Final Report Summary - COMENVIR (Communicating environmental impacts on water quality, availability and use)
Executive Summary:
ComEnvir was part of the theme 6 Environment (including Climate Change) programme of the FP7 Cooperation Work Programme. The project focussed on sub-activity 6.5.1: “Dissemination and Horizontal activities”, and more specifically on the “Development of a methodology to exploit the results and enhance impacts of EU environment research activities”.
The aim of the ComEnvir project was is to clarify environmental aspects, innovative strategies, and European regulatory principles in relation to the role of water in the environment and human usage and to communicate results and activities of EU environment research activities to different target audiences (policy makers, scientific stakeholders, general public, educational purposes, etc.). ComEnvir placed emphasis on the development of a communication strategy and knowledge transfer as a tool to involve stakeholders and the general public. This deliverable is available in the form of a best practice manual entitled: “Ensuring Public Impact: Best Manual for Communicating and Disseminating EU Research”.
The ComEnvir project, which ran from May 1st 2009 until April 30th 2013 (36 months), brought easy to understand information on water issues and environmental research into the public and educational settings. The project relied on four key activities: i) topic selection and information content collection ii) preparation and production of publishable science information packages, iii) dissemination of these materials using different platforms and iv) evaluation of the project’s results.
An important deliverable is a hard cover reference book “Living with Water: targeting quality in a dynamic world”, published by Springer Science+Business Media, ISBN 978-1-4614-3752-9. The chapters 2-5 reflect the topics that were chosen in the ComEnvir project to illustrate the many environmental issues relating to water as a central theme at both technological and scientific levels.
The four topics have also been the starting point to generate science information packages (SIPs), geared towards science forum organisers, teachers or the general public as a whole. The four topics are:
- Persistent Organic Pollutants with a focus on mountain areas
- Micropollutants, with a focus on pharmaceuticals
- Wastewater treatment, with a focus on the reuse of resources
- Ocean changes, with a focus on warming and acidification
Each packages contained a short and long film version as an introduction to the subject, a background reference document, frequently asked questions in written and video format, a glossary, links to internet sources and documents and a database with details on relevant research projects with funding from the sixth or seventh Framework Programme (FP6 and FP7). The SIPs are complemented by a hands-on manual for science forum organisers: “Ensuring Public Impact: Best Manual for Communicating and Disseminating EU Research”
The SIPs have also been used to generate educational knowledge packages containing teacher activity sheets, films on DVD, background readings, and pointers to additional resources.
Altogether, the ComEnvir project has contributed towards improved visibility and uptake of environmental S&T, support in policy making and shaping of public opinion, and increased public awareness of EU funded research activities.
Project Context and Objectives:
Context
Water is essential to life on our planet. Our very existence as well as our economic activities are totally dependent upon its availability. Freshwater is permanently renewed but it is also finite, it cannot be made or replaced with other resources and at a global level water is often a limited resource. Freshwater constitutes only about 2 % of all water on the planet and competing demands may lead to an estimated 40 % global freshwater supply shortage by 2030. Freshwater is therefore a precious resource and its availability is essential to ensure sustainable social welfare, economic prosperity, and ecosystem health.
The UN calculates that an individual uses 100 litres of water per day for subsistence, which includes home consumption, agriculture, industry, etc. Many people in the world have only 25% of this amount to their disposal. While we already use over half of all the freshwater, which is available in all the world's rivers, lakes and groundwater, the UN calculates that this figure is going up between 70 and 90 % towards the year 2025. Something radical must therefore be done to change this development. Population growth and the competing needs of water users will result in an increase of global water demand, and it is only expected to increase in the next decades. These trends will be exacerbated by climate change, with serious implications for food security. The availability of sufficient freshwater of good quality therefore is one of the greatest problems the world currently faces.
A second problem that the world faces - its habitats and its species - is that more and more polluting chemicals, such as pesticides or just salts, end up in groundwater and rivers or that accidental spills of for instance oil lead to great disasters in marine environments. One drop of a hazardous substance can pollute thousands of litres of water. Pollution caused today could remain for generations in our groundwater that we want to use for drinking water. Indeed, water resources are affected by many different water uses including agriculture, industry and households.
As individuals we can make certain choices about our lifestyles which affect our health but we also rely on public authorities to provide us with reliable information on which to base our decisions, and to protect us from those threats to our health and wellbeing which are beyond our own control. We cannot select the quality of the environment we live in or always protect ourselves from exposure to pollutants that may build up in our bodies – sometimes even before we are born. Recent studies on the environment and health link include estimates that each year between six and nine thousand French city dwellers die prematurely because of air pollution and that about one sixth of the total burden of death and disease for children can be attributed to environmental factors.
Good health is something which everyone wants – for themselves, their children and for the wider economic and social benefits it brings to our society. It plays a major role in long-term economic growth and sustainable development – there is increasing evidence showing that it is not so much the cost of health that is high, but rather the cost of ill-health (in terms of healthcare, medicines, sick leave, lower productivity, invalidity and early retirement)
Nearly all European citizens (95 %) consider protecting the environment to be important to them personally. This concern translates into widespread public support for EU-level policies and funding: on average, 81% of citizens consider that EU legislation is required to protect the environment in their country. To maintain such broad public support at a time of economic crisis, it is essential to communicate and create awareness about the positive links between green growth, job creation and a much more efficient use of resources.
A first step is to assess the contribution that environmental factors make to health problems. This involves completing the knowledge and information chain from the environmental cause including pollution sources through different pathways to the human health effects. Improvements in environment and health monitoring are required to ensure that both policies are properly co-ordinated. In addition, the EU Framework Programme for Research will reinforce the scientific research efforts to analyse and improve our knowledge on the causal links between environmental factors and human health.
Research is crucially important in establishing the knowledge base and providing concrete measures by which European environment and health research results will be fed into policy-making, for analysing and filling the gaps in European environment and health activities. For Europe to continue to be an advanced knowledge society, it is imperative that legitimate societal concerns and needs concerning science and technology development are taken on board, entailing an enhanced democratic debate with a more engaged and informed public and better conditions for collective choices on scientific issues.
Science permeates every sector of society and its relations with society are complex and show some ambiguities. Citizens rely on scientific research to improve the quality of life and find solutions to issues such as global warming or health threats. But the citizens have also concerns about science and technology: possible negative effects and risks that should be better assessed and controlled. For example, the prevalence of waterborne diseases and exposure to outdoor pollution is higher in a number of the new Member States while the prevalence of asthma is higher in other Member States. Much has been and is already being, undertaken to reduce these disparities and there has already been a notable reduction in the number of deaths and illnesses from environment-linked diseases as a result of efforts to reduce pollution.
