The University of Girona is focused on improving its science communication through a restructured communication team and various outreach initiatives aimed at different audiences, including young students. Despite significant challenges, such as economic downturns and language barriers, the institution is exploring innovative methods like multimedia tools and social media to engage effectively in science dissemination. The document emphasizes the need for a cultural shift among researchers towards more proactive and effective communication of their work.

1. Science Communication 2.0: changing University
attitude through Science research groups
Ingrid AZNAR, Cristina VALENTÍ and Miquel DURAN
Unit for Communication of Science, University of Girona
comunicacio.recerca@udg.edu
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

2. UdG: strategic position
• The University of Girona is commited to reserach
excellence
– Water and evirontment
– Tourism and Cultural Heritage
– Physics, Computation, Chemistry
– Health, Food
• Within the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion
• Along with Univ. Balearic Islands, Univ. Perpignan and
other research centers
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

3. Indeed, ther is a quadruple level in branding
and reputation
• Institutional / university level
• Departmental / Research Institute level
• Research Group level
• Personal level
• Different brands
• Reputation hindered by current economic downturn
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

4. About us: UdGUCC: Activities on promotion and
dissemination of science and research
• Children’s University
• One week Research Campus for 16 yo students
• Two week Reserach campus for 17 yo students,
including research work
• Congress CRACS – preuniversity research
• Outreach: Researchers’ Night, Science Week,
Science Fair, FIRST Lego League, etc.
UdGUCC: Unit for Communication of Science
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

5. There’s a nice video on our outreach activities!
YouTube UnivGirona
http://youtu.be/6MPtGIpXpck
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

6. Reorganization of UdG communication team
• We have reorganized completely the communication team,
merging former marketing, press relations, public relations
and science communication teams.
• This has lead to increased performance, great coordination,
and multitarget possibilities, while exploring new ways of
communicating research and science, like augmented reality,
geopositioning and especially multimedia tools.
• Fast, direct and active connections with Mass Media and
Internet-related information channels
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

7. Science Communication 2.0
• Communicating Research – 4 levels at least
– Refereed Papers
– Communications in General Science Journals
– Dissemination of Science and Research
– Talking to young people
• Different formats:
– Classical article
– Video (YouTube Generation)
– Website / mobile / Social (the newest generation)
• Socialization through facebook, twitter, flickr, instagram, youtube,
tumblr, pinterest and any other system that may appear right today
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

8. UdG has its twitter accounts – and now what?
• What about twitter? Main immediacy communication
channel
• Double monolingual
– @UnivGirona – mainly in Catalan
– @UdGGlobal – English-only
• Used mainly by adults, but students entering UdG on
2012/13 show an increased use
• Very useful for events – hashtags as key curating
procedure
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

9. But we also have facebook, youtube, flickr,
etc etc
• We believe that our website shoud be our
main asset
• Facebook and other social networks are used
to amplify our website, to engage in
conversations and to share content
• The Web 2.0 Culture spreads fast amont
students, but not so much among researchers
(I don’t have time for that)
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

10. The complex language issue
• Local language – Catalan – used primarily all over the
University of Girona
• Language of Research, strategic: English
• Another official, opportunity language: Spanish
• Language of Geostrategic Opportunity: French
• Other Languages of Opportunity and field-related (Italian,
German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic)
• Thus – 4 main languages
• Difficult to cope with and handle!
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

11. Do research groups communicate?
• The 3 worlds (individual, group and center)
communicate differently!
• Everythink depends too much on individual
attitudes.
• The Web 2.0 Culture is an attitude!
• The current economic difficulties prevent
enthousiastic involvement in communication,
e.g. in Science Outreach activities
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

12. What about researchers?
• Almost no one communicates his/her current
research
• Some communicate key aspects of their
academic/research life
• Much easiers if related to Social Science
• Hard Science is difficult to communicate
• Struggle in Humanities: yet thinking in a move
toward Digital Humanities
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

13. What about academic units (departaments
and institutes)
• Departments, even though they gather most
part of research force, are too focused on
teaching. Communication of research is scarce
• Research Institutes communicate slightly
better, but few of them use English ans their
primary language
• Use of English and amount of communications
is related to Internationalitzation
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

14. So how can we help research from the
UdGUCC?
• We help to communicate Ph.D. dissertations
• We provide research news
– Papers published
– Discoveries, Patents, Technology transfer
– Academic Meetings
– Prizes, Honours, etc.
• Montly University Magazine (“Engega”) with many articles on reserach activity.
• Collaboration with Administrative Research Office
• Connection with Press Office
• But researchers are still too concentrades in the Future (e.g. FP7 calls for funding) that in
explaining the Past
• We provide formation of the use of Web 2.0 Tools
• And most important: we try to leverage a positive attitude towards communication of
research
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar

15. Some ideas to take away
• Web 2.0, Social Networking, Communicating Research – is just an attitude
• There is a paramount task yet in involving and motivating (good) researchers, research
groups and academic units in communicating (well!) Research and Science.
• Dissemination of Research and Public Outreach is hindered by current issues.
• There is a high pressure (Publish of Perish, Transfer or Die, etc.) that does not free time
enough to get involved in Public Outreach and Dissemination activities
• A proper system of Rewards could be established to catalyze and promote Science and
Research communication.
• Thank you very much for your attention!
Ingrid Aznar @ingridaznar