Introducing the National Forum for Public Engagement in STEM

WRITTENEVIDENCESUBMITTEDTOTHEHOUSEOFCOMMONSSCIENCEANDTECHNOLOGYCOMMITTEE’SINQUIRYINTOHOWGOVERNMENT,SCIENTISTS,THEMEDIAANDOTHERSENCOURAGEANDFACILITATEPUBLICAWARENESSOF–ANDENGAGEMENTIN–SCIENCESUBMITTEDBY:THENATIONALFORUMFORPUBLICENGAGEMENTINSTEMContact:PaulManners,DirectorNCCPE(ForumSecretariat)

1. TheNationalForumforPublicEngagementinSTEM1wasestablishedin2014bytheWellcomeTrustandthedepartmentforBusiness,InnovationandSkills(BIS).TheForumbringstogetherkeyfundersandorganisationsinvolvedinsettingthenationalagendaforpublicengagementinSTEM.Itaimstohelpdeliverastepchangeinactivityacrossthesectorsinvolvedininformalsciencelearning,byimprovingcollaboration,co-operationandlearning.TheneedfortheForumwasidentifiedinthetwoindependentreviewsofinformalsciencelearning2,commissionedbytheWellcomeTrustin2011.

2. SeveralorganisationsarerepresentedontheForum.EachmemberhasitsownobjectivesforinvolvementinpublicengagementinSTEM,yetallcoalescearoundthebroadambitionofcreatingapositiveandsupportiveenvironmentinwhichSTEMcanflourishandbenefitsociety.Membershipconsistsof:BBC,BP,BritishScienceAssociation,BIS,DCMS,DfE,InstituteofPhysics,WelshGovernment,NaturalHistoryMuseum,NorthernIrelandAssembly,ResearchCouncilsUK,RoyalAcademyofEngineering,RoyalSociety,RoyalSocietyofBiology,RoyalSocietyofChemistry,ScienceMuseumGroup,TheScottishGovernmentandtheWellcomeTrust.

3. TheSecretariatfortheForumisprovidedbytheNationalCoordinatingCentreforPublicEngagement3.TheForumischairedbyClareMatterson,DirectorofStrategyattheWellcomeTrust.

4. TheForum’sobjectivesareto:• Improvemodelsandapproachestofunding.Throughprovidingmemberswiththe

opportunitytosharefundingprioritiesandapproaches.• Prioritisetopicsandidentifygaps.TheForumworkscollectivelytoidentifygapsor

strategicprioritiesintermsoftopicalareas,areasofpublicinterestorspecificaudiencegroups.Acurrentpriorityistoaddressthechallengeofbetterreachingunderservedaudiencesforscience

• Setanagendaforresearch.TheForumidentifiesprioritiesforfutureresearchrelatedtopublicengagement.

• Gainrobustevidencetosupportadvocacy.TheForumsharesresearchandevidenceonbestpracticeandtheimpactofpublicengagement.

• Ensuremoreeffectiveevaluation.TheForumworktowardsmoreeffectiveapproachestoandusesofevaluation,suchasworkingwithothersectorstotestalternativemethodsandgreatersharingofresults.

1 http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/work-with-us/current-projects/national-forum-public-engagement-stem 2 http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/Publications/Reports/Education/WTP040865.htm 3 http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/

IntroducingtheNationalForumforPublicEngagementinSTEM

5. TheForumtakesabroadviewof‘publicengagement’asthespectrumofactivitythatconnects

STEMandpublicsofallages.Theseactivitiesarebroadanddiverse:inspiring,informingandeducatingpeopleaboutSTEM;enteringdialogueonthedirectionsandfutureforSTEMresearch;andcreatingopportunitiesforpeopletoparticipateinSTEMactivity.TheForumisfocusedon‘informalscienceexperiences’(happeningoutsideschool,forinstancethroughmuseums,festivalandmedia)asactivitiesthatcomplementorenrichformalSTEMlearninginschools,collegesanduniversities.

6. TheForum’scurrentactivityincludes:• Survey.OneoftheForum’sfirstdecisionswastore-runthe2006SurveyofFactors

AffectingScienceCommunicationbyScientistsandEngineers.Werefertothefindingsofthislaterinourresponse

• Supportforevaluation.Weareundertakingareviewofcurrentevaluationpractice.ThereviewlooksathoworganisationsrepresentedontheForumuseevaluationaswellasthesupportandguidancetheyprovidetoorganisationstheyfund,inorderthatwhatworksandwhyisbetterunderstoodandpracticeisimproved.

• Reachingunderservedaudiences.Wearecurrentlyidentifyingeffectivepracticeinreachingunderservedaudiencesinordertosharelearningandimprovepractice.

• Emergingareasofscience.WeareworkingwiththeGovernmentOfficeforSciencetobettercoordinateourcollectiveresponsestoengagingthepublicwithemergingareasofscienceandtechnology,withacurrentfocusonmachinelearningandgenomics/geneediting.