While there have been improvements in the chemical quality of water bodies over the last 30 years, the situation as regards the priority substances - which are the basis for assessing chemical status as introduced by the EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) - is below expectations. In 2000, the WFD addressed for the first time in a comprehensive manner all the challenges faced by EU waters, making it clear that water management is much more than just water distribution and treatment. The WFD sets clear objectives that a “good status” must be achieved for all European waters by 2015 and that water use be sustainable throughout Europe. This challenge has been taken up in the framework of the Common Implementation Strategy for the WFD developed jointly by the Member States and the European Commission and agreed in May 2001.
At the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the EU launched a Water Initiative (EUWI) designed to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the World Summit targets for drinking water and sanitation, within the context of an integrated approach to water resources management. It was recognised that knowledge and learning, societal mobilisation and innovation and wise application are essential for future socio-economic development.
The main causes of negative impacts on water status are interlinked. These include climate change; land use; economic activities such as energy production, industry, agriculture and tourism; urban development and demographic change. While groundwater supplies around 65% of all Europe’s drinking water, 60% of European cities overexploit their groundwater resources and 50% of wetlands have “endangered status” due to groundwater over-exploitation because the area of irrigated land in Southern Europe has increased by 20% since 1985. As water shortages increase worldwide, people are looking for ways to re-use wastewater from waste water streams. Re-use can be an important and novel method of managing drainage water strategies and at the same time reducing costs of water diversion. The same is true for valuable compounds and resources in wastewater streams: recovering and re-use can lower the costs of wastewater treatment and replace resources such as industrial raw materials, ferilisers for agriculture or energy.
While there have been improvements in the chemical quality of water bodies over the last 30 years, the situation as regards the priority substances - which are the basis for assessing chemical status as introduced by the WFD - is below expectations. The assessment of chemical status indicates that a large proportion (about 40 %) of water bodies has an unknown status and 20% of all surface water in the European Union is still seriously threatened with pollution. Monitoring is clearly insufficient and inadequate in many Member States, in particular where not all the priority substances are monitored, where the number of water bodies monitored is very limited, and/or where the selection of the compartment of the aquatic environment in which the substances are monitored is not suitable.
Environmental pollution with pharmaceutical residues is an emerging problem. There is a difference between the environmental protection afforded under the legislation on human and that on veterinary medicinal products. Both require assessing environmental risk, and case-by-case consideration of the need for protective measures, but only for veterinary medicines can an authorisation take account of environmental concerns. pharmaceuticals themselves are hazardous materials, some can be extremely toxic to humans or aquatic life forms. Pharmaceuticals will likely become more widely distributed in the environment unless adequate preventative approaches are used. Protection of the environment from sewage-derived pharmaceuticals would be most effective at the point of entry into the environment, especially if combined with increased efficiency of removal by sewage treatment.
Economic prosperity depends on natural capital. That means not just metals, fibres and minerals, but also biodiversity and ecosystems that provide essential goods and services, from fertile soil to fresh water, from clean air to pollination etc. Currently, we are overusing our natural resources and crossing potentially irreversible tipping points. Raw-material prices are rising continuously due to demand from other economies, while natural resources, such as water, are becoming scarce with the risk of future conflicts.
Achieving and maintaining growth, competitiveness and job creation are linked more than ever before with environmental protection and greater resource efficiency. Paying more attention to the limits of our planet when we produce and consume will reduce business costs, open new business and job opportunities. At the same time combating pollution will reduce related health care and clean-up costs which will help governments make optimum use of scarce financial resources.
Europe's industries should shift towards a more sustainable future and seize the opportunities provided by early investment in green technology to support the transition towards a more green circular economy. Waste legislation needs to be reviewed to see how new markets and better recycling can contribute to growth. The resource efficiency campaign will continue to encompass waste/recycling challenges. Much progress has been made in tackling water and air pollutants; however, environmental quality continues to cause problems to health and environment.
Environmental pollution does not recognise national borders and dealing with it at EU level instead of national level is not only more efficient, but often is the only possible way to tackle the major environmental problems we are facing (e.g. air and water pollution, hazardous waste, industrial accidents, etc). Environmental legislation at European level ensures also a level-playing field and fair competition for companies across the single market: if we do not have common standards, we run the risk of “eco-protectionism” where national rules act as barriers to trade and investment.
At the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the EU launched a Water Initiative (EUWI) designed to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the World Summit targets for drinking water and sanitation, within the context of an integrated approach to water resources management. It was recognised that knowledge and learning, societal mobilisation and innovation and wise application are essential for future socio-economic development.
At the onset of the Sixth Environment Action Programme of the European Community (2002-2012) it was noted that despite the fact that EU environment policy is delivering tangible progress, global emissions of greenhouse gases are rising, the loss of biodiversity is not yet under control, pollution is still harming public health and volumes of waste are increasing in Europe. Science plays a major role in addressing these issues.
Science is crucial for the future and the well being of our society. Yet European citizens are often not clear how they will benefit from EU research. It is frequently seen as controversial. This inevitably frames public attitudes towards EU research and science in general. Moreover, young people in Europe do not necessarily see careers in science as their first choice. A number of actions are thus needed to allow European citizens of all ages to evaluate and see science in a different light and become engaged in a dialogue about environmental scientific research. An extra benefit is that such a dialogue, and the ComEnvir project is part of it, should also stimulate their interest for science in general.
Objectives of the ComEnvir project
The ComEnvir project was set up to narrow the gap between environmental research efforts by scientists on the one hand and European citizens on the other. The ComEnvir strategy focused on the collection of high quality research information in environmental sciences with emphasis on the water cycle and its anthropogenic pollutants, the preparation and publication of a reference book, the compilation and presentation of science information packages (SIPs) that include audiovisual sections, a mechanism of rapid and effective dissemination of the project objectives and its produced materials and finally a thourough evaluation of the project’s results. .
The ComEnvir project has chosen water as a central theme since water is part of our environment in many forms: in marine or freshwater, in groundwater and in air and its uses are multiple: for cooking and washing, in agriculture, for recreation and in industry while its environmental aspects include issues such as pollution, biodiversity and sustainability. Since European consumers, educators and students were the main target groups of this coordination and support action, the choice for water as a theme is very appropriate: relevant scientific research and results will be close to their everyday experiences.
By timely presenting recent output of EU environmental research, in form of science information packages, through internet, printed media, multimedia and television, the project was in an privileged position to promote FP6 and FP7 funded project outputs to large audiences across Europe.
