For three out of four Swedes, the news media is their primary source of information about the new coronavirus. In terms of the visibility of different professional groups in the media coverage, Swedes have the highest confidence in doctors and researchers, while there is a lower level of confidence in government officials. These are the findings of a new survey undertaken by the Swedish non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science).Läs mer
The Swedish non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science) has launched a study to understand how people in Sweden are receiving and interpreting information about the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The project will include a number of surveys to measure public attitudes combined with studies of the actual media reporting. We invite other organisations to collaborate in the study, and are interested in hearing from those undertaking similar studies in other countries. The study is taking place during spring 2020.
What does the public think about the new genome editing technology and how should we talk about it? In Sweden and three other European countries, the EU project ORION Open Science has organised eight citizen dialogues to find out. Here we report on the two Swedish citizen dialogues held during January and February in Stockholm.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vetenskap & Allmänhet office in Stockholm is closed. We are continuing to work remotely and adapt or postpone our activities where needed, following recommendations by the Swedish authorities.
VA (Public & Science) has been appointed to coordinate the Falling Walls Engage Hub Sweden. The network is designed to connect science engagement practitioners from across the world and provide a platform for exchange and dialogue on bridging the gap between science and society.
Each year, KTH hosts the Energy Dialogue which aims to bring together researchers, industry and policy makers to address sustainability in urban energy systems. During the dialogue last year there was a poster competition. The winners were awarded Impact Communication Training at VA.
The EU project RETHINK, in which VA is a partner, has published its first report. The exploratory study maps online science communication in seven European countries on the topics of climate change, artificial intelligence and healthy diets. VA (Public & Science) was responsible for collecting the Swedish data.
In February 2020, colleagues from Vetenskap & Allmänhet, VA (Public & Science) visited four organisations in the UK to learn more about their work and how they are supporting public engagement practices.
The Horizon 2020 SciShops project ran its final event, the SciShops Symposium, on 30-31 January. Almost 100 participants from all over Europe and beyond gathered at the University of Brescia in Italy for two days of discussions, reflections and networking around Science Shops and CBPR (community-based participatory research). As well as sharing the experiences and knowledge gained during the SciShops project, it was also an opportunity to explore future collaborations, which was embraced by all that attended. VA ran a workshop at the Symposium and moderated all of the plenary sessions.