Objective
Radio uniquely brings together science and society. Radio is enjoying a renaissance, also due to the take up of digital radio, and most broadcasters include science in their programmes and general news. Public debate and perceptions of science have also shifted, and the public is increasingly aware and critical of the scope and limitations of science. More instantaneous than print, more ubiquitous than the web and more intimate and interactive than TV, radio is where much of the discourse between scientists and the public is played out. However, the radio practitioners around Europe, who mediate the debate are linked, at best, through informal, occasional and ad-hoc contacts. SCIRAB is a one year project aimed at linking journalists, science communication researchers and scientists, who produce, teach, study or participate in science radio programmes (SRP). SCIRAB main objectives are a) stimulate a European dimension in SRP; b) set up guidelines for the assessment of the impact of SRP on public perceptions of science; c) assess and promote the role of SRP in stimulating the dialogue between scientists and society at large. First step will be a survey of existing SRP in the main European radio stations; a website and a discussion group will be set up to involve interested parties. A two days seminar will bring together radio practitioners, researchers and scientists; best practices, priorities, and research needs will be presented and discussed. Two workshops will be held, focusing on a) strengthening the co-operation at European level, with specific attention to candidate countries; b) stimulating the involvement of the scientific community in SRP; c) explore the challenges and opportunities of the radio-web convergence. Proceedings of seminar and workshops will be published, together with a survey report, a final report and an action report mapping the state of the art and setting the guidelines for future, longer term FP6 activities.
Call for proposal
FP6-2002-SCIENCEANDSOCIETY-1
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Funding Scheme
SSA - Specific Support ActionCoordinator
TRIESTE
Italy