Knowledge Transfer and Science Communications

The area of knowledge transfer and science communications represents, along with educational transfer and technology transfer, one of the three pillars of the broad understanding of transfer at the University of Freiburg.

The societal relevance of knowledge transfer and science communications has greatly increased in the past years. This development is underscored by the current Science Council position paper on the topic and the establishment of the #FactoryWisskomm.

Successful science communications take research findings beyond the scientific community and into business, politics, and society. They are not about one-sided dissemination of new findings from science but mutual exchange on them.

The University of Freiburg places great emphasis on science communications. At the beginning of 2021, we became the first university in Germany to embed the topic at the level of university leadership from a practical perspective – in connection with strategy – by recruiting a university and science communicator and establishing a Business Unit of Science Communications and Strategy.

An ongoing working group on science communications and knowledge transfer was established in 2021 as part of the university’s overall strategic process. In the working group, researchers, students, and science communicators are grappling with a common understanding of science communications and questions of roles and accreditation systems as well as with concrete goals and measures. All considerations are based on a quality-directed understanding of university and science communications. In this way, the University of Freiburg can further consolidate its pioneering role in science communications.

The university’s science communications include public events, media relations, and all other formats of digital and analogue communication.

In addition, the University of Freiburg supports its researchers and advises them on all questions concerning knowledge transfer and science communications. For this purpose, we are currently building up a systematic qualification program for researchers from all disciplines and different career stages. Among other things, it will involve dealing with media and conducting one’s own active and dialogical communications work.

Contact:

Business Unit of Science Communications and Strategy
Julia Wandt