INCREASING IMPACT THROUGH Commitments to action
READY TO ADDRESS A CHALLENGE IN SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT?
Commitments to Action (CtA) are formats integrated in the Falling Walls Engage Hub launches, where Falling Walls Engage community members participating in the Hub develop projects that address Science Engagement challenges which emerged from the Hub exchange. The goals are:
- Scale up dialogue among Science Engagement practitioners, projects and institutions, on Science Engagement challenges.
- Find solutions to specific Science Engagement challenges, benefiting the whole community of Science Engagement practitioners.
The process is guided and supported by the Falling Walls Engage team through discussion, consulting and showcasing of projects. The Commitments to Action were initiated in the Falling Walls Engage Hub Kenya in March 2020, which resulted in the three projects presented below.
Fostering Action on Science Engagement Challenges
The progress and results of the three Commitments to Action projects were presented in a webinar that was part of the Berlin Science Week 2021 to discuss the following questions:
- How can we incentivize more scientists and science-related institutions to get involved in Science Engagement initiatives?
- How do we make sure that Science Engagement initiatives are also involving hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations?
- How can we contribute to a Science Engagement funding landscape that is more impactful and sustainable?
COMMITMENTS TO ACTION
Institutionalising Science Engagement
Project Description
Science Engagement aims to involve individuals that are not part of the scientific community in science initiatives. Over the past decades, the Science Engagement field has seen a tremendous growth, with the development of new funding opportunities and an increased institutionalisation. However, obvious challenges still exist, namely related to the lack of incentives for scientists and science-related institutions to get involved in Science Engagement initiatives and advocate for it in their circles. With this Commitment to Action, Ana is working on collecting evidence and learnings on solutions and actions that foster the institutionalisation of the Science Engagement field, through literature revision and a participatory workshop approach.
PROJECT Lead
Ana Faustino, Quality Manager at Falling Walls Engage and the International Year of Science Engagement, Falling Walls Foundation & Falling Walls Engage Winner 2018.
Outputs
- Organisation of the workshop “Institutionalising Science Engagement: the key to promote science literacy and informed decision-making in society” as part of the Berlin Science Week in November 2020. This workshop included a panel and Q&A session with experts working in the field of Science Engagement institutionalisation, followed by group discussions on solutions and actions that promote this institutionalisation, with Science Engagement practitioners from all over the world.
- Drafting of a report on solutions and actions that promote the institutionalisation of Science Engagement, including a brief state-of-the art and the learnings gathered in the workshop mentioned above. You can download the report below.
- Presentation of project progress and results on a webinar that was part of the Berlin Science Week 2021. Get more insights here.
ENGAGING HARD-TO-REACH AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
PROJECT Description
The objective is to identify elements of innovative and successful Science Engagement projects involving hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations, and create a guide for Science Engagement practitioners to plan, implement and evaluate similar projects. The project will produce a typology of what constitutes hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations in the context of Science Engagement. Also, the team will review the literature and projects from the finalists of the Falling Walls Engage Finale, and give visibility to case studies focused on Science Engagement projects involving hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations.
PROJECT LEADS
Partner
Syracuse University
Outputs
- A typology of hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations for Science Engagement practitioners.
- Case studies of Science Engagement approaches involving hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations, with emphasis on approaches, evaluation methods and outcomes (one of the case studies will involve a systematic review of Science Engagement projects that reach out to cancer patients that are also deaf).
- Presentation of project progress and results on a webinar that was part of the Berlin Science Week 2021. Get more insights here.
SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT AND FUNDING
PROJECT Description
This participatory research project aims to explore the challenges and opportunities in Science Engagement funding. The project aims to capture insights from Science Engagement practitioners and funders through lived experiences, to map out their needs and influence the funding space in order to make it more diverse, accessible, and inclusive of Science Engagement projects. The team strives to contribute to the building of a Science Engagement funding landscape that is more impactful and sustainable.
PROJECT LEADS
TEAM
- Biko Sewe, Head of Strategy & Communications
- Winnie Belyon, Community Manager
- Francis Dzabeng, Data & Statistics Lead
PartnerS
Under the Microscope & the West African Center For Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP)
Outputs
- A white paper about the Science Engagement funding landscape which will document the experience of practitioners, knowledge on funding structures, the needs of practitioners and funders, as well as proposed solutions that strengthen the field of Science Engagement.
- Presentation of project progress and results on a webinar that was part of the Berlin Science Week 2021. Get more insights here.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET INVOLVED?
If you have ideas or comments regarding the Commitments to Action above, or have an idea for future Commitments to Action, reach to us at engage@falling-walls.com.
Further Activities to have a look at
