ScienceFlows-UVEG joins as a national and regional hub of the new European Competence Centre for Science Communication

ANA SERRA/CAROLINA MORENO// On September 30, members of the European consortium COALESCE, including the ScienceFlows team from the University of Valencia, came together for a working meeting in Barcelona. This event marked the beginning of our collaborative work for the national and regional nodes, which include the ScienceFlows team.

This meeting allowed for the design and definition of the work for each of these centres, along with other hubs in the network. In our case, the ScienceFlows team will focus on improving science communication during times of crisis, particularly by promoting tools and strategies to prevent the spread of disinformation flows.

The Competence Centre for Science Communication, launched by COALESCE, already has a guide, “The Crisis Navigator for Rapid Mobilisation of Science Communication,” which allows for the analysis of fundamental aspects to improve science communication before, during, and after a crisis, whether caused by human action or natural disasters.

Search for new nodes

The COALESCE project is currently in an open process to identify entities that wish to apply to become members. Regional or national hubs must be entities from any part of Europe, provided they have an excellent reputation in science communication. Together with the other members of COALESCE, they will serve as centres for developing activities within the project’s framework.

The hubs will play an essential role as they will be actively involved in co-creating resources and tools for training in science communication. They will also be responsible for adapting and translating resources to the needs of local actors involved in science communication. The hubs will disseminate the resources available at the Competence Centre and, in the future, the training opportunities offered at the Science Communication Academy.

COALESCE Project

The COALESCE project is funded by the European Commission under grant agreement number 101095230. Its aim is to establish a European Competence Centre for Science Communication with an associated Science Communication Academy. The project seeks to reduce the existing gap between European society’s understanding of science topics and address issues related to distrust in science and policy responses during social crises.

The COALESCE project involves 13 entities, including universities, state agencies, and companies.