RESUMO
This article aims to assess novel trends in science communication relating to how policymakers in the field of innovation and digitalisation policy consume and use scientific findings. We investigate the mutual influence that science communication and policy have on each other and answer the question how emerging science communication trends in the science-policy nexus might influence the use of scientific findings in the policymaking process. By using Google and the largest scholarly repositories, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Academia.edu, from 1 st March to 31 st May 2020, we reviewed policy documents and academic literature containing relevant information on the evolution of characteristics of global, European, and national science communication activities and the interrelated policy responses to identify the most relevant current trends in the evidence-to-policy process alongside three key challenges; trust, translation, and timing. The three identified main trends are (1) a stronger engagement between science and policy, (2) more open, reliable, and accountable science communication practices with policymakers, and (3) the increasing digitalisation and visualisation of science communication. We deepened our investigation by conducting online semi-structured interviews with relevant policy stakeholders at the international and national level between 1 st May and 31 st July 2020. With the support of the European Commission and building on the existing network of partners, we identified decision-makers and advisors with relevant experience in fields related to innovation and digitalisation policy working in four countries that represent different levels of generalized social trust: Austria, Italy, Hungary, and the Netherlands, and at the international/European Union level. After an online consultation process with a global set of policymakers, these theoretical findings were translated to policy recommendations showcasing possible solutions in science communication that may be initiated, strengthened, or continued by policy stakeholders in order to reach a more effective and efficient uptake of scientific findings in evidence-informed policymaking.
TRESCA Trustworthy, Reliable and Engaging Scientific Communication Approaches is a research project aimed at understanding how science communication can help re-build trust in science and scientists. The project wants to create positive changes through common research activities with various stakeholders, e.g., the general public, scientists, journalists, and policymakers. Thus, TRESCA also aimed to identify the most important actual trends how communication between scientific experts and policymakers changed in the last decades in the field of innovation and digitalisation policy. We looked at how these trends might influence the way policymakers receive, interpret, and use scientific evidence during their daily work. The partners first checked various scientific and non-scientific documents concerning potential new communication trends between scientists and policymakers. The partners conducted interviews with policymakers working in four European countries (Austria, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands) and at the international/EU level. The interviews investigated the scientific data sources, data collection processes, science communication topics, channels, and formats frequently used by policymakers. We found that at least three new trends had strengthened in the last decades: (1) increasingly often more permanent formal relationships are developed between scientists and policymakers to cope with the more frequent and intense communication; (2) to enhance trust between scientists and policymakers, more transparent and reliable communication channels and formats are used; (3) policymakers need to understand more scientific information in less time therefore visual and digital communication formats are getting more widespread. After an online consultation process, practical recommendations were provided to policymakers on how to support more effective communication with scientists. This included the creation of more training opportunities, the increased use of communication guides, the promotion of fact-checking websites, or ways to motivate scientists to communicate with policymakers. These steps might support a novel communication process built on trust and the understanding of each other's perspective.