7. Theconsultationinvitesresponsestothequestion:HowcanGovernment,scientists,themediaandothersencourageandfacilitatepublicawarenessof–andengagementin–science?

8. Webelievethatthisquestioncanbestbeaddressedcollectivelybythebroadrangeoforganisationsactiveinthisarea.TheForumwasestablishedin2014toaddressthechallengethat,despitemuchexcellentwork,therewasalackofjoined-upthinking,planninganddeliveryofpublicengagementwithscience.Byviewingthesectorasacomplex,interdependentsystemwecanbetterfocusourinvestmentsandactivitiestorealisecollectiveimpact.

9. Thereisagreatopportunitytobetterunderstandthemotivationsandcapabilityofthepublictoengagewithscience,andtochallengeourassumptionsaboutwhysomepeoplearenotengaged.Forexample,newthinkingabout‘sciencecapital4’helpsfocusourattentiononthestructuralfactorswhichprovidesomepeoplewithmuchgreaterconfidenceandcapacitytoengage,andhelpsdirectoureffortstoinvolvethosewhoarecurrentlydis-engaged.Itinvitesustoaddresstherootcausesofthisdis-engagement,notjusttoaddressthesymptoms.

10. Weareconvincedthatthebinarydivideof‘science’and‘culture’isunhelpful.Recentworkbythe British Science Association5 helpfully frames the challenge of why so many people feelscienceisn’tforthemasaproblemwithhowwe,collectively,framescienceasadomainfor

4 http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/education/research/cppr/Research/currentpro/Enterprising- Science/01Science-Capital.aspx

5 http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/vision

Executivesummary

professionalsandexperts.Weneedtocontinuetochallengethewidespreadperceptionthatscience‘isn’tforme’byopeningupitsgovernance,andmakingsciencemuchmoreinvitingandinvolving.

11. Weneedtocontinuetoaddressthefactorswhichinhibitscientistsandresearchersfromengagingwiththepublic.The2006FactorsAffectingScienceCommunicationsurvey6identifiedhowtheprofessionalcultureofsciencediscouragespublicengagement.Scientistsoftendonotfeelvaluedorsupportedtoengagewiththepublic.Effortstoaddressthishavebeguntochangethis–butthereismuchstilltodo.Toooften,publicengagementisstillviewedasamarginalactivityonthefringesoforganisations.Itneedstobeseenasacriticalstrategicpriorityandpeopleneedtobeappropriatelysupportedtodoitwell.TheFactorssurveywasre-runin20157

anddemonstratesthatprogresshasbeenmadeinthisarea,helpedbytheinvestmentinculturechangeinitiativessuchastheNationalCoordinatingCentreforPublicEngagement.

12. Weseegovernmentasakeypartnerinourcollectiveeffortstoaddressthesesystem-widechallenges.WearedelightedthatallfourUKadministrationsareinvolvedintheForum.Thereisarealopportunityformuchmorecoordinatedworkingacrossgovernmentdepartmentsonthisagenda.

13. Muchhaschangedoverthelast15years,sincethepublicationoftheThirdReportoftheSelectCommitteeonScienceandTechnology8in2000,whichidentifiedthat:“Society'srelationshipwithscienceisinacriticalphase.PublicconfidenceinscientificadvicetoGovernmenthasbeenrockedbyBSE;andmanypeopleareuneasyabouttherapidadvanceofareassuchasbiotechnologyandIT.ThiscrisisofconfidenceisofgreatimportancebothtoBritishsocietyandtoBritishscience”.Followingthisreport,arangeofinterventionsweremadetoaddressthepotentialbreakdownoftrustandunderstanding,includingtheestablishmentoftheScienceMediaCentre9andtheSciencewiseexpertresourcecentre10;theFactorsAffectingScienceCommunicationresearchin2006;theConcordatforEngagingthePublicwithResearchin201111;theBISCharterforScienceandSocietyin201412;andthevariousinvestmentstosecurestrategicsupportforPEinuniversities,ledbyNationalCoordinatingCentreforPublicEngagement13(2008).

14. Sowhatdoweknowabouthowpublicattitudestosciencehavechangedoverthisperiod?ThePublicAttitudestoScience(PAS)2014survey14highlightstheenthusiasmoftheUKpublicaboutscience,andhowattitudestoscienceintheUKhavebecomeincreasinglypositiveoveralongerperiodoftime,with55%in2014agreeingthatthebenefitsoutweightheharmfuleffects,comparedto45%in1988.PAS2014alsoshowshowthepublicseescienceasbeneficialtosociety,bothintermsofeconomicgrowthandthevalueitbringstotheirlives,andthereforecontinuetosupportgovernmentfundingofscience.Accordingto

