A consortium of six organisations, including the University of Twente, kicked off their Horizon2020 project ENJOI on January 1st. The aim of ENJOI is to improve science communication by making it more consistently reliable, truthful, open and engaging. The project runs till December 2023.
Distrust in media
To fully benefit from a digital society, citizens need to feel that the information they receive about science responds to their needs. While scientists are still one of the most trusted sources, there is a growing sense of distrust in media that might mislead people. As recent examples of communication about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination show, media may contribute to alarmism, polarisation or even disinformation. There is a need for fact-based and carefully crafted science communication to solve problems like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
Collaboration
ENJOI will work in Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Spain to create a Manifesto with standards, principles and indicators for Outstanding Open Science Communication. At the University of Twente, Dr. Anne M. Dijkstra, together with Anouk de Jong, will lead the work package about the evaluation of the steps ENJOI takes and the analysis of the relationship between science and media.
engagement key asset of innovation
Innovation can help to reshape the media environment to involve citizens, scientists and journalists in discussions about the integrity and usability of information. ENJOI will explore engagement as a key asset of innovation in science communication. Currently there are no recognized standards in science communication to lead this innovation. ENJOI aims to change this by creating a Manifesto for Outstanding Open Science communication. Stakeholders in science communication, including producers and target users can collaborate in the creation of the Manifesto by joining engagement workshops and labs. In addition to the manifesto, ENJOI will build an Observatory to share information and to promote collaboration of all actors in the field.
Contact
Are you interested in learning more about the ENJOI project? Please contact Dr Anne Dijkstra (a.m.dijkstra@utwente.nl).
