Participatory Communication of Science

Project Information

ParCos

Grant agreement ID: 872500

DOI

10.3030/872500

Project closed

EC signature date 15 November 2019

Start date 1 January 2020

End date 31 March 2023

Funded under

• Improving knowledge on science communication in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of interactions between scientists, general media and the public

Total cost

€ 1 379 772,50

EU contribution

€ 1 379 772,50

Coordinated by

LAPPEENRANNAN-LAHDEN TEKNILLINEN YLIOPISTO LUT
Finland

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ParCos (Participatory Communication of Science)

Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2023-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The main objective of ParCos is to improve science communication by creating participatory science stories that link to source evidence that the public can interpret for themselves to scaffold new science activities, and to deliver them through popular media forms. The project will adopt a participatory approach in the creation of tools and methods to support citizens to take part in conducting, communicating, and discussing science. Supported through the Bristol Approach, a framework that supports a people and issue-led process for citizen science and engagement, the project will explore issues such as a) ensuring diversity and inclusion in science participation and communication b) creating engaging stories for the public that both communicate and include the public in undertaking science activities and interpreting outcomes, and which account for different interpretations c). To support this, the project outcomes will be as follows. The ParCos Curator will support Open Science practices via methods for curation and re-use of science data. The ParCos Data Explorer and Storyteller will work together with arts-based methods to support participatory sense-making, interpretation and storytelling from data that can reveal a diversity of views and interpretations of the meaning in local contexts. The communication of stories alongside evidence will support the audience to judge the validity of evidence and interpretations, to find their own evidence and tell their own stories, using ParCos tools and methods to support them. ParCos outcomes will be evaluated through three distinct case studies, supported by the ParCos Trainer that supports learning of the methods and tools. Fostering an environment where evidence can be included and promoting the idea that it should be expected will make it harder for the voices of people who make unsubstantiated claims to dominate in public science discourse.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first reporting period, the following outcomes have been realized: The first version of Inclusion principles (as realized in Bristol approach D2.1) ParCos Curator (developed during first reporting period; final version published in April 2021 as D2.3) and arts-based methods (D3.1) have been created and are ready to support the case studies. As part of the first period, the following science and dissemination outputs have been achieved: 43 new science stories (incl. 23 designs on the city of the future), 32 new participatory science stories, and 198 people trained in participatory science.

Additionally in the second reporting period the following outcomes have been realized: Case studies have accumulated sufficient scientific data and content and the ParCos storyteller is completed. Case studies have been completed, and the platform is ready to integrate all elements.

We first summarize some key exploitation activities from the second reporting period and then summarize our exploitation approach. The exploitable results and the exploitation plans are detailed further in D7.7 (final exploitation report) and D7.5 (Market report).
A selection of initial exploitable outcomes that were realized during the second reporting period are as follows. These are detailed in D7.7 along with individual exploitation strategies per result.
• Bristol Approach (KWMC)
• Data Explorer (LUT)
• ParCos Storyteller (VRT)
• ParCos Curator (LUT)
• Trainer Package (KUL)
• Art-Based Methods (LUT)
• ParCos Platform (LUT)
• Principles for Inclusion (KWMC)

During the project, we planned to develop six outputs that could be used for further exploitation. These outputs are practical tools that can help different stakeholders to increase participation in and support for science. Key to their exploitation is the ParCos platform, a website where users can explore these six outputs and see which one serves their needs. We aim, moreover, to exploit our Principles for Inclusion and our case studies as well. These various exploitable outputs meet different needs of a wide variety of target groups.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The first novelty is in adapting the model of curatorial inquiry to provide support for content re-use. These will be interpreted into a set of design principles for curating and using scientific content and data within participatory science stories. The second novelty is in creating methods to support participatory sense-making from data using arts-based methods in conjunction with civic interfaces to data and in conjunction with methods to identify points of story interaction where editorial choices around embedding science data and content to stories is most effective. The main outcomes of the project will be the ParCos Curator, Storyteller, Data Explorer and Trainer.

ParCos will deliver the ParCos Curator, Data Explorer and Storyteller to support the communication of science through different media forms designed to increase public engagement. This will be supported by the ParCos Trainer that offers support to using these tools to professionals and non-professionals alike, including school children. This will support good practice, such as evidence-based science outputs based on good quality curated data that the public can easily engage with becoming more mainstream over time. Particularly when these approaches are supported through science teaching at schools(using ParCos Trainer) thus engendering good practice in the next generation. The participatory nature of stories in turn facilitates more sharing and discussion of science, but following same principles of evidence-based discussion and linking curated data.

ParCos will further promote the uptake of RRI by directly examining barriers to inclusion in science and proposing ways to make science practice more equitable to excluded groups, and demonstrating this in practice through the Bristol Approach being taken in Case study 2 and to a smaller extent also Case studies 1 and 3. These approaches will collectively provide practical knowledge on how to engage communities and widen participation in science.

The ParCos Curator will provide methods for science journalists to produce evidence-based information for citizens which can be structure into participatory science stories through the ParCo storyteller. When communicated, these stories will structure and support dialogue around scientific content and support their further re-use, thus improving both the quality and effectiveness of interactions between scientists, general media and the public.

Illustration from the art-based methods guidebook

Visualisation of waste data gathered by participants in the pilot

Astrosounds: Linking scientific information about the seasons to a personalised weather forecast