GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialforschung.
Since 2000, each year, Wissenschaft im Dialog and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research jointly proclaim the Science Year, aiming to shed light on the major challenges of our society from a scientific perspective. Wissenschaft im Dialog runs several activities as parts of the 2020 Science Year, for instance the floating science center MS Wissenschaft.
The Siggen circle was created on the initiative of the Bundesverbands Hochschulkommunikation and Wissenschaft im Dialog (an initiative of German science and research). In July 2013, the members of the Siggen Circle met for the first time for five days to discuss topics and trends as well as upcoming and necessary changes in science communication. The meeting was part of the programme “a week of time for…”, funded by the ZEIT publishing house and the Alfred Toepfer Foundation without assignment or mandate from these institutions. Since then meetings have been held annually. The Siggen Circle sees itself as a cross-institutional working group. Since its inception, the group’s membership has grown to 68 representatives from science PR, science and science journalism. The members take part in the think tank as individuals and not as representatives of their institutions. The Siggen Circle is not a closed group. In addition to those who have participated in previous meetings, new members join every year through a call for proposals.
The Transfer Unit brings together researchers and practitioners of science communication. The project aims at making the practitioners’ know-how and experiences visible and accessible to researchers to inform novel research questions. This transfer will spark insights and knowledge that are more in line with the practical work of science communicators. On the other hand, the Transfer Unit will compile and analyze research findings on science communication and make it available to the public in accessible and concise ressources. The Transfer Unit’s goal is to strengthen the bond between researchers and practitioners of science communication and to thus contribute to the professionalization of science communication.
Science communication is continually developing and changing. In addition to new tools and means of communication, there are also changing content requirements. The community is growing and becoming increasingly professional. The platform wissenschaftskommunikation.de was created to reflect on current trends and topics and to provide support for everyday work in science communication. We invite users to contribute by proposing new formats or getting involved as guest authors.
The website is a cooperation project of Science in Dialogue (Wissenschaft im Dialog), the National Institute of Science Communication (Nationales Institut für Wissenschaftskommunikation) and the institute for German studies of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie). It is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) and the Klaus Tschira Foundation (Klaus Tschira Stiftung).
Wissenschaft kommunizieren is Wissenschaft im Dialog’s series of summer schools and workshops which provide training in science communication and communication skills. The multi-day events are targeted at graduate students and post-docs as well as junior scientists and professionals in science communication. By combining a range of lectures, workshops and training on methods and techniques of science communication, the participants increase their knowledge of science communication and have the opportunity to discuss current issues with experts from theory and practice.
Discussions in various German cities include fishbowl discussions, science cafés or other interactive debating formats. The topics are embedded in the theme of the current German Science Year, while the specific topic of each event is selected based on local expertise and local research focus.
Wissenschaft kontrovers encourages dialogue between citizens and scientists, discussing controversial issues under the overarching theme of the Science Year. It aims to inform the public and reflect the public’s expectations and fears regarding science. Wissenschaft kontrovers is organized by Wissenschaft im Dialog in cooperation with regional partners and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