The ComEnvir strategy and aims entirely suited the topic addressed by the ENV.2008.5.1.0.1 1 call, namely "the development of a methodology to exploit the results and enhance impacts of EU environment research activities". ComEnvir created products that were designed to diffuse the output of EU environmental research to proper target groups and contributed to the improvement of understanding of environmental sciences. The seven main project deliverables, which were all completed within the project duration, are listed below:
1. Focus Meetings, bringing together project management, project partners and key stakeholders to help in guiding project aims and deliverables and to ensure their intended quality
2. Production of 8 films suited for television broadcast, the internet community and educational usage
3. Creation of 4 educational DVDs
4. The use of internet facilities to present science information packages on chosen environmental science topics
5. Preparation and publication of a hard cover reference book presenting the project topics
6. Dissemination of the project results using different disseminating platforms
7. Evaluation of all project deliverables
The ComEnvir project mobilised scientists from selected projects from the FP6 programme "Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems" to take part in the coordination and support action as partners in the ComEnvir project. Care was taken to cover a sufficiently wide range of environmental research areas in which water plays an important role. Also it was deemed important to connect these research subjects to the areas that are open for application in the first and the current call for proposals of the FP7 Cooperation Environment Programme. ComEnvir project therefore not only profited from research activities that took place during FP6, but could also relate its activities to research activities that were carried out in FP7. The geographical spread of the ComEnvir science partners also secured good networking with national research activities in EU member states. Five EU environmental research organizations thus connected ComEnvir to a range of FP6 and FP7 research projects.
Four science topics were chosen that address immediate concerns and interests of European citizens. These topics established the subjects for the book and for the science information packages that include films (long and short version), background readings, FAQs (in written and audio visual form), glossaries, links to other sources and documents and overviews of relevant European research projects. The science information packages were produced in such a manner that these can be used by any event organiser to support or illustrate local science events. The science information packages are located on the project’s website (www.comenvir.eu) and are accessible without any conditions such as registration or passwords. The book was published and distributed by Springer Publishers, to reach a wide (geographically, technically and background) audience.
Project Results:
A description of the main results
The description of project results below corresponds to the workpackages from which they originated. There were a total of six work packages in the project. These were:
1. Project management
2. Focus meetings
3. Information content collection
4. Film production and multimedia
5. Internet and publishing
6. Dissemination activities
7. Project and deliverable assessment
Workpackage 1 - Project management
The project day to day network management resided at the LMU (partner 1) with assistance from PBP (partner 2) The daily management took primary responsibility for taking appropriate project initiatives and securing effective communication activities between all project partners. Other tasks that were carried out include internal reporting, time schedule management, provisions for keeping 'list of deliverables and milestones' on track, administrative issues and organisation of the project meetings.
The project management succeeded in creating a dynamic communication environment for knowledge and information exchange throughout the duration of the project, formulate strategic decisions and at the same time keep the person-hours involved in communication limited to an effective minimum. The project steering committee (project coordinator plus all project members) established effective communication links with participating individuals and organisations encouraging discussions and exchange of information, knowledge, tools and methods.
A password protected area was created as one of the communication tools, and was used to archive confidential project reports and draft documents. The project partners have been able to use the archive for reference and it also served as a ‘project-cloud’ to distribute materials to all partners.
The project also relied on face to face meetings to ensure smooth progress of the project activities. Thus, after the project kickoff meeting in May 2009, a number of face to face project meetings were held. Four of the meetings were held in conjunction with project focus meetings to save travel money (Paris, Barcelona, Mainz and Munich)- see WP2.
• Paris meeting, September 2009
• Barcelona meeting, July 2010
• Mainz meeting, November 2010
• Munich meeting, September 2011
• Amsterdam meeting, April 2012
• Paris meeting UNESCO, April 2013
The project meetings proven essential for the project steering committee to effectively oversee and discuss the project management tasks, arrive at correct decisions regarding subjects, content and structure of the book chapters and the SIPs and the proper usage of interim evaluation results. The meetings also enabled the project members to develop very good personal relationships that helped with the overall project implementation and its evaluation. Many issues have been discussed at length during the subsequent project meetings, including but not limited to the following issues:
• structure, level, target audience, scope and contents of the book chapters
• structure, time schedule and content of production and publication of the SIPs
• methodology, recording and analysis of evaluation
• use of the project results for the production of a “best practice manual”
Early on in the project it was decided that, next to the face to face meetings, conference calls and person-to-person contacts, there would be no need for a project Newsletter, since the consortium was too small for it to be an effective communication channel. Instead, minutes were made available and distributed quickly after meetings were held.
In addition, the CE daily management had a meeting with the CE scientific officer on 16 December 2011 in Brussels, Belgium. Partner #2 represented the CE project in the meeting for Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living where the CE objectives and outline and draft versions for the CE book publication were reviewed. The outcome and recommendations has been very useful in the final development of the book.
The project has relied on the expertise of the project participants and outside experts to assure proper implementation and evaluation of the project objectives and deliverables. Great emphasis has been placed a full evaluation of the effectiveness of the project (see also WP7). These efforts have all led to significant improvements, level adjustments and contributions to the development of the CE book and SIPs that were developed in WP2. The discussions among the project members on the SIPs led to preparatory studies by the day-to-day management to arrive at project definitions for: i) choice of topics, scope and level ; ii) aims, purpose and results to be achieved ; iii) methodology, structure and content of the project website ; iv) methodology and analysis of dissemination activities ; v) follow-up activities and post-project life ; vi) evaluation methodologies ; vii) reporting.
During the full project duration we have not encountered any problems that could not be resolved within the consortium and it has not been necessary to make any changes to the set up or agreement of the consortium. In fact its members still have fruitful contacts now the project has ended.
Workpackage 2 - Focus meetings
The Focus meetings provided a dynamic and rapid bottom-up approach as well as a feedback mechanism on the project content development and deliverables. The meetings were part of the project’s bottom-up approach to discuss and reach the project goals at the highest quality. The project partnership as a whole played a role in the identification of the actions to be taken during the project as they relate to the identification, quality control and development of content for four specific ComEnvir topics (see also WPs 3, 4 and 5).
The four meetings were open to participation of multi-stakeholder platforms for optimal exchange of practical, technical or scientific information, opinions and debate. The meetings, of two day duration, were attended by all project members, and in addition carefully selected experts were invited to participate and contribute their know-how. The focus meetings have been scheduled at intervals between 10 – 15 months in order to avoid duplication of discussions and respond to the developments within the project. The schedule of Focus meetings was as follows:
1st CE Focus Meeting, Sept 2009, Paris, France
2nd CE Focus Meeting, 2010, Barcelona, Spain
3rd CE Focus Meeting, November 2010, Mainz, Germany
4th CE Focus Meeting, September 2011, Munich, Germany
Each of the focus meetings was organised by one of the project research partners with the idea that a focus on the expertise of this partner and Framework involvement would best serve their contribution to the project. However, the outcome of the Kick off meeting and subsequent discussions resulted in the view that an early choice of science topics for the Book, SIPs and films would benefit and speed up the production of these deliverables.
The focus meetings concentrated on the identification, development and implementation of four topics related to water quality, namely:
• Mountain waters as witnesses of global change
• Emerging (novel) pollutants in rivers: the case of pharmaceuticals
• Wastewaters, their treatment and use
• Impacts on ecosystems in the marine environment
In selecting the topics the following guiding principles were employed:
• What is the uniqueness of the topic
• What is the topic relevance to the user groups
• What interesting results have been obtained to date (or where to obtain the information)
• Are the presented results suitable for becoming a project deliverable
• Can the results be used to illustrate the bigger picture
• Is there an interesting story line
The book
The subsequent meetings were concerned primarily with the evolving management challenges to divide the work, match content with expertise and to target the selected topics to the right audiences for the ComEnvir book (“Living with Water: targeting quality in a dynamic world”) and published by Springer:
• LMU/PBP: Living with water: importance, drivers for quality and quantity.
