Foundation

Our Position Regarding Science Communication

By strategically realigning our activities in the field of science communication, we are responding to the changing situation in this area.

Social and technological upheavals are posing an ever-greater challenge to democratic societies. These developments also influence science communication and the role it is attributed with in contributing to an informed, open society that is receptive to dialogue. In particular, the highly dynamic field of generative AI offers enormous opportunities to make an even greater contribution in this regard in the future, but it also harbours risks.

How do we define 'science communication'? 

  • By 'science communication', we mean the clear and interactive communication of, and exchange regarding, research with target groups outside the scientific community. 

  • The target groups for funding initiatives in the field of science communication include not only researchers and institutional science PR departments, but also science journalists in their role as independent intermediaries.

Our ongoing funding activities in the field of science communication

Events

Herrenhausen Palace as a venue for communicating science to specialist audiences and members of the public with an interest in science (since 2013).

Blick in den unterirdischen Konferenzraum von Schloss Herrenhausen

Research on Science Communication

Funding for capacity-building and research at four interdisciplinary science of science communication centres, which have received a total of around 23 million euros in funding since 2021.

Seile die verknotet sind

Young Talents

Support for a one-year academy programme for young researchers involved in science communication, science communicators in university departments and science journalists, in collaboration with the Alfred Toepfer Foundation and the Claussen-Simon Foundation, as well as other partners, over a period of three years.

Eine Gruppe von jungen Erwachsenen mit Namensschildern und Schreibblöcken im Stuhlkreis

SciComm Funding

The Foundation welcomes researchers engaging in science communication as part of their projects funded by the Foundation. Funding for this can generally be applied for across all initiatives.

Illustration mit drei Personen, zwei davon mit Megafon, eine Person hält sich die Hand ans Ohr, wie um besser zu hören

The need for a new strategy

A variety of developments, some of which are interlinked, are threatening social cohesion. These include, for example, the rise of right-wing populism, increasing polarisation in public discourse, targeted disinformation, hard-to-reach sections of the population, and ‘echo chambers’. This current transformation across many sectors is being accelerated by technological developments, particularly the highly dynamic field of generative artificial intelligence (AI). It is fundamentally changing media production and consumption, the gathering and dissemination of information, and ultimately science itself. This brings with it risks (quality assurance, transparency, loss of trust, biases), but also enormous opportunities for greater accessibility, participation and higher efficiency in the generation and communication of scientific knowledge.

Against the backdrop of these developments, the Foundation’s focus is to shift from predominantly individual support measures (incentives for science communication by grant recipients, capacity-building, etc.) to structural support for science communication. Only in this way will it be able to make an impact as a shaping stakeholder in this field in the future.

Objectives

These are the objectives we are pursuing for our future involvement in science communication:

Strengthening the long-term viability of science communication and its stakeholders

  • Through its activities, the Volkswagen Foundation contributes to strengthening impact-oriented and technology-neutral science communication that proactively harnesses the potential of new technologies for science communication and critically examines the challenges they present.
  • Through its measures, the Volkswagen Foundation promotes the early identification and investigation of fundamental changes in knowledge production and science brought about by new technologies, as well as their multiple effects on science communication (social, communicative, ethical, legal and historical).
  • Through its measures and in collaboration with other partners, the Volkswagen Foundation initiates the development of future scenarios for science communication.

Promoting trust, dialogue and guidance in society

  • The Volkswagen Foundation supports the development of new formats for science communication which, in a complex and digitalised society, foster open social dialogue and provide target groups with fact-based guidance.
  • The Volkswagen Foundation supports the testing and scaling up of new formats in order to harness the potential of new technologies in science communication, thereby better engaging with and reaching target groups, enabling broader participation, and increasing efficiency and transparency in science communication.

Positioning science as a resource for a democratic society

  • Through its activities, the Volkswagen Foundation helps to ensure that science is perceived and utilised more strongly as a shared resource through transparent, accessible and reflective communication. It brings stakeholders together in a topic- and goal-oriented manner to develop recommendations for action for communities and policymakers through dialogue, and to support various target groups in forming opinions and making decisions based on facts.

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