6 https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2006/1111111395.pdf 7 http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/Publications/Reports/Public-engagement/WTP060031.htm 8 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199900/ldselect/ldsctech/38/3802.htm 9 http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/ 10 http://www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk/ 11 http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/scisoc/concordatforengagingthepublicwithresearch-pdf/ 12 https://scienceandsociety.blog.gov.uk/uk-charter-for-society 13 http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/ 14 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-attitudes-to-science-2014

Thetrendsinattitudestoscience,andpublicengagementwithscience

PAS2014,ScientistshaveahighdegreeoftrustfromtheUKpublic,withamarkeddifferenceintrustforthoseworkingforuniversities(90%)comparedtothoseworkingforprivatecompanies(60%).However,Wellcome’s2015Monitordata15paintsadifferentpicture:withrespecttomedicalresearchinformation,‘59%trust[universityscientists]completelyoragreatdeal’;cf.32%and29%forpharmascientistsandindustryscientists,respectively.

15. PAS2014revealsthatTheUKpublicoverwhelminglythinkitisimportanttoknowaboutsciencegiventheimportanceofittotheirdailylives,butmorepeople(55%)‘donotfeelinformed’,than‘feelinformed’(45%)aboutscience,scientificresearchanddevelopments.Thereisaconsiderableappetiteforhearingmoreaboutscience–only6%saytheyseeandheartoomuchaboutscience,while51%thinktheyseeandheartoolittle.

16. Wellcome’sMonitorsurvey16isconductedeverythreeyearstolookatchangingknowledgeandattitudestomedicalresearch,scienceandhealth.The2015dataprovidesmoretextureabouthowthepublicliketoengagewithscientists:itrevealsthat73%ofpeoplewhowanttohearfromscientists,wanttohearviaTV,radioorpodcast.Asmallernumber-just31%-wanttogotoalectureandonly23%wanttovisitamuseumorexhibition.Mostofthepublic(66percent)thinktheirunderstandingofscienceisusefulintheireverydaylives,butahigherproportion(87percent)believeitisusefulforothers–peopleingeneral–tohaveanunderstandingofscienceintheireverydaylives.Mostofthepublic(62percent)saythatwhentheyweregrowingup,theirparentswerenotinterestedinscience.(Chapter3)

17. TheMonitordatarevealsusefulinsightsintotheroleofmuseumsandsciencecentresinengagingpeoplewithscience.Oneinfive(20percent)ofthepublichasvisitedasciencemuseumorsciencecentreinthelast12months,andseveninten(71percent)saythattheyhavevisitedasciencemuseumorsciencecentreatsomepointintheirlife.Youngeradultsaremorelikelythanolderadultstohavevisitedasciencemuseumorsciencecentreinthepast12months(27percentofthoseaged18to34and28percentofthoseaged35to49,fallingtojustsevenpercentofthoseaged65orover).

18. Bysocio-economicgroup,thoseinmanagerialandprofessionaloccupationsaremostlikelytohavevisitedasciencemuseumorsciencecentreinthepast12months(29percent,comparedwith10percentamongthoseinroutineandmanualoccupations,and10percentalsoamongthosewhohaveneverworkedorarelong-termunemployed).Bycontrast,one-third(33percent)ofthepublichavevisitedahistorymuseuminthelast12months,and30percenthavevisitedanartgallery.Almostall(96percent)thosevisitingasciencemuseumorsciencecentreinthelast12monthsfoundtheexperienceinteresting.

19. Themajorityofthepublic(57percent)havewatchedafilmortelevisionprogrammeinvolvingscienceormedicalresearchinthelast12months,andaroundoneinfive(19percent)havelistenedtoaradioprogrammeinvolvingscienceormedicalresearch.Overall,51percentofthepublichavemadeavisittoascience-relatedattractionoreventinthepasttwelvemonths.

20. Thesegenerallypositivechangesinpublicattitudesareparalleledbysignificantchangesinhowthescientificcommunityapproachesengagementwiththepublic.Wehaveseenashiftawayfromtreatingthepublicas‘emptyvessels’tobetoldaboutscienceandwhyitisgood,toamorerespectfulconversationwhichacknowledgesthatthepublicmayhaveprofoundethicalconcernsaboutscience;thattheircuriosityneedstobestimulated;thattheyhaveinsightsandexpertisetoshare,andanappetitetogetinvolvede.g.throughcitizenscience:ashiftfrom‘communication’to‘engagement’anddialogue.