• CEAB: Mountain waters as witnesses of global pollution: distillation theory, sensitive environments
• ECT: Pollutants in Freshwater, the case of pharmaceuticals: risk assessment, problem description, consequences, monitoring
• PBP/ISRA: Wastewater are not Wastes: pollution, reuse, recycling, energy aspects
• ECS: The Oceans and their Challenge to conserve Marine Biodiversity: environments, pollution, fisheries, invasive species, climate change.
The strategy, tasks and dynamics of book editing and publisher requirements were discussed in great detail. In addition, discussions were carried out about provision of materials for and preparation of the science information packages (SIPs).
Films (also discussed in WP4)
Four water quality topics were selected for filming: organic pollutants, micropollutants, re-use of waste and ocean warming and acidification. At the meetings, project partners were consulted about appropriate expert groups to be contacted. Spanish and Irish colleagues providing contacts for the headwaters and ocean films, whereas the Italian and German partners provided contacts and ideas for the films on pharmaceuticals and waste water treatment. The project partners have acted as consultants for the selected topics, for example to read the final film scripts for scientific accuracy before final voice overs are done.
Dissemination (also discussed in WP6)
Different strategies for publicizing the project to raise targeted awareness of its deliverables and actual dissemination strategies were discussed. A number of suggestions were made that were also implemented: for example the presence at World Water Forum in Marseille, March 2012 and at the UN Conference sustainable development in Rio, June 2012 Rio. An easy possibility to translate some of the project deliverables into languages other than English was found in the Google service that relatively well translates complete webpages.
Workpackage 3 - Information content collection
The collection of detailed and general scientific information on environmental issues with a connection to water as a central theme has been a pivotal activity for the ComEnvir project. The collected information, or project content, served to produce and publish the ComEnvir book “Living with Water: targeting quality in a dynamic world”, it served to prepare the Science Information Packages (SIPs), to develop the film treatments and for the development and as input of the educational DVD production. This range of products, which were prepared for different dissemination platforms, ensured optimal opportunities to reach the targeted audiences: stakeholders, policy and decision makers, teachers, students and the general public.
The ComEnvir partnership involved four partners working in, or working in collaboration with European research groups, and this was for a good reason. These science partners have been crucial to support the important steps that were taken in this Workpackage: the identification and sourcing of quality primary data and resources to be used as content for the dissemination channels that had been pre-chosen for the ComEnvir project.
Before the collection phase of relevant data and resources could take a start, it was important to carefully choose the topics that were thought suitable for all target audiences in terms of relevance, interest, complexity and exemplarity of European research activities. The Focus meetings have been instrumental for this phase and together with the ComEnvir science partners, Advisory Board members have also given direction and support after data collection was initiated. The information content not only addressed key scientific issues of the chosen environmental research areas but also included related issues such as ethical, social and economic implications.
The topics that were chosen interestingly reflect the path water flows after precipitation in mountain areas, then flowing through rivers and surface waters, where it is used, polluted due to human activities, and returned before finally running into the oceans. The final decisions on the subjects for the four topics are reflected in the titles of the chapters 2-5 of the ComEnvir book:
• Chapter 1: Living with water
• Chapter 2: Mountain waters as witnesses of global pollution: distillation theory, sensitive environments
• Chapter 3: Pollutants in Freshwater, the case of pharmaceuticals: risk assessment, problem description, consequences, monitoring
• Chapter 4: Wastewater are not Wastes: pollution, reuse, recycling, energy aspects
• Chapter 5: The Oceans and their Challenge to conserve Marine Biodiversity: environments, pollution, fisheries, invasive species, climate change.
Following collection of content to produce the book chapters, a new effort was done to arrive at the determination of content, level, scope and quality of Science Information Packages. It was decided that each of the packages would be structured as follows:
1. Long and short film versions
2. Background reference document
3. Frequently asked questions in written format
4. Frequently asked questions in video format
5. Glossary
6. Links to internet sources
7. Links to documents
8. Relevant FP funded research projects
Sections 5 – 8 were organised in database structures to be able to quickly handle modifications and updates to these information sources when presented via the ComEnvir website.
The film preproduction phases: treatment, storyline and scripts were also based on the collected content and the science partners were involved in this phase, as described in the following section.
Workpackage 4 - Film production and multimedia
Films have been prepared in two formats: short films (approx. 5 min.) for a public audience, introducing key concepts and relevant European research on the chosen topic and a longer films (approx. 15 min.) to be used in educational settings (schools, interest groupings, etc.), elaborating on the scientific content and placing issues of water quality in a broader context. Preparation of the films consisted of preproduction, production and postproduction. The preproduction phase to some degree depended on the completion of the book chapters. Bckground information was collected on the selected topics, treatments were prepared, contacts made to the appropriate experts and localities and arrangements made for filming. During the production phase, the actual films were made. Post production consisted primarily of film editing and preparation of the final scripts for dubbing. The work was carried out by VUM with assistance from LMU. For the preparation of the educational Science Information Packages see WP5.
Preparation of the film treatments went ahead in parallel with the preparation of the book chapters. The film treatments provided the possibility to prepare exact film scripts for the actual filming in the year 2011 and 2012. The films are seen as complementary to the project book “Living with Water: targeting quality in a dynamic world” (see WP3 and WP5). To view the completed films, please visit www.comenvir.eu. The treatments followed the book chapters: concentrating on head waters (mountains) and the water cycle, pollution and waste treatment and the ocean estuaries that serve as the sink for the different types of human pollution.
In 2011 four films were prepared. Two films dealt with headwaters and two films with oceans. These films are based on the book chapter 2 (Mountain waters as witnesses of global pollution), with specific attention paid to organic pollutants and book chapter 5 (The oceans and their challenge to conserve marine biodiversity), looking at dangers of acidification and temperature increase. The four films were:
Organic pollutants in our headwaters (7'46" targeting the general public and 14'37" targeting schools). The films introduce the viewer to a group of atmospheric contaminants - Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) - that pose complex challenges to scientists and decision makers alike. The films illustrate the characteristics of these contaminants and explains why they are hard to trace and difficult to deal with. The scientific results may be surprising but they show the significance of scientific discoveries for decisions to be made about human health and the environment. The films show the importance of simple scientific procedures when it comes to dealing with very complex environmental problem.
The effects of increasing atmospheric CO2 on oceans ( 7'03" targeting the general public and 12'47" targeting schools). The films address wide-held concerns about the impact that ocean acidification may have on marine life - today and in the near future. The films explain the relationship between increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and the health of marine organisms - in particular calcifying organisms such as corals and shellfish. Scientific findings on ocean acidification are still predominantly based on experimental research in the laboratory. More data from the field is needed to verify the results of these studies: scientists want to find out to what extent marine life has and will be affected by the man-made environmental changes. Their research gives an indication of how the conditions for marine life may change in the future if the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere continue to increase.
