SCC 2012 International collaborations in sicence communication: what, why and how?; The case of SciDev.Net (David Dickson)
1. International collaboration in
science communication: the
case of SciDev.Net
David Dickson,
Editor, SciDev.Net
Science Communication Conference
King’s Place, London 15 May 2012
2.
3. Our premise:
The communication of accurate and
accessible information about science and
technology, and their contributions to innovation,
is essential to the objectives of:
•achieving economic growth,
•reducing poverty, and
•enabling environmental sustainability .
www.scidev.net
4. Policymakers at all levels need accurate, timely
and reliable information about role of science
and technology in meeting development
objectives.
www.scidev.net
5. At the same time …
The public understanding of, and
engagement in, S&T ensures open and
democratic debate about the promises they
offer – as well as their potentially negative
consequences.
www.scidev.net
6. As a result:
The demand for both improved science
communication and improved science
communication skills is increasing rapidly
across the developing world
www.scidev.net
7. • SciDev.Net is dedicated to helping achieve this.
• Producing the SciDev.Net website has made it
essential to collaborate with science journalists
and scientific authors across the developing
world
www.scidev.net
8.
9. There is a challenge in making the need for a unified
editorial approach compatible with cultural
differences in attitudes to science
www.scidev.net
10. In order to ensure long-term benefits, we are keen to
help build indigenous capacity in science
communication in developing countries
www.scidev.net
11. We do this firstly through capacity-building material
on the website. For example:
www.scidev.net
16. Capacity-building workshops
These are intended to help build capacity in developing countries to report
accurately on science and technology and their contributions to development.
17. Measurement challenges :
Evaluation of improved capacity is carried out through
personal questionnaires.
These are addressed to:
1. Users
2. Freelance contributors
www.scidev.net
18. Assessing output (in terms of articles posted) and
usage (in terms of articles accessed) can be done
using website statistics
www.scidev.net
19.
20.
21. Assessing impact of website output is much more
diffi
cult
bec
aus
e
of
the
cha
llen
www.scidev.net
ge
of
22. Conclusion:
• Improved science communication is essential for
development and requires international
collaboration between individuals and
organisations.
• But evaluating this impact in precise terms
remains a significant challenge, due to the
diffusiveness of the message, the variety of
audiences, and the lack of unique impacts.
www.scidev.net
23. For more information, and to register to receive
free weekly email alert , visit us at
www.scidev.net
For information about practical guides, go to:
www.scidev.net/en/practicalguides
London, 15 May 2012 www.scidev.net
Editor's Notes
Surprisingly, this is a relatively new idea. Or rather, it has been around for a long-time – at least since the Atoms for Peace meetings in the 1950s and indeed even earlier, during discussions leading to the creation of UNESCO. But in the 1980s and 1900s it tended to get lost, as multilaterial organisations focussed their priorities on structural adjustment programmes, and international aid agencies swung their attention to the direct alleviation of poverty, arguing that science and research were a luxury. But it we accept this premise, then as a corollary …