15 http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/Publications/Reports/Public-engagement/WTX058859.htm 16 http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/Publications/Reports/Public-engagement/WTX058859.htm

21. Wehavealsoseensustainedeffortstotacklethecultureofscience,toaddressthefactors

whichmakeitdifficultforscientiststoengage.TheFactorsAffectingScienceCommunication17

researchin2006revealedanumberofwaysinwhichtheprofessionalcultureofsciencewasinhibitingscientistsfromengagingwiththepublic.TheNationalForuminitiatedarepeatofthesurveyin201518andthisrevealedapositiveshiftinresearchers’understandingandattitudestopublicengagementoverthepasttenyears.Despitethesurveyfindingthatresearchersarenowconsiderablymorepersonallymotivatedinthisarea,italsohighlightsthatconsiderablechallengesremain.Publicengagementoftenstrugglestocompetefortimeandresourceswithinthecontextofaprofessionthatisdrivenbyrewardandrecognitionforresearchitself.Thereisfurtherpotentialthatcouldbetappedwithinsystemsofgreaterrewardforpublicengagement.Manyresearchersalsofinditdifficulttofindopportunitiestoparticipateinpublicengagementactivities.Insummary,thefindingshighlightconsiderableprogressbutsuggestthatmoreneedstobedonetosupport,rewardandrecogniseresearcherstoembedpublicengagementasanintegralpartofaresearchcareer.

22. PublicEngagementwithSTEMplaysavitalroleininspiringpeopletolearn,gainnewskillsandraisingambitions.Ithelpsbuildascientificallyliteratesociety,essentialtoeffectiveandrobustdecisionmaking. And finally, where there isdiversity in participation it can lead to reframednotions of science. The case for widening the audiences engaged in science is compelling.Numerousreportsandcritiqueshaveidentifiedthat–despiteconsiderableeffort–manygroupsarecurrently‘underserved’bypublicengagement.AddressingthisproblemwasoneofthefoundingobjectivesfortheNationalForumforPublicEngagementwithSTEM.

23. The Forumhas initiated a project to reviewapproaches to reaching ‘underserved’ audiences.Our focus in on developingmore equitable access to science for underserved groups. This isvitalforavarietyofreasonsincluding:• Inspiringthenextgeneration• Increasingthescientificliteracyofthegeneralpopulation• Addressingsocialinequalityandpromotingsocialmobility

24. TheconceptofScienceCapital19isprovinghelpfulinframingthiswork.Often,peoplethinkthatthebarrierstoscienceengagementarebecausepeople‘don’tlike’scienceandwesimplyhavetomakeitappearmoreinterestingand/ormorerelevantandthiswillfixtheproblem.Sciencecapitalsuggeststhatthereareother,moresignificantfactorsthataccountforwhysomepeoplearedis-engaged.TheteamatKing’sCollegeLondondefineScienceCapitalasfollows:

Theconceptofsciencecapitalcanbeimaginedlikea‘holdall’,orbag,containingallthescience-relatedknowledge,attitudes,experiencesandresourcesthatyouacquirethroughlife.Itincludeswhatscienceyouknow,howyouthinkaboutscience(yourattitudesanddispositions),whoyouknow(e.g.ifyourparentsareveryinterestedinscience)andwhatsortofeverydayengagementyouhavewithscience.Researchevidenceshowsthatthemoresciencecapitalayoungpersonhas,themorelikely

17 https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2006/1111111395.pdf 18 http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/Publications/Reports/Public-engagement/WTP060031.htm 19 http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/education/research/cppr/Research/currentpro/Enterprising-

Science/01Science-Capital.aspx

Thebalanceofeffortneededtoincreasepublicengagementinscienceby‘newaudiences’andbythe‘alreadyinterested’.

s/heistoaspiretocontinuewithsciencepost-16andtoseethemselvesashavingascienceidentity.

25. Themoresciencecapitalthatayoungpersonhas,themorelikelytheyaretoplantocontinuewithscienceinthefuture.Theresearchsuggeststhatonly5%ofthepopulationhavehighsciencecapital,and27%havelowsciencecapital.Theshapingofanindividual’ssciencecapitaldoesnotjusthappeninschools:outofschoolactivitiesarevital,asistheroleofparentsandcarers(notjustteachers).TheForum’smembershipplayacriticalrole,collectively,infosteringsciencecapital.

26. TheForumiscurrentlyreviewingthedifferentrationaleswhichunderpintheinterventionsitsmembersaremakinginthisarea,withaviewtobetterunderstanding‘whatworks’,andtosharethismoreeffectively.Byworkingcollaborativelywebelievewecanmorequicklyaccelerateprogressinthisarea.

27. Thesurveydatareferencedinparagraphs16and19aboverevealsthevitalrolethatmediaplayinengagingpeoplewithscience(forinstance,73%ofpeoplewhowanttohearfromscientists,wanttohearviaTV,radioorpodcast).TheNationalForumisworkingwiththeBBCandawiderconsortiumofcollaboratorstosupporttheBBC’sIdeasService/NewAgeofWonderproject,bothofwhichrepresentaveryambitiousattempttocoordinatepublicengagementwithscienceacrossthewidersystem.Ourambitioniscreateamuchmore‘joinedup’offerforthepublicandprovidethemwithopportunitiestopursuetheirinterestsacrossmultipleoutlets.

28. TheForum’sfocusisoninformallearning,notonformaleducation.However,werecognisethecriticalinterdependencebetweeninformalandformallearning,andaredelightedthattheDepartmentforEducationaremembersoftheForum.

