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Public Engagement & Partnerships

Public engagement is a core strand of the current science and society work and will be explored further in the consultation on developing a Science and Society strategy for the UK.

The Public Engagement team is responsible for raising public awareness, engagement and support for science and technology by enabling citizens across all social groups to engage with science constructively and ensuring that scientists and policy makers recognize and address the public's priorities and concerns.

Public Attitudes to Science

It is important to measure trends in attitudes to science. DIUS (and it's predecessors) have commissioned 3 yearly surveys to provide this data. Use the links on the right to obtain information on the surveys.

Public Dialogue on Science & Technology

The ten-year framework highlighted the importance that the Government attaches to greater public confidence and improved engagement in scientific research and its innovative applications. Greater engagement will identify public aspirations and concerns regarding the health, safety, environmental, ethical and social issues related to science and technology. It will help to inform Government policy and decision-making, and will also build understanding and appreciation of the wider benefits of science and technology to society. The ten-year framework set an objective to:

  • Demonstrate improvement against a variety of measures, such as trends in public attitudes, public confidence, media coverage, and acknowledgements and responsiveness to public concerns by policy-makers and scientists

Achieving this objective is a long-term challenge and one of the biggest faced by both Government and the scientific community. In order to meet this, it is important to acknowledge that the public largely forms its opinions on the basis of issues that impact on their own experience. Action is therefore taking place across Government to establish meaningful indicators that are relevant to the public, scientists and policy-makers alike.

The Government's flagship programme for promoting public dialogue in science is the Sciencewise-ERC - more information can be found by clicking the link on the right.

Public Engagement Partners

DIUS works with a number of delivery partners and stakeholders. DIUS provides funding support to some of these. A list of public engagement partners can be found by using the link on the right.

A Universal Ethical Code for Scientists

Following conversations at a Carnegie meeting (a regular informal meeting of science ministers and advisers from G8 countries) in 2004, Sir David King, the government's Chief Scientific Adviser, convened a small working group to help him to consider the issues around developing a universal ethical code of conduct for scientists. Rigour, Respect and Responsibility: A Universal Ethical Code for Scientists was developed in response to this. DIUS and GO-Science have been involved in a programme of engagement with a broad range of groups to consider how to use the code within organisations.