In 2012 four additional films were prepared. These films are based on the book chapters 3 and 4 that dealt with micropollutants, especially pharmaceuticals, in water and with recovery of useful nutrients from waste waters. The four films were:
Micropollutants and antibiotic resistance (7 min and 20 sec minutes targeting general public and 18 min and 32 sec minutes targeting schools). Pharmaceuticals are micropollutants that get into our water supply through our waste waters from private homes, hospitals and industry. Bacause they are usually not treated at the waste water treatment plants, residues of pharmaceuticals can get into out fresh waters where they can affect living organisms. One of the affected organisms has even become a danger to humans- multidrug resistant bacteria. The films examine the methods scientists use to evaluate the risks of micropollutants and pharmaceuticals in particular. The films show, how through monitoring, scientists have come up with some surprising observations about multidrug resistant bacteria.
Valuable wastewaters (9 min 21 sec for public audiences and 21 min and 20 sec for schools). Much of this waste humanity produces ends up in the city canalysation system. The waste waters contain many different pollutants that need to be treated and disposed of at waste water treatment plants. Yet, some of the waste bi-products could be very useful. Especially when considering the rapid depletion of our natural resources. The two films look at technologies that helped to create two products that can contribute to sustainable environment: production of methane gas that can power city buses and production of agricultural fertilizers from the waste water sludge.
The films have already been shown on Italian television with interest from additional 10 countries. In addition, the films were prepared for dissemination in form of DVDs. These DVDs do not only contain the films but also additional educational materials such as FAQs (question and answer interviews with scientists), background information for teachers and handouts to students.
Workpackage 5 - Internet and publishing
This workpackage describes the tasks that have been carried out and involve the assembly of collected content into written formats: the ComEnvir internet site and the ComEnvir reference book: “Living with Water: targeting quality in a dynamic world”. While both the internet site and the book are based on the same sources and content, it was already decided that the target audiences would be different: The content of the website would be suited best for teachers, students and the general public, while the focus of the book would be on stakeholders, policy and decision makers, teachers.
It was decided to integrate the ComEnvir website into a larger pre-existing website (www.EUSEM.com) which is an umbrella structure that accommodates a number of similar independent websites. These sections present materials from other EU projects, including a concurrent project (ComScience) that focuses on the dissemination of EU research results. The reason for this approach is that a side by side presentation of similar types of information (all covering EU research) would generate a much higher rate of visits and offer possibilities to direct visitors to the range of different activities presented under the umbrella structure. The different activities are complementary to each other and therefore create a synergistic effect. Care has been taken to safeguard a recognisable individual identity of the ComEnvir project and the presentation of its funding, objectives and deliverables. The ComEnvir project can be accessed from its own domain (www.ecomenvir.eu) and therefore the project has its own internet start page.
The ‘deliverables’ section of the ComEnvir website provides quick access to the main outputs of the ComEnvir project: the reference book, the Science Information Packages and the films. The educational DVD’s have not been presented on the website, since they cannot be downloaded or ordered online.
The presentation on the website of the ComEnvir book “Living with Water: targeting quality in a dynamic world” was realised by a proper link to the page of the publisher Springer Science+Business Media, a description of its objectives and an introduction to the book in the form of easy to understand summaries of the chapters 2-5.
All four Science Information Packages (SIPs) were given a uniform look, which made it easier to recognise the overall structure and contents of the CE website. The four subjects (Persistent Organic Pollutants, Micropollutants, Valuable Wastewater, Ocean Warming and Acidification) follow the order of the book chapters, but they have a different tone and detail and may have more focus on some aspects than can be found in the corresponding chapter in the book. The dissimilar set up and style is done on purpose, since the book and SIPs serve different audiences (see first paragraph of this section).
All planned sections of the SIPs, as described in the original project proposal, were made available through the ComEnvir internet pages:
• long and short films
• complementary and detailed background documents
• written FAQs (Frequently asked questions)
• audiovisual FAQs (Frequently asked questions)
• access to information on relevant research projects with links to their descriptions and personal contacts
• glossary of terms used in the film or background section
• essential links to useful websites
• links to key documents that are available from the internet.
The two SIP film versions (long and short, eight in total) were provided in different video formats that would allow viewing the films using desktop computers running different operating systems, as well as portable multimedia devices such as tablets and telephones.
The SIPs can be freely used, copied and distributed to help for instance science communicators when organising public meetings or as an example how to prepare other science subjects, or teachers when introducing one of the science subjects covered or to prepare classroom lessons and for specialised parties with interests in environmental studies.
Additional functionality was introduced in the ComEnvir internet site to suit broader interests of visitors of the pages. A News Column presented filtered news items with relevance to water quality, wastewater treatment and sustainability of rivers and oceans. The section was refreshed on a daily basis and provided links to timely science related information that was sufficiently in line with the scope of the ComEnvir website. The news column provided an extra reason to re-visit the ComEnvir page and also made sure that search engines recognised the website as active and providing a changing set of links to different websites. A number of news items pointing to stories that could complement the SIPs in the future, and these have been expanded in a blog style section. This general section with “Water Issues” was included in the CE website to illustrate broader issues that play a role in the water cycle, and that climate change and political decisions have great effects on water availability, distribution and quality.
The video content that is placed on the ComEnvir website was also available from a YouTube channel that has been registered for this purpose. The channel attracted additional visitors to the ComEnvir webpages and triggered interest in its deliverables. According to the proposal a Twitter account and a Facebook channel have also been registered during the active period of the project in order to attract additional visitors to the ComEnvir website and raise interest in its deliverables.
The ComEnvir website was maintained and updated on a regular basis and an effort was made to implement a transparent structure with sufficient crosslinks for easy access of all information on the events and data. General information on the project, objectives and partnership was also provided. Restricted member pages were installed to facilitate sharing of project reports and interim results or data among the project partnership. At the bottom of each page a facility was included to generate page translations on the fly, as offered by Google in large range of languages other than English. While the grammar of the translations is not optimal, the translated pages remain very informative and thus offer an economical alternative over full webpages in a few other EU languages. The bottom of each page also pointed to the EU Programme and the source of funding of the ComEnvir project.
