VA Barometer 2024: Swedish public more cautious about developments in AI

The Swedish public’s interest in social sciences research is increasing, and overall, confidence in researchers and research is high. However, the public’s attitude towards artificial intelligence has become more cautious in recent years. These are some of the results of the 2023/24 VA Barometer, now available in English. It is the 21st Barometer since it was first conducted in 2002.

YouCount wraps up with co-created handbook

Ten case studies, nine countries, three years, and a wealth of lessons learned. The European citizen science project YouCount draws to an end with a collective sense of having explored new collaborative terrain and new formats to enhance young people’s participation in society. Public & Science has been involved in producing a handbook containing insights from the project.

Our current activities

Public & Science to help shape public engagement in the EU
Public & Science Sweden is contributing as a national expert in the new Mutual Learning Exercise (MLE), focusing on Public Engagement in Research & Innovation. MLEs are part of the Horizon Europe Framework Programme and aim to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange and policy development among European countries. The MLE runs from January 2024 to early 2025, and is run by the European Commission. Read more.

Mental health literacy citizen science project to start in Sweden
Among the EU Re-MEND project’s objectives are the improvement of mental health literacy among health care professionals, intervention developers, and the general public. A citizen science project involving senior citizens in Sweden, coordinated by Public & Science, is now underway. Central to the project is an investigation of everyday experiences of living in the vicinity of mental illness. Read more.

Fishing for plastic pollution and discarded fishing gear in the Baltic
Plastic pollution and discarded fishing gear are a significant problem for the world's lakes and oceans. In the EU project Re:Fish, efforts are underway to address this issue in the central Baltic Sea through a collaboration between Sweden, Finland, and Estonia. Public & Science is providing citizen science expertise during the three year project focused on increasing the reporting of lost fishing gear and raising awareness about the issues. Read more.

The Secretary-General of Public & Science Sweden joins Board of Sense about Science
Ulrika Björkstén has recently joined the Board of Trustees of Sense about Science, a UK charity that promotes the public interest in sound science and evidence, and organises the yearly event Evidence Week in the British Parliament.

Our recent activities

Handbook for academic civic commitment in universities
“Academic Civic Commitment through Public Engagement in the Third Mission” is a new handbook that has been developed by the Erasmus+ Tenacity project. Public & Science was one of 9 European partners in this two-year project that ran 2021–2023. It is published in English along with a summary version available in Swedish. Read more.

ERA of Inclusive Gender Equality conference deliberates future priorities
On 13 February, the ERA of Inclusive Gender Equality conference was held in Brussels, organised by the EU-funded GENDERACTIONplus project under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The hybrid event, in which Public & Science participated, gathered stakeholders to discuss future priorities for inclusive gender equality in the European Research Area (ERA), leveraging insights from GENDERACTIONplus benchmark studies and a position paper drafted to inform the debates about further actions and measures. Read more.

GENDERACTIONplus consults stakeholders on intersectionality policy recommendations
On 15 January, the EU-funded GENDERACTIONplus project ran its third stakeholder engagement event. The purpose was to gather valuable input and feedback on recommendations aimed at lifting the focus on intersectionality and inclusion in European and national and RFO policies for higher education and research and innovation. The event was organised and moderated by Public & Science as part of its stakeholder engagement work in the project. Read more.

Public & Science Sweden in social media