Technology communication for the future: The Lernwerkstatt of acatech and WiD as an information and exchange platform

Munich, 13 November 2024

The dialogue between science and society about new technologies is now more important than ever. Scientists are increasingly expected to communicate their scientific findings and research clearly and understandably – and on the other hand, they are expected to listen more closely to the needs and interests of citizens. The Technology Communication Workshop run by acatech and Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD) has been a central forum for discussing these challenges for the past ten years. This autumn, young talents from the fields of technology, communication, and the social sciences once again gathered in Munich for three days to attend lectures, exchange ideas, and develop new ideas.

Science communication – the social science perspective

Following an introduction by Benedikt Fecher, Managing Director of WiD, and Marc-Denis Weitze, Head of Communications | Society & Dialogue at acatech, acatech member Cordula Kropp explained the social science perspective on technology and science communication on the first day of the event. She called for a democratization of technology development and technology use. Using robotics as an example, she highlighted two facets of public reporting and communication: In public discourse, robots are often humanized and trivialized or portrayed as particularly risky, whereas specialist presentations are technical and detailed. However, the task of technology communication is not to create trust and acceptance at any price, but to support the contextualisation and evaluation of technology and to ensure that technology benefits everyone.

Science centers as places of science communication

What is the impact of a visit to the Technology Museum and Science Center? What is the benefit of this (learning) experience? This is a question that Christian Sichau, Head of Exhibitions at experimenta in Heilbronn, and his team continually address. However, how a museum visit is experienced and what knowledge is retained depends heavily on individual, social, or physical factors – factors that cannot be directly influenced by the exhibition organizers. One thing is clear, however: the better an exhibition is tailored to its target audience, the greater the added value for this group.

Science of SciCom

Science communication research from the perspective of a science researcher – this was the focus of Benedikt Fecher, Managing Director of WiD, in his presentation. Using empirical analyses, he explained how the boundaries between science and the public are constantly shifting and becoming more permeable. The blurring of these boundaries can best be observed by examining three reference levels – the factual, the social, and the infrastructural level. Science, for example, is increasingly engaging with non-scientific issues – the factual level is shifting. When it comes to the social level, it can be observed that researchers are increasingly positioning their claim to impact outside of science – while the shift at the infrastructural level relates to the fact that research is increasingly dependent on non-scientific infrastructures (e.g. through the use of platforms). In a subsequent exercise, the participants discussed the thesis: “Scientists who share their knowledge through the media strengthen science as a whole.”

Excursion to the Fraunhofer Society

In the evening, the participants visited the headquarters of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG in Munich. After Monika Landgraf, Director of Corporate Communications and Spokesperson for the President, gave an overview of her organization’s communications strategy, Ann-Kathrin Lindemann took over and moderated the evening. Under the guidance of Josef Seitz, Editor-in-Chief of the Fraunhofer Magazine, and Thomas Röll, Project Manager of the Employee Newspaper, the discussion focused on print formats as an important means of communication at Fraunhofer. Particular attention was paid to appealing and memorable titles – after all, headlines like “We are Pope” are still remembered today by many. The participants were given the task of finding the most appealing headline possible for a magazine article on the topic of water – and the ideas just bubbled out: “Sources of innovation never dry up,” “More water: sources of innovation,” and “A water-fall: will we soon be left high and dry?”, to name just a few suggestions. Over drinks and snacks, the participants exchanged ideas with other members of the Fraunhofer Communications Department about their experiences and everyday work.

Speakers‘ Corner

The second day began with an exchange of experiences in the “Speakers’ Corner” format, in which participants presented projects and experiences from their own work and discussed goals, challenges, successes, and failures. The discussion focused on how and whether collaboration with artists helps to communicate abstract technologies, such as quantum technologies, more vividly. The question of how companies can introduce new technologies in such a way that employees readily learn new skills and benefit from them to the fullest was also addressed. The role of scientists as strategic ambassadors for their own organizations was also discussed.

Institutional science communication

Lioba Suchenwirth, press officer at the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, reported on her institute’s public relations work. The aim is to achieve impact through publicly funded work, with different tools available depending on the target group: publications, patents and spin-offs are used for science and industry; to offer added value to society, the focus is on press work and social media, and networking and white papers are used for communication with politicians. Communicating about robotics on the border between utopia and dystopia, for example in nursing, is particularly challenging, according to Lioba Suchenwirth. Collaboration with target groups and organizations (e.g. Caritas, or universities specializing in nursing) and the involvement of ethicists are crucial.

University communication

Julia Wandt, former member of the University of Freiburg’s Executive Board and former chair of the German Association of University Communications, then shared her experiences in university and science communication. She described the increasing importance and professionalization of science communication, which has now also become a mandatory element of many research proposals. Using examples from media relations, political communication, and crisis communication, Julia Wandt provided a detailed overview of the aspects that are focused on in these areas and how complex situations can be managed. Using the example of communication about a blood test for early detection of breast cancer (Heidelberg University Hospital) and a press release on the “origin of the coronavirus” (University of Hamburg), she discussed with the participants how the communications departments dealt with the respective topics.

Science communication – a ministry’s perspective

In a subsequent discussion with representatives of the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts (StMWK), the goals, challenges, and target groups of science communication were discussed. StMWK speakers Gabriele Christ-Devlin and Andrea Lettner reported on the tension between science communication and research marketing and how the ministry is active in this field. The current focus is on bundling, networking, and raising the visibility of existing activities in Bavaria.

On the evening of the second day, the public dialogue format “acatech am Dienstag” took place, in which a high-profile panel discussed science-based policy advice.

Political and societal consulting

At the beginning of the final day, acatech President Jan Wörner presented the Academy’s work in policy consulting, highlighting projects such as ESYS, H2 Compass, Nuclear Fusion, and the Bavarian Innovation Platform. Central to these projects is the work of interdisciplinary working groups from science and industry, which, based on research and expert interviews, derive options for action and sometimes even make concrete recommendations. In the subsequent discussion, the participants discussed the independence of science-based policy consulting and strategic topic-finding processes with Jan Wörner.

Science Communication Workshop

The event concluded with a workshop on science communication and impact, moderated by Michael Wingens, WiD. Direct exchange between researchers and target groups is considered an effective method for science communication. The impact is particularly strong when both groups work together productively and a genuine exchange takes place. Michael Wingens described the step-by-step approach to specifically preparing a desired impact in line with a formulated societal vision: first of all, resources for project implementation are required, secondly, a concrete communication plan is needed, and, thirdly, the desired effects on the target group and at the societal level need to be determined. In exercises, the participants developed their societal visions and aligned impact goals.

Outlook: Autumn School – Technology and Innovation Communication in 2025

This year’s Lernwerkstatt Technikkommunikation once again offered participants a platform to discuss current challenges and opportunities in science communication. In 2025 an Autumn School focussing on Technology and Innovation Communication will take place, which will once again bring together young talents from various disciplines to work together on practical concepts and methods for effectively communicating technology and science topics. The focus will be on advancing digitalization and the social relevance of new technologies – topics that will continue to require targeted and transparent communication in the future.