Universitat Pompeu Fabra creates the Science, Communication and Society Studies Centre (SCS-UPF)

The Governing Council of Universitat Pompeu Fabra, assembled yesterday afternoon, has approved the creation of the Science, Communication and Society Studies Centre (SCS-UPF). This Centre is born with the double mission of fomenting scientific culture from citizenship but also of promoting a more active role of society during the whole R+D+i process. In order to achieve its objectives, the Centre will undertake actions of science communication and public participation, studies focused on the relationship science-society and formative activities on science communication. The SCS-UPF is part of the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (CEXS-UPF) and is located inside the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB).

Team

The Centre is directed by Gema Revuelta, associate professor at CEXS-UPF and, between 1998 and 2014, Deputy Director of the Science Communication Observatory of the same university. The SCS-UPF also counts with the counselling of two Boards – the Advisory Board and the Social Board – both of them led by science journalist Vladimir de Semir, who founded in 1994 the Science Communication Observatory and directed it until 2014. De Semir and Revuelta have worked together for more than 20 years at UPF and at the Barcelona City Council. Both of them are also co-directors of the Master’s Programme on Scientific, Medical and Environmental Communication of IDEC-UPF, which celebrates this year its 20^th edition with a breaking record of students.

The SCS-UPF team is completed with Emma Cots (coordinator and community manager of science networks gathered under “Observatori 2.0”), Carme Pérez Sancho (communication and participation coordinator) and Núria Saladié (international projects coordinator). Moreover, a group of 10-15 specialists in science communication collaborate with the projects of the Centre.

 

Advisory Board and Social Board

The Advisory Board of SCS-UPF is composed of:

• Jordi Camí (Chair of Pharmacology at the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences at University Pompeu Fabra and General Director at Biomedical Barcelona Research Park (PRBB) and at Fundació Pasqual Maragall)
• Bienvenido León (Associate professor of Television Production and Science Journalism, University of Navarra)
• Carolina Moreno (Chair of Scientific Communication, University of Valencia)
• Arcadi Navarro (Director of the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences at University Pompeu Fabra, and Coordinator at Evolutionary Genomics Lab)
• Jordi Pérez (Professor at the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences at University Pompeu Fabra and Responsible of the Oficina de Coordinació i Avaluació Acadèmiques of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences of UPF)
• Cristina Ribas (Professor at the Communication Department of Universitat Pompeu Fabra and President of the Catalan Association for Science Communication (ACCC))

The Social Board of SCS-UPF is composed of:

• Fèlix Bosch (Director of Esteve Foundation)
• Ignasi López-Verdeguer (Director of Science Department, Science and Environment Area, “la Caixa” Banking Foundation)
• Rafael Pardo (Director of Fundación BBVA)
• Núria Terribas (Director of Víctor Grifols i Lucas Foundation)
• Antoni Vila Casas (President of Fundació Vila Casas)

Projects

Among all the projects led or participated by SCS-UPF, are specially noticeable the Quiral Report (together with Fundació Vilas Casas), the communications and dissemination project of RecerCaixa (with the Catalan Association of Public Universities and Obra Social “la Caixa”), the projects of Impact Mediation of Science Communication Activitites and the Unit of Science Culture Observatori 2.0 (with the support from FECYT), the project The Science Video Online (with University of Navarra and other Spanish and international institutions), the Campus Gutenberg (with the Master’s Programme on Scientific Communication IDEC-UPF and Obra Social “la Caixa”) and the European projects KiiCS, NERRI, MoRRI/ResAgora, RRI Indicators and HEIRRI (this last one is from the Horizon2020 programme, is led by SCS-UPF and its kick-off date is September 1^st 2015).

Este blog cuenta con la colaboración de la Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología – Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación