Glasgow Caledonian University is Scotland’s fourth largest university in terms of student recruitment. It has an established reputation for providing innovative, career focused programmes and a growing reputation as a provider of high quality research, consultancy and training services to local, national and international businesses. Caledonian attracts students from over 90 countries throughout the world, making it a truly cosmopolitan environment in which to study. The University strongly encourages the full use of new information and communication technologies to deliver a modern, flexible and effective approach to teaching and learning.
General Council of Essone
The General Council of Essonne is the local governmental authority of Essonne, one of the 99 French territorial administrative divisions. With more than 11% of the research activities in France, a specificity of Essonne is the richness of its scientific resources which places it to the forefront of research in areas such as genetics, optics or new technologies.
Based on this observation, the GG91 initiated in 2000 a wide policy to help and promote the scientific activities (public and private research). This policy has a general public understanding of science area. The General Council supports associations, cities* who intent to organise events (exhibitions, conferences, debates*) in relation with science and society. It helps 60 web cafes: the purpose is to allow people, without computers, to have an access to Internet, etc* The website named the Bank of knowledge (www.savoirs.essonne.fr) gives an opportunity to the scientists to present their work, to citizens to be informed about the activities of the laboratories, and also about events, resources, in the fields of science, heritage and culture.
Young People in Science and Business Foundation (YSBF) Country: Estonia
Young People in Science and Business Foundation (YSBF) is an non-profit organization aimed at supporting innovative ideas and creativity. We conduct projects aimed at youth and research activities related to IT and innovation. We enjoy promoting fresh ideas and supporting innovation and creativity.
Young People in Science and Business Foundation (YSBF) is an non-profit organization aimed at supporting innovative ideas and creativity. We conduct projects aimed at youth and research activities related to IT and innovation. We enjoy promoting fresh ideas and supporting innovation and creativity.
YSBFs activities include:
- managing innovation and creativity related projects - conducting IT and innovation related research activities - fostering collaboration between students and entrepreneurs - promoting fresh ideas, encouraging creativity and to attaining support for innovation from the government and from businesses. - promoting recent achievements of science among the youth - developing and hosting a web-based innovation-environment for people interested in creative ideas
VU University Amsterdam – The Netherlands
VU University Amsterdam is a broad based Dutch university in which education and research are closely interrelated.Some 19,000 students and 2,000 academic staff work closely together in pursuit of new knowledge, with scientific research as a key part of the educational process. The university enjoys a strong international reputation in all kinds of research areas. For example, the world famous clap skate first saw the light of day at VU’s Faculty of Human Movement Sciences. Another prestigious project is the twins study headed by professor Dorret Boomsma of the Biological Psychology Department, who in 2001 won the coveted Spinoza Award, sometimes referred to as the ‘Dutch Nobel Prize’. The logo of VU University Amsterdam depicts the griffin, a creature of myth and fable. The griffin has the body of a lion and the head and the wings of an eagle. It represents the values embodied by VU University Amsterdam. The spreading wings represent the quest for knowledge, in complete freedom. The possession of knowledge brings with it responsibilities and these have to be addressed conscientiously. The griffin’s feet, planted firmly on the ground, represent VU’s commitment to the well-being of society as a whole.
CIREM (Centre for European Initiatives and Research in the Mediterranean Region)
The Foundation is a private not-for-profit foundation dedicated to applied research and consultancy in the field of social sciences. Since it began its operation in 1989, it has been defined as an independent centre. It was created with a clear Mediterranean profile and with the objective of promoting a deeper understanding of the specific characteristics of those societies within Europe as a whole.
CIREM consists of a team of multidisciplinary professionals who work from the two work centres in Barcelona and Madrid. They act at local, national and international levels with both public and private financing. The concrete activities at CIREM are: • Applied research studies and projects • Technical assistance in designing and executing projects and programmes • Planning and development of policy and public programmes
It has many years of experience of partnerships with other European research centres and accumulated knowledge, which is endorsed by the performance of over a thousand studies. Cirem Foundation frames its projects within three different work areas: • Employment and the Job Market • Education & Human Resources • Cities and Region
Forum Democrit NGO
Forum Democrit NGOwas officially founded in year 2002 as non-governmental organization which aims to enhance the public understanding of science, to improve the image of Bulgarian scientists and to promote interest in science among young people in the country and the Balkans. However, the science communication activities of Forum Democrit’ members started two years before in a local cable TV Channel where they produced over 80 issues of a Popular Science TV Show called “Boundary Knowledge”. In 2001 the communication activities of the members of Forum Democrit NGO became more influential among young people via developing the website Democrit.com. In 2005, thanks to the single support of British Council – Bulgaria, members of Forum Democrit NGO (Dr. Ivaylo Dimitrov and Dr. Ivan Bozukov) created another website for communicating science, Green.Democrit.com. SciComms Group at present is an interdisciplinary workgroup which is an integral part of Forum Democrit NGO. It is particularly focused on increasing and improving science and society dialogue as well as on re-converging science and culture through all relevant means of science communication practices. The Group begun as an informal monthly meeting between around 15 young researchers and journalists who believe that bridging the gap between their professional fields will alter the implausible image of scientists and will challenge the public preconceptions about the scientific progress, products and career.
Since 2005 the SciComms Group actively assisted British Council – Bulgaria in organizing and conducting the first Café Scientifique events in Bulgaria which took place in Sofia and the country. The Group is actively involved also in British Council’s “Beautiful Science” project implemented in 9 SEE countries and aimed to encourage young scientists to communicate with the wider public, in an open, comprehensive and interactive way as well as to inspire young people to consider a career in science. Forum Democrit NGO is a member of EUSCEA and participated in the “Carousel of Science” of WONDERS07 project.
The Icelandic Web of Science
The Icelandic Web of Science was originally a project started when the city of Reykjavik was appointed one of several "cities of culture" of Europe in the year 2000. It was to be a sixmonth trial project, aimed at raising social awareness of science among the general public by allowing people to ask for knowledge as the questions arise in their daily life. The sixmonth trial period was soon extended since interest and excitement about scientific knowledge in this form, particularly amongst young people, far exceeded the initial expectations.
One of Iceland's most popular websites
The Icelandic Web of Science is among the top 15-20 most popular websites in Iceland. Weekly traffic amounts to 18.500 individual users, or roughly 6% of the population of Iceland. Put in context this means that a similar website in Belgium would receive more than 635.000 guests every week, a website in England three million guests and a website in Germany nearly five million guests. The Icelandic Web of Science receives on average 30 questions per day. Published answers on our website are 7.200 (June 2008). The Icelandic Web of Science covers all scientific or scholarly subjects, from the universe to the soul and from medicine to philosophy.
The material which has accumulated in the web's database is now equivalent to some 6500 pages of printed text or 12 large volumes. However, modern web and database technology makes the material in many ways much more useful than traditional printed encyclopedias. With a single click the reader of a given answer can browse through several related answers, explicitly shown in the text's body. At the end of every answer he or she will also find a short list of related subject items. The sheer quantity and diversity of the material has gradually increased the probability that we already have an answer to a given question submitted today.
We have also translated some of the answers on our website to English. Our focus there has been on answers which relate to Iceland but are of interest to foreign readers. This includes for example Icelandic nature, history or literature but we will not totally exclude other things. By this we hope gradually to establish a contact with interested visitors from all over the world.
Creating a dialogue
We believe that our project has been a successful model of how to create an environment where the public at large, especially young people, become enthusiastic about scientific knowledge on their own premises. By encouraging a dialogue between the scientific community and society at large, where science matters to the individual, both policymakers and citizens are able to make better informed choices from the range of options presented by technological progress in modern society.