Workpackage 6 - Dissemination activities
The goal of the activities that are described in this workpackage is two fold: First, to publicize the project and second to disseminate the ComEnvir project deliverables to wider audiences. The dissemination strategy was developed on the basis of recommendations from the mid-term project review. In addition, the project benefited from the experiences of LMU in other EU projects. The communication strategy was divided into two parts:
a. Project publicity campaigns and
b. Deliverable dissemination
a. Project publicity campaigns
The aim of the campaigns was to provide high visibility and awareness of the project deliverables. The campaigns started at month 24 and finished at the end of the project at month 48.Visibility was achieved by physical presence and presentations at key conferences and fairs by project members. These included major fairs such as World Water Forum (Marseille) March 2012, UN conference for Sustainable Development in Rio, June 2012, MipDoc (for television and multimedia) March 2013, World Water Day (the Hague) April 2013, as well as presence at stakeholder meetings such as PERL (Breukelen and Marseille), in September 2010 and April 2013. In these instances flyers and/or brochures about the project deliverables were distributed. The project deliverables were also presented at the following meetings by HiH: at side events at the Commission on Sustainable Development at the U.N. in NYC in 2011 and at the CSD-inter-session meeting in 2011 and 2012; at a side event at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development; and at the conference “The Power of ESD” held in Visby, Sweden October 2012. In addition, the project and its deliverables were made known to various search engines. New social media channels, such as YouTube and others, discussion for a, blogs and pod-casts, were also utilized. The activities in this area were carried out by LMU, PBP, VUM and HiH. All partners assisted LMU in the finalization of a publication in “International Innovation”(June 2011, page 111-113 , entitled: “River deep, mountain high”. The journal has a European wide distribution and the response on the publication has been very positive.
b. Deliverable dissemination
Decision was taken to disseminate the project deliverables in English and only in other languages if there is an immediate use of the project deliverables. This was indeed the case with the project films: they were translated into Italian so that they can be shown on Italian television in April 2013. The main project partners involved in the dissemination activities were LMU, VUM, ProBio, with assistance from HiH, IRSA and CEAB who primarily provided the necessary contacts in their regions for mailing activities. HiH was also involved in actively disseminating the project outcomes to the educational sector. The following describes the various platforms used for project dissemination activities in the final year of the project.
• Internet
The ComEnvir website provided the opportunity to present and allow downloads of all the project deliverables, including viewing of the films to encourage their use by the widest possible audience. The video content that is placed on the ComEnvir website is also shown in a YouTube channel that has been registered for this purpose. The YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/eusem1eu) prominently shows all eight ComEnvir films that are also available from the ComEnvir website and the section is introduced by an appropriate trailer that originates from the ComEnvir video FAQs. Dissemination efforts were also made through Twitter and Facebook accounts. It proved difficult to attract sufficient attention for science related issues using these social media since these are dominated by entertainment related contributions. At the end of the project the Twitter account was ended, but the Facebook page was revamped and changed to a business account-type and will remain available in support of the ComEnvir website. The new Facebook timeline page lists an overview of all major activities that had taken place during the course of the project. The translation software used for the ComEnvir website has made it possible to attract additional visitors to the ComEnvir webpages, thus disseminating the project deliverables to even larger audiences. See also WP7 for additional information.
• Broadcasting media
Gold TV (plus 14 regional TV stations) Italy: the TV network reaches all the regions in Italy. The ComEnvir water films on water quality issues were shown during prime-time and also will repeated at different time periods in 2013. At the MipCom fair in Cannes, 12 TV stations from around the world have expressed interest to evaluate the films for broadcasting in their countries.
• Printed media
The information materials produced in WP3 was presented in a book format of 200 pages. This factbook, produced in WP5 was disseminated through Springer Publishers, reaching most of the major libraries around the world. The Springer Publishers is responsible for its world-wide dissemination which will continue for a long time after ComEnvir project has finished(ISBN 978-1-4614-3752-9). The project could not have found a more effective way of dissemination of the project’s core contents and fulfil the project’s objectives. An additional project product is 19 page best practice manual for enhancing impact of EU research activities, available on the project homepage for free distribution.
• Cooperation with international institutions (for educational purposes)
The primary cooperation in this respect is with UNESCO. A meeting was held at the end of the project to explore the dynamics of cooperation for further dissemination of the project deliverables. Decision was made to develop a joint project with the UNESCO water sector for dissemination of the project results to schools in three watershed areas in Europe. PERL network (partnership of educators, researchers and practitioners from more than 120 institutions in over 50 countries), was also utilized both for publicizing the project deliverables and also for dissemination of educational DVDs to educational organizations.
The communication activities (both publicity and dissemination) were evaluated both qualitatively (for example how many people clicked on the webpage, how many articles were published, reactions to the articles, how many web-linkages we created, how many stakeholders we contacted, how many expressed interest in the project content) and qualitatively (for example how did stakeholders and students like the homepage, films, content, articles and their quality) (see WP7 below).
Workpackage 7 - Project and deliverable assessment
During the first year of the project it was decided to carry out an evaluation of the draft version materials that were prepared in WP3 and WP5 (content for the production of the ComEnvir book). Proper evaluations were deemed essential to confidently progress to the following stages in the project: the production of films and SIPs for the ComEnvir website. The evaluation was a two step process. First, individual draft chapters were sent to PERL members, many of which are educators, for evaluation. They also received a questionnaire that was designed to rate the book content, how they envisaged to use the content in classrooms and what additional materials they would like to see produced for optimal usability. Interestingly, in addition to the films, most requested were for relevant internet links and quality glossaries. Contacts to scientists were rated as less important.
The outcome of this exercise provided the original ComEnvir authors with answers on readability of the draft version and the value of the current form and style of the book chapters for education. PBP attended the PERL working meeting at the Nyenrode Business University (11-13 September 2010, Breukelen, the Netherlands) where focus groups compared the pros and cons of each chapter and provided further recommendations for the content and structure of the book, so that it could be used more effectively by educators.
Important dissemination activities have relied on internet based tools and therefore in the first place the ComEnvir website itself. It is not easy to measure the effectiveness, impact and usability of website driven activities, other than looking at the numbers of visitors. While the ComEnvir website makes use of response forms and made use of a questionnaire page, most visitors refrain from giving this type of feedback. Quantitative analysis of the ComEnvir website was carried out as a subtask of the analysis of the full umbrella EUSEM website. The EUSEM site receives more than 13,000 visits per month, and further specifications show that particular ComEnvir pages have been accessed frequently. It is rewarding to notice that the viewing of CE films is very good, as shown by the following snapshot of the March 2013 analysis results.
The ComEnvir web pages have been reached by users via a broad variety of search strings, indicating that the CE website is well recognised by internet search machines, examples are:
• comenvir
• government water purification tablets contract 2013
• atmospheric carbon dioxide levels since 1750
• carbonate buffer system ocean acidification university of Maryland
• fp7 aviation resilience global warming
• co2 since industrial revolution
• belo monte
• acidification
Additional evaluation consisted of a broader review of all the workpackages. This evaluation was carried out by a member of the advisory board. The mid-term review concluded that the project is producing high quality information packages, films and a unique book which will improve the visibility and uptake of environmental science and technology evidence in policy making and shaping of public opinion. The final review at the end of April 2013 concluded that the project had met its objectives to produce and disseminate a book for educators, 8 high quality films and 4 accompanying knowledge packages. These have all been well-received, in particular the films, which were presented at Cannes and have already been used on Italian television. It was emphasized that the evaluation of the impact of these deliverables should continue beyond the funding period of the project. Generally, topics that are engaging, politicized and current are among the most successful when it comes to communicating with audiences that are not technical specialists. Very complex or highly-technical topics benefit from a strong contextual explanation to increase their appeal to non-specialist audiences. Public audiences are often interested in how scientific research affects their daily lives. Moreover, it is important to include research scientists from the earliest-possible stage in any communication project to obtain their full commitment and input. Researchers will need to be involved in the creation of content to ensure technical accuracy.
