I.FAST Accelerator communication and outreach workshop

20 Mar 2025, 12:00 → 21 Mar 2025, 12:00 Europe/Zurich

222/R-003 (CERN)

 

Brief

Engage the network of communication officers from the major institutes of the European accelerator community in knowledge-sharing and in developing closer collaborative ties. 

Concept note

Europe’s research and innovation landscape is in a period of political development, moving towards a stronger focus on competitiveness and links to industry. This has been highlighted by recent Europe-wide reports, such as those by former Italian prime ministers Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, the so-called Heitor report, Ursula Von der Leyen’s speech at the CERN 70 event, as well as calls for Europe’s next R&I framework programme to boost European industrial competitiveness.

This represents a new challenge for the communication output of Europe’s major institutes in the accelerator community: How best to showcase the contribution of accelerator facilities and technologies to European competitiveness?

In a two-day event, a series of talks from those at the heart of conversations about European competitiveness will be delivered to highlight the direction the R&I landscape is likely to take in the coming years. There will also be participant-driven workshops where accelerator science communicators will work together to come up with ideas to communicate accelerator facilities and technologies in this new era.

In addition to this, the event will provide an opportunity for communicators working at accelerator facilities to network, share ideas and build stronger collaboration channels.

This workshop follows two previous iterations organised under the ARIES project, I.FAST’s predecessor, that provided a broader opportunity to discuss communication strategies related to accelerator facilities and technologies. More information on those workshops can be found here. 

This event is being organised in the frame of the H2020 project I.FAST under work package 2, with the consortium aiming to develop the communication initiatives across the European accelerator community with a dedicated workshop.

This event is invitation only. 

Thursday 20 March

12:00 → 13:00 Networking lunch

13:00 → 13:45 Europe's focus on increasing scientific competitiveness

A talk from Alexander Blūms, research counsellor at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Latvia to the European Union, on why scientific competitiveness is a growing priority in Europe, as well as a and a summary of recent policy trends in research and innovation

13:45 → 14:30 Workshop 1 -- discussion of first session

14:30 → 14:45 Break

14:45 → 15:30 How to work with journalists

A talk from Goda Naujokaitytė, an editor at news publication Science|Business, on how communication officers can build networks with journalists, tips for writing press releases, and insights into which stories attract media attention -- especially in times of increasing scientific competitiveness

15:30 → 16:15 Workshop 2 -- discussion of second session

16:15 → 16:30 Break 2

16:30 → 17:15 Speaker session 3

Talk from a CERN science communication specialist on the importance of building inter-institutional networks in the science communication community

17:15 → 18:30 Tour of CERN experiment

To be confirmed

18:30 → 20:00 Networking dinner

Friday 21 March

09:00 → 09:45 Workshop 3 -- discussion of third session

09:45 → 12:00 Collaborative workshop