The Communication of Scientific Knowledge

Concept and Tools to Improve the Societal Use of the Results of Social-Ecological Research

How is it possible for an institute like ISOE that works within field of complex social-ecological research to make the results of its research available to various target groups in an appropiate and sophisticated form? The project "communication of scientific knowledge" aims at placing the Institute in a position where, from a conceptional and organisational perspective, it can reach this target in a long-term perspective. In order to achieve this, the Institute's communication network must be expanded beyond a close-knit, select, and scientifically oriented specialist public. On the one hand, a more sophisticated understanding of the public sphere is to be achieved for an effective and 'fluid' communication of scientific knowledge, through which the potential sources of social-ecological knowledge present within the Institute can be made easier to use. On the other hand, simple and robust tools to support a target group-oriented, participative communication process are also required.

The following points must be considered when looking at this complex topic:

Scientific knowledge that has to be communicated to the public is becoming ever more complex, whereas the selection mechanisms used by the media demand simplifications. How can complex research be communicated?
How can results be put across and communicated to decision-makers in business? Which access routes are appropriate for the target group, such as, for example, young people?
How can the distinction between data, information, and scientific knowledge be more precisely considered in the communication of science? How can the science be reformulated for the respective interpretive context of different target groups?

The solution to these problems required a procedure with a strongly analytical bias. On the one hand, the results of research in the sphere of scientific sociology had to be used; on the other hand, links had to be formed with experiences and concepts relating to business communication.

As an initial basis the existing communication network and knowledge processing of the Institute had to be described and analysed. Tools for an improvement of the communication of the Institute’s scientific knowledge have furthermore been tested out and evaluated, especially in parts which are relevant in everyday practice. This "test run" was therefore also applied on the international transdisciplinary conference "Rethinking Sustainability" which was organised by the Institute in 2003. The idea was to pay particular attention to how active organisation of the planning process can exert influence to ensure that the conference is successfully presented in the printed media and simultaneously open up new communication routes into discipline-based scientific knowledge.

Building upon the results and experiences gained in this way a strategy for the communication of scientific knowledge in the Institute has been developed and implemented. Contracts in the spheres of business communication, adult education, and science journalism supplemented the new ideas from a specialist angle. The expertise of the German Institute of Adult Education for instance pointed out that there are fields in Central European adult education needing fresh input from social-ecological research. Therefore the results of this contract are of special interests for other institutions in the field of social-ecological research and their communication efforts. The expertise has been published in German as an ISOE discussionpaper (english abstract).

Based on the project activities an increased awareness of the need for strategical plannedcommunication was raised within the Institute. The corporate design of the Institute was re-launched and the strategy of knowledge communication was tested, evaluated, précised and successfully implemented. The project has laid the essential basis for an effective and adaptable knowledge communication. The strategy which was developed within the project was e.g. transferred into tools and processes for the research practice of the institute. This manual is an approved tool kit that enables ISOE to transfer the acquired social-ecological knowledge into the relevant target groups on basis of a self-organized - as far as possible - and autonomous knowledge communication. In December 2004 and in January 2005 the transferable results of the project were presented to other projects within the field of social-ecological research and to the communication departments of the institutes cooperating within the network "Ökoforum".

The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the infrastructure funding of the funding programme Social-Ecological Research.

Project:

Project head:

Project team:

Duration :

Partner:

The Communication of Scientific Knowledge

Concept and Tools to Improve the Societal Use of the Results of Social-Ecological Research