Specific (still ongoing) evaluation is concerned with the impact of films on the youth. The aim of the work is to evaluate whether and to what extent the different film attributes increase the interest in the film topic and/or science and whether they can make a difference in what learners remember from the films.
Potential Impact:
The potential Impact
ComEnvir has shown that it:
1. was possible to bring together a collective comprised of highly qualified partners from different regions of Europe active in science communication and EU research programmes
2. properly used its expertise to carry out a balanced action plan and effectively produce the deliverables that had been promised
3. maintained an effective project infrastructure and coordination to assure that the project deliverables had a significant impact on the targeted audiences
4. it was possible to select four topics from the EU funded environmental research programme which were representative for important issues that involve ‘water’, being the pre-chosen project theme.
5. it was possible to build a logical story from EU research results, suitable for the production of a hardcover book, for a set of films, for an inviting set of online Science Information Packages and for a set of educational materials.
6. It was possible to produce dissemination and communication materials for different groupings of target audiences, using a common source of scientific information
A careful choice of science topics was made to be treated and covered in the communication products of the project. Two topic restrictions were considered. First, it was decided that the science subjects covered i) had to impact, or a have connection, to the daily life of European citizens, ii) be recognised as useful research activities, and iii) inspire students to learn more. Secondly, it was made sure that the topics were indeed subject of European research in thematic areas covered by the FP7 Environment "Cooperation" programme. This all made sure that the action plan of ComEnvir was in line with a number of FP7 categories of objectives: Cooperation, Capacities and People. The synergies and complementarity to the latter two general categories was achieved by bringing science and society closer together (Capacities) and encouraging young people to follow a career in natural sciences, while taking into consideration gender issues (People).
The themes in the Cooperation programme all have in common that - in their fields of knowledge and technologies - research excellence is particularly important to improve Europe’s ability to address public health and the social, economic, environmental and industrial challenges of the future. The ComEnvir project has conscientiously aimed to fit into this category, in particularly the public health and environmental safety themes. It made sure that European challenges concerning innovation, science development and application were addressed while ensuring that their outcomes are understood and accepted by the general public and that the subjects presented could be integrated into formal and informal educational settings. One of the main objectives of the ComEnvir project was to better inform the public as well as professionals in educational organisations on the progress in European scientific research, thereby providing European research efforts a prominent place in this dissemination action.
The Theme 6 Environment programme aimed to advance knowledge on the interactions between climate, biosphere, ecosystems and human activities. ComEnvir has chosen for a focus on 'water' since this essential resource is appropriate and also visible matter that plays a role in all these areas. In addition, when referring to water, it has not been difficult to address new tools, technologies and scientific results in an understandable way to practically anyone. It was shown that environmental research not only benefits the environment but also helps Europe to exploit research breakthroughs for the benefit of public health and the wellbeing of its citizens. Finally, it is evident that the challenges facing the sustainable supply of sufficient water of good quality and the outcome of European led research increases competitiveness and innovation capacity of EU industries and businesses.
The 'knowledge triangle' - research, education and innovation - is a core factor for Europe to become a dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy. Since research and consequently innovation in science is dependent on public funding, the public needs to be aware of the societal benefits of EU funded environmental research in more detail. Thus part of the ComEnvir mission has been to raise public awareness for EU funded research activities. The local dissemination of the information originating from SIPs, being it in form of films, internet activities, direct interactions with scientists or hand-outs, strengthen public knowledge about and engagement in discussions on science subjects. Constructive dialogue is one of the keys to minimise unfounded concerns and maximise public empowerment.
The creation of ComEnvir website with the SIP's, the publication of the book and complementing these materials with the publication of a best practice manual “Ensuring Public Impact: Best Manual for Communicating and Disseminating EU Environmental Research” are in line with the ambitions in the FP7 section “Dissemination and Horizontal activities”, where special attention is given to the actual communication of EU research outcomes and the engagement in dialogue with civil society. The ComEnvir deliverables positively invite public dialogue and debate on scientific issues and research results and specifically address young people. The ComEnvir deliverables, and in the first place the educational materials, contributed towards the generation of interest of young people in science and may stimulated the idea of pursuing a career in science related fields. Ethical and societal concerns were also considered when presenting the science subjects, in line with the obligation towards future generations and the rest of the world to be aware of the possible negative impacts of certain scientific or societal developments.
The main target groups addressed by ComEnvir have been educators and students policymakers and the general public (a broad range of professionals, interested citizens). It has actively disseminated past and present Framework Programme research project results in film and DVD formats and promoted dialogue on their contents. Therefore, ComEnvir made a significant contribution in the area of diffusion of the output of EU environmental research. Part of the objective of this project therefore has been raising public awareness for EU funded research activities, their results and applications that will be essential to support a sustainable, healthy, and economically proficient society. Constructive dialogue is one of the keys to minimise unfounded concerns and maximise public empowerment. The project therefore contributed to the improvement of the understanding of environmental sciences in the general public.
Key ComEnvir deliverables are the four science information packages. The subjects of the four environmental research topics that were covered, were determined with the targeted usergroups and the platforms of dissemination in mind. They were built from two key project resources: the information content collection (WP3) and the films (WP4). The broad range of content – but still united by the theme of ‘water’ and providing a window on the scientific world - was brought to the ultimate beneficiaries by making use of well accepted communication platforms: television, multimedia (in form of DVDs), printed media and the internet. Through these ComEnvir project deliverables, it is clear that citizens benefit from European environmental research: research findings are put to practice and new methodologies are put to the test, that ultimately will become available to anyone. Certain environmental research topics, chosen by the project members, addressed technological solutions, others involved biodiversity issues or the consequence of pollutants in water for individual health.
A second goal of the ComEnvir project was to interest young people for science topics, such as environmental sciences and research, at a moment in their life when choices will be made for a future career. The ComEnvir deliverables served this age group in providing insight how scientific research is carried out, how scientists form teams on specialised subjects, and how theory is put into practice. The project’s deliverables clearly showed that research, undertaken to study or monitor parameters in our environment, is also providing practical benefits and is aimed to improve the quality of life in a healthier environment. The ComEnvir project has shown scientists in action, and provided background information that can easily be understood, such as news and leads to further individual research in specific subjects.
