Much of VA’s work is carried out in project form, including public engagement activities, studies as well as advocacy work.
Public engagement projects:
Public engagement projects involve organising events which stimulate dialogue between researchers and the public in new ways and in novel arenas.
- AllThings.bioPRO – bioeconomy serious game
- Anthology on energy – a book co-created with KTH
- European Researchers’ Night – the annual European science festival. VA is the national co-ordinator in Sweden.
- Researchers’ Grand Prix – a science communication competition for researchers
- Mass experiments – engaging school pupils in real research through Citizen Science
- Researcher dialogues
- Science Cafés – a way to discuss science in a relaxed and informal setting
- Swedish European Researchers’ Night event.
- Tea tales
- TechEthos – An EU project exploring the ethical challenges and societal consequences of new and emerging technologies.
Studies:
VA carries out studies and surveys with the aim of increasing knowledge about the relationships between science and society at large as well as more specific studies into societal groups such as journalists, teachers and the business community:
- The public
- VA’s annual Barometer investigates how the Swedish public views science and researchers.
- Communication about Corona investigates media reporting and public trust during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
- Teachers
- School meets Science was a three-year project investigating how schools view research and their contact with researchers.
- Media
- Research for all – proposal for a Swedish platform for science communication a study for the Swedish Research Council that provided suggestions on how a national platform for research news and science communication might be realised in 2022.
- Communication about Corona investigates media reporting and public trust during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2014 study analysing media coverage of research misconduct and public confidence in research.
Advocacy and development work:
VA undertakes advocacy and development work. We seek to inform and influence research policy at both a national and international level.
- Falling Walls Engage Hub Sweden – international network connecting Nordic-Baltic science engagement practitioners with the world.
- Forum for Science Communication – The Swedish annual conference of Science Communicators
- GENDERACTIONplus – gender equality – Advancing gender equality in the European research area
- Tenacity – An EU project to increase academic civic engagement
- Super MoRRI – An EU project aiming to develop and improve methods for measuring activities within RRI (responsible research and innovation).
- YouCount – An EU project about developing new ways to increase social inclusion of young people.
Past projects include:
- 2WAYS – an EU project to test new forms of disseminating knowledge about life science research
- ARCS – Building a Swedish national portal for citizen science
- Bloom – An EU project about raising public awareness and interest in the bioeconomy.
- ComScience – an EU project to test new forms of dialogue and communication about public health research
- EU-Citizen.Science – Developing a European platform for citizen science
- European Student Parliaments on Science – a European project involving pupils working closely with scientists. VA ran the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm.
- Finding The Vasa Cannons
- March for Science Sweden – #Howdoyouknowthat campaign
- Media seminars for scientists
- The News Evaluator – Source criticism in digital media
- ORION Open Science – An EU project about embedding Open Science and RRI in research organisations.
- Pratavaccin (Let’s talk vaccines) – portal to help counter myths against Covid vaccination
- Rethink – an EU project ’rethinking’ science communication
- Science communication toolbox – The toolbox aims to provide inspiration and ideas for a variety of activities to communicate research. The starting point is activities organised during the annual.
- SciShops – An EU project to develop new Science Shops
- Swedish advocacy platform Horizon 2020 – Science with and for Society. VA was the coordinator of a national collaboration platform for Science with and for Society activity in Sweden.
- Responsible Research and Innovation, RRI – VA works to promote RRI in Sweden and was a partner in the EU RRI Tools project helping to develop the RRI Toolkit for responsible research and innovation.
- Smedpack – A collaborative project to develop an improved supply chain for medicines.
- What is science? – an animated film project