29. TheWellcomeTrust’sreviewofinformallearninginscienceidentifiedthattherewasacomplex‘ecosystem’ofprovidersandfundersofpublicengagement.Theyprovidedthediagrambelow20(p.29)torepresentthequalityofinteractionsamongUKScienceEducationsectors,withthegreatestinteractivityinthemiddle:

20 www.wellcome.ac.uk/stellent/groups/corporatesite/@msh_peda/documents/web_document/wtp040860.pdf

Anyfurtherstepsneededbythemediaandbroadcasterstoimprovethequality,accessibilityandbalanceoftheirsciencecoverage;andsciencecoverageinbroadcasters’programme-making.

ThecommunicationsstrategiesbeingtakentoencourageyoungpeopletostudySTEMsubjectsinhigherandfurthereducation,andtoencouragethosepeopletowardsSTEMcareers.

30. They identified the importance of challenging theways these organisations and funderstended tooperate ina fragmentedway,and to focusonhow individual’spathways intosciencecanbebestsupportedacrosstheentiresystem:

‘learningshouldbeseenasacumulativesetofexperiencesthatarepartofthesystem,yetsuchexperiencesaretypicallyviewed–whetherthroughfunding,policy,assessmentorevaluation–inisolationfromoneanother’

31. Weconsideritvitaltodrawonhighqualityresearchtoinformthis.OneexampleistheESRC-fundedASPIRESstudy21whichhassoughttoshednewlightonourunderstandingofhowyoungpeople’saspirationsdevelopoverthe10-14agegroup,exploringinparticularwhatinfluencesthelikelihoodofayoungpersonaspiringtoascience-relatedcareer.ASPIRESfoundthatthereisawidespreadassociationofscience/scientistswith‘braininess’andthatthisassociationinfluencesmanyyoungpeople’sviewsofsciencecareersas‘notforme’.Theresearchersrecommendthatgreaterdiversityinpopularandmediarepresentationsof‘whodoesscience’couldhelpfurtherloosentheassociationbetweenscienceandbraininess.ASPPIRES22214-19willcontinuethisresearchoverthenextfiveyears.

32. The‘NotforPeoplelikeme23’projectexploredwhySTEMoutreachandengagementactivitieshavealimitedimpactongirlsandotheryoungpeoplewhoareunder-representedintheSTEMworkforce.Keyfindingsincluded:• CareersfromSTEMarenotpopularaspirationsforstudentsage10-14.• Pupilsfromage10starttoself-identifyas‘notSTEM’.• Teachersoftenhavelower(stereotypical)expectationsofunder-representedgroupsin

STEMreinforcingtheirnon-STEMself-identity.

21 http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/education/research/aspires/aspires-final-report-december-2013.pdf 22 http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/education/research/aspires/aims.aspx 23 https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/resources/2014/11/not-for-people-like-me

• Experienceinschoolsandhighquality,unbiasedcareersguidancearecriticalelementsin

students’subjectchoices.• Thequalityofteaching,theavailabilityoftripleawardscienceandteacherContinuing

ProfessionalDevelopment(CPD)enhanceachievementinSTEMsubjectsandareessentialinstudentshavingtheconfidenceandbeingabletoprogressbeyondGCSE.

• STEMfocusedenhancementactivitydoesencouragestudentsintoSTEMbutmustbeappliedconsistentlythroughtheschoolcareer.

• Interventionsworkuptoalimitbutdon’tworkifteachingqualityispoor,particularlyforgirls.

33. Thereportrecommendsafreshapproach-focusingonthetypesofpeoplewhosucceedinscience,technologyandengineering-usingadjectivestodescribetheirpersonalitiesandaptitudes,ratherthanthejobsthemselves.Thereportidentifiesten‘types’ofscientisttoinspirepupils,including:• Explorer:Peoplewholiketoresearchandseekoutnewknowledge–thepurescientist

undertakingblueskiesresearch–oftenpreferringtoworkaloneandlikestohaveareallydeepknowledgeoftheirspecialistsubject.

• Investigator:Peoplewhoarelogicalandliketopieceinformationtogethertofindtheanswer–oftenworkinateamsoneedtogetonwithotherpeopleandbeabletolistenandunderstandothers’ideas.Needtobeabletounderstandarangeoftopicsandseehowtheyfittogether.

• Developer/translational:Peoplewhoarecreativeandimaginativeandliketoseethepotentialofanideaandworkingouthowsomethingcouldbemadebettertobenefitpeople.Theappliedscientistorengineer.Needstobegoodatempathisingwithpeopleandunderstandingwhattheyneedtomaketheirlifebetter.

• Communicator/linguist:Peoplewhocanempathisewithdifferentaudiences,whohavethecombinationofscientificortechnicalknowledgeandcanwriteorspeakeffectivelytoarangeofaudiences.Thiscouldbeusefulinjournalism,technicalwritingorTVwork.Thereisaneedforpeoplewithscientificknowledgewhocantranslatedocumentsintoasecondlanguage.