While certain research activities may still be far away from practical applications, others are not. The ComEnvir deliverables show that choices can be made to speed up actual use of basic discoveries and environmental industries are involved in this process. The complex connection between initial innovation in environmental research and the ultimate delivery of improved local environments, and hopefully our climate, was placed in a clear perspective. From the range of deliverables and further links to other sites of information, it was shown that interested individuals can easily pick up more information on current and future subjects in environmental sciences. The films show how European scientists efficiently work together and this will be an example for students that they could work and study in any European country of their choice.
Experience in a previous pilot projects has shown that schools are an appreciative environment, therefore every effort is being made to distribute the deliverables to schools around Europe and beyond. For example, an important dissemination partner will be UNESCO through its large and very active school network of nearly 8,000 schools. The internet site enjoys more than 10,000 visits per month (increasing) with an acceptable level of interaction. While many of the project’s aims has been reached during the project’s duration, it is a gratifying thought that dissemination and impact will increase even after the project has ended: the book, the films, the educational materials and the information on the project’s website will continue to do their work.
The European dimension of the project is clear from its working structure and the scope of its content. Project members were from eight European countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Ireland, and Spain. The project’s objective of presenting a quality view on EU environmental research activities necessitated a European wide approach of this project, i.e. a focus on environmental research activities that are carried out in different European member States. The ComEnvir knowledge packages were indeed based on current research activities that have received funding in FP6 or FP7. The addressed European research activities were supervised by forefront scientists and focus on development, application and exploitation of scientific results, emphasizing integrated approaches. ComEnvir interests not only concentrated on basic research but also involved applications with worldwide dimensions and even with implications for third world countries. The members of the steering committee, advisory board and evaluation activity were also are from different EU countries and therefore all decisions taken on content and project strategy have had a broadly carried European dimension while taking into account the views of the various stakeholders from different regions of Europe.
In order to accomplish the Lisbon and Barcelona objectives in terms of boosting investment in research, an increased demand for motivated and high quality researchers is foreseen in Europe in the future. A key issue is therefore, how to enhance the number of young people entering science, engineering and technology careers in the different European regions. Studies show that children’s lack of interest in science is already manifest at schools (primary as well as secondary). By stimulating scientific interest of children from a young age, it is hoped to ultimately increase the number of children choosing scientific training at university and pursuing scientific careers. ComEnvir has tackled this challenge by specifically producing educational materials that are based on today’s science results. The freely available accompanying materials on the ComEnvir website also support the aim to arouse interest in science and finally the ComEnvir best practice manual will help future science communication event organisers to achieve similar results right across Europe.
In a knowledge-based society, both policy makers and citizens should be equipped to make informed choices from the ever-growing range of options provided by scientific and technological progress. Science dissemination and dialogue activities embedded within our society support this empowerment process. Therefore ComEnvir made a significant effort to communicate complex scientific issues in a simpler language. By using different platforms for communication and the provision of a best practice manual that serves as a guide for efficient science communication, ComEnvir has created an optimal situation for further use of its deliverables. By doing so, other communication experts are clearly invited and encouraged to use or promote the availability of the ComEnvir materials in contexts that are beyond the objectives of the project.
The range of deliverables from the ComEnvir project clearly contributed to the issues mentioned above and since all deliverables are freely available, it is expected that their impact on the European citizens will still increase over time and/or when the ComEnvir methodologies are taken up by more science communication organizations.
ComEnvir made a real contribution by diffusing the output of EU funded research activities and disseminating past and present Framework Programme research project results in the films, SIPs and the book while actively promote dialogue on their contents. The ComEnvir deliverables provide visitors of the website or readers of the book with an insight view on how scientific research is carried out, what uncertainties go hand in hand with latest results and that positive results do not promise immediate implementations in society.
The ComEnvir project has made use of ample possibilities for the stimulation of a broad ranging dialogue: by the organisation of its own Focus Meetings, by its own project evaluation, through its freely accessible internet site, via the Springer publishing house, by way of extended dissemination activities via other science communicators and by making use of a Twitter account, a Facebook page and a YouTube channel. ComEnvir not only tested the feasibility and methodology of the production of quality science communication materials for different platforms, using information originating from EU research projects, it also demonstrated that science disseminators from a number of European countries would be able to sufficiently and efficiently work together as a collective with EU researchers from different fields of expertise.
There were challenges for communicators to find a balance between popularisation and the care for a scientifically sound message, while for science partners there was a need to simplify a range of details without feeling scientifically compromised or forced to leave out crucial elements. By producing a Best Practice Manual for science communication, the ComEnvir methodology is reproducible and future actors in “Dissemination and Horizontal activities” will be able to use this strategy in different groupings and on different science subjects. Moreover, the manual can serve for generic coaching purposes of all interested science communicators across Europe. Research consortia, on the other hand, can use the ComEnvir results to tailor their dissemination efforts in line to what would be needed for science communication. Ideally, the production of one (or more) uniform SIP-like information source would be a great communication deliverable for each EU funded research project or consortium. Such an implementation to communicate EU research results set standards and give guidance to an efficient method of research information dissemination and dialogue on scientific culture. Information providers will then know what is required, the public will be able to reliably access research information, and science disseminating organisation will gain a wonderful resource for their future campaigns for various target groups.
An important target audience that was addressed by the ComEnvir project were young people and students. Since it is important to interest adolescents for science at a moment in their life when choices are made for a future career, the choice of topics for the ComEnvir project early decisions. When thinking about opportunities for young people in Europe, the European dimension of the project is of special importance. Only by exposing young minds to challenging scientific activities, which clearly take place in several European countries, it is possible to inspire capable youngsters in venturing European careers. To put this goal into practice, ComEnvir therefore set up strong cooperation with two international organisations that will have a strong influence on the dissemination of the project's deliverables to the educational sector: the Hogskolen i Hedmark, involved in PERL, and UNESCO's school network.
The ComEnvir internet site, the published SIP's, the book, the films and the Best Practice Manual have together become a valuable resource. The combined effort provides science communicators, including teachers, Science Shops, science museums, civic society organisations and university/ research centre outreach departments, with a valuable information source and a methodology to improve their practices and provide them with hands-on materials. The full ComEnvir project effort also provide public relation or outreach partners of EU funded research consortia with actual sets of science communication materials that can serve as an example methodology.
Finally, through its own evaluation process, the ComEnvir project has generated data that provided the necessary feedback and fine tuning for the employed processes and content. The successful cooperation of science communicators and scientists from different fields of environmental research or technologies, showed that the tools and methodologies that were developed within the project are appropriate and can be used again in other research areas with “Dissemination and Horizontal activities”. The evaluation data can be used for policy input, for example when thinking about ways to stimulate science communication and outreach in future research programmes.
List of Websites:
The project website can be accessed at www.comenvire.eu. The person responsible for running the website is dr. Gert E. de Vries. He can be reached at probio@gmail.com, telephone +31 59 656 6321. The project coordinator is Dr. Paul Pechan. He can be reached at pechan@ifkw.lmu.de, telephone + 49 89 21809520.