Science communication international
Science communication is carried out by a wide variety of organisations worldwide, as numerous (inter)national networks, institutions and conferences show. On this page, interested parties will find a small selection of players.
Since 1989, the global Network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST Network) has set itself the goal of promoting discussion on the theory and practice of science communication. Every two years, the international community of practitioners, teachers and researchers meet at the PCST conference. Another transnational association is African Gong, a pan-African network for the popularisation of science and technology and science communication.
At European level, science communication is promoted, for example, within the framework of the European Science Engagement Association (EUSEA) and the EUSEA conference, which has been held annually since 2021. The Ecsite - European network of science centres and museums has over 300 members from all over the world who meet annually at the Ecsite conference, one of the largest international science communication conferences. New institutions are also being created: By 2027, a European centre of excellence for science communication and an academy for capacity building and training is to be developed as part of the EU project COALESCE.
Looking at the German-speaking world, there are three players in particular: In Germany, the organisation Wissenschaft im Dialog has existed since 2000 and coordinates the annual Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation conference. The National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik) has been offering tried-and-tested training and further education formats since 2012, organises the NaWik network for communicating researchers and has been offering a platform specifically for scientists in German-speaking countries with the WissKon conference since 2020. In Switzerland, the non-profit Science et Cité foundation has been promoting dialogue between science and society since 1998 and organises the ScienceComm conference once a year.