34. ScienceLearning+24isaninternationalinitiativeestablishedbytheWellcomeTrustinpartnershipwiththeUS-basedNationalScienceFoundationandESRC.The£9millionschemeaimstomakeatransformationalsteptoimprovetheknowledgebaseandpracticeofinformalscienceexperiences,tobetterunderstand,strengthenandcoordinatetheirvitalroleinscienceengagementandlearning.Theschemewillincreasethesector’sunderstandingofhowthebroadereducationecosystem,whichincludesinformallearningexperiences,cansupportandpromotesciencelearning.

35. Wewouldalsodrawthecommittee’sattentiontotheRCUKSchool-UniversityPartnershipInitiative25,whichhasfunded12school-universitypartnershipstodevelopmoreeffectivewaystobringcuttingedgeresearchintotheclassroom,witharangeofapproachesincludingsupportingpupilstoactivelydoresearch.

24 http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/slplus 25 http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/work-with-us/current-projects/school-university-partnerships-initiative

36. ItisvitalthatpublicdialoguebecomesmoreembeddedinGovernmentpolicymakinginscienceandtechnology.Thebenefits–intermsofstrengtheningtrust,accountabilitysocialandethicalsensitivity–arewelldocumented26.

37. Itisclearthatthepublicwanttoseemorepublicinvolvement.PAS2014highlightstheclearexpectationthatregulators,governmentandscientistsshouldengageindialoguewiththepublic.Seven-in-tenpeoplethinkthatscientistsshouldlistenmoretowhatordinarypeoplethink.Evenmore(75%)feelthattheGovernmentshouldactinlinewithpublicconcernsaboutscienceandthatregulatorsneedtocommunicatewiththepublic(88%).

38. Thereisnowaverysignificantbodyofexcellentpublicdialogueprojectswhichhavedemonstratedthevalueofbringingtogethermembersofthepublic,policymakers,researchersandotherexpertstakeholderstodeliberateandcometoconclusionsonnationalpublicpolicyissuesinvolvingscienceandtechnology.Someofthepositiveimpactsofpublicdialoguearereportedas27:• Betterpolicysolutionsthataremorerobust,legitimate,sociallyinformedandsocially

acceptableastheyarebasedonaricherandwiderevidencebase.Dialoguehasprovided‘political’confidencetopolicymakersbyclarifyingpublicviewsondifficultdecisions(e.g.strongerregulation),andbyidentifyingandtestinglevelsofpublicconcernsandaspirations,whytheyholdthoseviewsandwhataffectsthem.Ithasalsoprovided‘practical’confidencebydrawingonpublicknowledgeandexperiencetofindnewideasforpolicyandservicesthatbettermeetpublicneeds.Goodpublicdialoguecanalsoincreasethelegitimacyfortoughdecisionsandhelpovercomeentrenchedpositionstoenablepolicytomoveforward.

• Betterpolicyanddecision-makingprocessesthataremoreopenandtransparent,andsubjecttopublicscrutiny.Publicinputcanhelpimprovecommunicationsplanning(identifyingmoreappropriatemessages),riskmanagement(identifyingpotentialareasofconflictandconsensusearly)andbetterinternalcommunicationsbyprovidingafocusforconsideringhowissuescanbestbediscussedwiththepublic.

• Savingsoftimeandmoneyinlaunchingandimplementingpolicysolutionsbyfindingappropriateandacceptablepoliciesthatcanbeeasilyandquicklyimplementedwithminimalconflictandcontroversy.

39. ThereisageneralcapacityissueintermsofsupportingpublicdialogueandGovernmentdepartmentsandagenciesareunlikelytohavethein-houseexperienceorexpertisetodeliveraspecialistpublicdialogue.TheSciencewiseExpertResourceCentre28(Sciencewise-ERC)isaBISfundedprogrammewhichprovidesco-fundingandspecialistadviceandsupporttoGovernmentdepartmentsandagenciestosupportthemtoidentifywhenapublicdialogueisappropriateandtodevelopandcommissionpublicdialogueactivities.Thisaccesstobestpracticeandsupportiscriticalforeffectivepublicdialogueandtobuildcapacityinthisarea.Atthetimeofwriting,theSciencewiseprogrammeiscurrentlyawaitingadecisiononitsfuture.WewouldarguethatfuturesupportforSciencewiseorasimilarcapabilityisavitallyimportantpartofawell-functioningpublicengagementsystem.

26 http://www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk/cms/value-and-benefits-of-dialogue/ 27 http://www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk/cms/assets/Uploads/Strategic-Research-documents/Evidence-

CountsSummary-report.pdf 28 http://www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk/

TheextenttowhichpublicdialogueandconsultationisbeingeffectivelyusedbyGovernmentinscienceandtechnologyareasofpolicy-making.

