Delegates at the science communication conference organised by the BA and the Royal Society this summer were the first to hear of a significant new initiative to spur researchers to communicate about their work.

The proposal, still under discussion, has been mooted by the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) with likely support from Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Wellcome Trust. It will involve a national scheme with ring-fenced money behind it aimed at recognising and rewarding researchers involved in engagement. It will also take steps to catalyse a change in the culture that makes it hard for scientists to spend time on communication or engagement activities.

Centres of excellence

The first phase will involve establishing six centres of excellence within higher education establishments across the country. Kerry Leslie, head of RCUK’s Science in Society unit, explained: ‘This was prompted by the outcomes from a previous science communication conference. The recent survey undertaken by RCUK, the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society [on the attitudes of scientists to public engagement] also fed into the plans. The activities of the centres of excellence are still being fleshed out.’
The survey in question revealed that the ‘research driven’ culture in British universities presents a barrier to scientists communicating their work with the public. Sixty four percent of the scientists surveyed said the pressure to publish, attract funding and build careers on ‘hard research’ means public engagement work is not a priority for them.

Cash forthcoming

At the science communication conference, Roger Grinyer, Head of Corporate Communications for HEFCE, took the bold step of announcing a plan – and the cash – with the aim of creating a culture in which public engagement is valued and its status is raised.
HEFCE, he said, would provide up to £4 million over four years beginning in 2007-08, conditional on matched funding from RCUK, with the Wellcome Trust and the other UK higher education funding councils making contributions. The ensuing presentation from Professor Ian Diamond, chair of RCUK, suggested that they would do their bit to ensure the baseline amount of £8 million, although at this early stage details and figures were still tentative.
A formal announcement of the funding and a call for proposals is planned for September; it will apply to all research areas covered by the research councils, not just science.

Communicators pleased

The proposal was greeted with delight by the science communication community. Kathy Sykes, Collier Professor of public engagement in science and engineering at Bristol University said: ‘Finally, here's a scheme that will fund good practice, collaboration and consolidation. It won't deal with the issue - a cultural change is necessary for that, and a single measure can't be expected to instigate change overnight. But I do think it will help.’