VA to help the bioeconomy to bloom across Europe

VA is a partner in BLOOM, a new EU-funded project, aimed at raising public awareness and interest in the bioeconomy. Through dialogue and co-creation activities, the project will develop and strengthen regional networks in order to foster greater understanding about the potential of the bioeconomy. VA will be setting up a regional hub, focusing on activities and dialogue around the forest bioeconomy, together with the JAMK University of Applied Sciences in Jyväskylä in Finland.

Share your views on community-based participatory research

Through the EU SciShops project, we are currently running a pan-European survey to gather insights from researchers, communities, policy makers and local authorities on their knowledge and experience of community-based participatory research and science shops. We invite you to share your views by participating in this 5-minute survey, open until 31 December.

VA’s latest activities

Brussels event explores public trust in science 
What does trust in science actually mean and why is it key? This was the topic of an event held in Brussels on 22 November, which explored the results and implications from three European surveys of public perception of science, including the VA Barometer. Read more about the discussions.

VA attends UNESCO’s General Conference
This year, for the first time, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) were invited to participate in the Swedish delegation at the UNESCO General Conference in Paris. VA was one of ten NGOs, active in UNESCO’s programme areas of education, science and culture, represented in the Swedish delegation. Read more.

Medical researcher voted Sweden’s best science communicator
Nine researchers from across Sweden qualified for the final of the Researchers’ Grand Prix held on 28 November in Stockholm. The 2017 title was won by a medical researcher from the Karolinska Institute, who won over the audience and jury with his engaging four-minute presentation on how he is using big data to improve the treatment of illnesses. Read more.

New co-creation menu available
As part of the EU ORION open science project, a "co-creation" menu of participatory methodologies has recently been published. The menu is designed for use by organisations interested in finding inclusive ways to collaborate and engage society in open science and research. Read more.

Forthcoming activities

VA will be participating in a reversed science café on the topic of Post-truth vs science engagement on 23 January in Brussels. At this discussion event, participants are invited to become the experts, and experts to become the listeners. Together they will discuss ways to increase trust in evidence-based research and make research more diverse and inclusive. Registration is open to all. Read more.

The 2017/2018 VA Barometer will be published in English in January 2018. In the meantime, you can read about some of the results in this article.

VA’s recent publications and resources available in English

VA Barometer 2016/2017: An annual survey into the Swedish public’s general attitudes towards science and researchers. The results of the 2017/2018 will be made available in English at the beginning of 2018.

VA information folder 2017: Information about VA and its members.
 
SwafS national advocacy platform: to enhance Swedish participation in Horizon 2020’s SwafS programme.

VA in social media