40. Buildingonthelearningfromtheworktodate,theForumcanplayanimportantrolein

supportingtheimpactofpublicdialogue.Thereareanumberofchallengesandopportunitieswhichneedtobeaddressedcollectively.Theseinclude:• Formajorareasofscienceandtechnologywithsignificantimpactonpubliclife,successful

engagementrequiressustaineddebateoveryearsordecades.Thetypeofengagementvariesovertime;dependingontheevolutionoftheareaofscience.Forexampleintheearlystages,debatemayinformbroadresearchagendasandbelinkedtoscientists’“licencetopractice”.Asthefielddevelops,engagementmaybecomemoretechnicalandlinkedtoveryspecificproposedusesoftechnologies.

• Effectivedebateanddecision-makingrequirestheexistenceoftrustedintermediaries,supportinganevolvingandcommonlanguage.

• Theevolutionofscience,technology,publicengagementandregulationinthefieldofstemcelltechnologiesprovidesoneexampleofsuccessfulsustainedengagementandasignificanttrustedbodyintheformoftheHFEA.However,differentfieldswillbecharacterisedbydifferenttypesofdebate,withdifferentstructuresandplayerssothedetailsofeachapproacharelikelytobedifferenttoo–whatworksforbiomedicinewillnotnecessarilyworkforsyntheticbiologyoraspectsofrobotics.

• Thereareasmallnumberofmajorareasofscienceandtechnologythatarelikelytorequiresuchbroadandsustaineddebateoverthenextdecade.Muchpublicengagementhasalreadybeencarriedout.However,weneedtoensurethesedebatesremainwell-founded,withtherightrangeoftrustedplayersandsustainedengagement.Achievingthiswillbeimportanttothedeliveryofthebenefitsandeffectivemanagementoftherisksfromemergingordisruptivetechnologies.

• Withmanyofthelikelypriorityscienceissues,itwillbeimportanttohavemechanismscontinuouslytogathersocialintelligencetoinformdecisionmakers(andensurereflectivityinthedebate).

41. TheForumisworkingcloselywiththeGovernmentOfficeforSciencetoexplorehowamorejoinedupandconcertedapproachtosuchemergingareasofscienceandtechnologymightbecoordinated.Wearecurrentlymappingactivityinsixpriorityareas:• Syntheticbiologyandnanotechnology;• Datascience(includingbigdata,opendata,smartsoftware,dataanalyticsandmachine

learning);• Autonomousvehiclesandsystems;• TheInternetofThingsandrobotics;• Biomedicalandreproductivetechnologiesandgenomics;• Environmentalissuesincludingfood,airandwaterquality,weatherandclimate.

42. Twoworkinggroupshavebeenestablishedtoprogressworkintwospecificareas.TheWellcomeTrustisleadingonGenomicsandGeneeditingandtheRoyalSocietyonMachineLearning.ThegroupsareclarifyingthescopeforPublicEngagementintheseareas,assessingwhatisalreadyinplaceorplanned,andareidentifyingareasforcoordinationorcollaborationinordertomoreeffectivelytargetandengageaudiences.

43. Asourresponsemakesclear,therehasbeensteadyprogressoverthelast20yearstoembedpublicengagementasastrategicpriorityinresearchorganisations;todevelopthequalityofengagement;todiversifytheaudiencesengaged;toincreasethefundingavailable;andto

ThestrategiesandactionsbeingtakenbyGovernmenttofosterpublicengagementandtrustofsciencemorewidely,andhighqualityreportingofscienceinthemedia.

increasethecapacityofpeopletodeliveritwell.Thereisastrongdesirefromthepublictoengagewithscientistsdirectly,andahighdegreeoftrustforuniversity-basedscientists.Itisworthsummarisingsomeofthegroundthathasbeengained.

44. Wehaveseenthegrowthofacohortofskilledcommunicatorsandmediatorsworkinginahostofsettings–industry;sciencecentresandmuseums;universitiesandresearchinstitutes;ingovernmentitself.

45. Wehaveseenfundersofsciencedeveloparangeofpathwaystoencourageresearcherstobuildpublicengagementintotheirwork,andseekappropriatefundingtoresourceit.ExamplesincludeRCUK’sPathwaystoImpact29;theinclusionofimpactassessmentwithintheResearchExcellenceFramework30(REF)andtheWellcomeTrust’sProvisionforPublicEngagement31.WewerepleasedtoseethattheNursereview32oftheresearchcouncilsplacedastrongemphasisonthestrategicimportantofpublicengagement:

Foranationalresearchendeavourtobesuccessfulthereneedstobeaneffectivedialogueandunderstandingbetweenresearchscientists,politiciansandthepublic,sothatpoliciesandstrategiesareinplacetobringaboutresearchthatbenefitssociety,andthatsocietywillsupport.Withoutthisengagementandsocietalendorsement,theresearchendeavourwillultimatelystallorevenfail(p.8).

46. Wehaveseensignificantinvestmentinimpactfulresearchintothefactorswhichinhibitorhelppeopletoengagewithscience.TheASPIRES33project,EnterprisingScience34andtheScienceLearningPlus35projectsareallprovidingmuchneeded,rigorousevidencetoinformfutureinvestmentsandactivity

47. LedbyRCUK,theConcordatforEngagingthePublicwithResearch36hasover50signatoriesandsupportersandprovidesasingleunambiguousstatementregardingtheimportanceofpublicengagementfromtheUKfundersofResearch.SupportersandsignatoriesincludetheResearchCouncilsandgovernmentdepartmentssuchasBISandDEFRA.Itsetsoutclearexpectationstoensurethatresearchersarerecognised,rewardedandsupportedfortheirpublicengagementbytheHESector.

48. Wehaveseenconcertedeffortstoembedpublicengagementwithinthecultureofscience.TheBeaconsforPublicEngagement37(2008-2012)wereuniversity-basedcollaborativecentrestohelpsupport,recognise,rewardandbuildcapacityforpublicengagementworkacrosstheUK.FundedbyRCUK,theUKfundingcouncilsandtheWellcomeTrust,thisinitiativeoughttobringaboutastep-changeinrecognitionforpublicengagementacrossthehighereducationsector.TheNationalCoordinatingCentreforPublicEngagement(NCCPE38)wasestablished(andcontinuestobefunded)toinspireandsupportuniversitiestoengagewiththepublicandtoembedstrategicsupportacrosstheiractivities,andprovidespracticalsupportforresearchers.RCUK(throughtheCatalystsforEngagingthePublicwithResearch39

29 http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/innovation/impacts/ 30 http://www.ref.ac.uk/ 31 http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Engagement-with-your-research/Funding-within-

research-grants/index.htm 32 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nurse-review-of-research-councils 33 http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/education/research/aspires/aspires-final-report-december-2013.pdf 34 http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/education/research/cppr/Research/currentpro/Enterprising-

Science/index.aspx 35 http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Funding-schemes/Science-Learning/index.htm 36 http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/pe/Concordat/ 37 http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/pe/beacons/ 38 http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/ 39 http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/pe/catalysts/

andCatalystSeedFund40)arecontinuingtoinvestinembeddingPEwithresearchin

universities’policiesandpractices.49. Wehaveseenanincreasingfocusonhowthe‘system’asawholeworks:movingfrom

investmentinasetofseparateactivitiestoamorecoordinatedandjoinedupapproach.ThisisexemplifiedintheBISScienceandSocietyprogramme,andintheestablishmentoftheNationalForum.

50. Alloftheaboverepresent‘workinprogress’,andGovernmenthasacriticalroletoplayinhelpingtosustainthemomentumthatthesedevelopmentshavecreated.InparticularwewouldpointthecommitteetotheBISScienceandSocietyprogrammeandtheresultingCharter41.Theseprovideauseful,sharedframeworktodirectfutureactivity.TheCharteridentifiesthreeclearprioritieswhichprovideausefulbackbonetofocusfutureactivityandwecommendthesetothecommittee:• PRINCIPLE1:Organisationsadoptastrategiccommitmenttoimprovingtherelationship

betweenscienceandsociety

• PRINCIPLE2:Organisationsandindividualsareenabledtoparticipateinactivitiesandhaveappropriatetraining,supportandopportunities

• PRINCIPLE3:ThesignatoriesandsupportersundertaketomonitorandevaluateimpactinordertocontinuouslyimprovetherelationshipbetweenscienceandsocietyacrosstheUK

51. Inpractice,Governmentcansupporttheseprinciplesby:• DemonstratingitsowncommitmenttoPublicEngagementinthewaysitdevelopsand

deliverspolicythroughacultureofopennessandtransparency;byappropriatelyengagingthepublicindialoguearoundemergingareasofpolicy;andbyensuringthatdifferentdepartmentsworktogetherinamorecoordinatedwayonthisagenda

• ContinuingtoaffirmthestrategicimportanceofPublicEngagementwithscienceandexpectingorganisationstheyfundtodothesame

• Leveragingpublicinvestmentinscienceandculturetoincentiviseexcellenceinengagement,recognisingthatengagementrequiresresourcesandexpertisetobedonewell.

• Continuingtoinvestininfrastructurethatcatalysesmoreeffectivesupportforanduptakeofpublicengagement

• Continuingtoaddresstheneedforculturechangeinthescienceprofession,recognisingthatengagementshouldbeacoreprofessionalcompetenceofresearchersandpolicymakers

• Encouragingcollaborationand‘joinup’acrossinitiatives• Continuingtoinvestinevaluationandresearchtosustainathriving,learningculture

wherecontinuousimprovementisthenorm• Encouragingcreativityandinnovationaswellasbuildingon‘whatworks’

40 http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/scisoc/rcukcatalystseedfundguidance-pdf/ 41 https://scienceandsociety.blog.gov.uk/uk-charter-for-society/