VA (Public & Science) has been appointed to coordinate the Falling Walls Engage Hub Sweden. The network is designed to connect science engagement practitioners from across the world and provide a platform for exchange and dialogue on bridging the gap between science and society.
The Sweden Engage Hub will organise networking meetings and conferences on public engagement and science communication, particularly focused on engaging science communication practitioners in the Nordics and Baltics.
Falling Walls Engage is a programme of activities designed to promote successful science engagement, which is run by the Falling Walls Foundation in Berlin. Each year, a fast-paced annual pitch competition is run the day prior to the Falling Walls conference, held always on 9 November – the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The winner of Falling Walls Science Engagement of the Year is invited to present their project to an audience of 750 global leaders, decision-makers and international media representatives at the conference. VA’s Lena Söderström was a finalist in the 2019 competition, presenting the Star-Spotting Experiment, one of VA’s annual citizen science projects. (Read an interview with Lena about her experience at the event).
It is a great opportunity to share the Swedish/Northern Europe perspective and showcase science engagement initiatives in the region
“Before the Star-Spotting Experiment was shortlisted for the competition, I wasn’t aware of the range of activities that the Falling Walls Engage programme runs throughout the year. We were therefore delighted to be invited to help set up a Northern Europe Engage Hub and get more involved in this international network,” commented Lena Söderström. “It is a great opportunity to share the Swedish/Northern Europe perspective and showcase science engagement initiatives in the region.”
If you are a science communication practitioner in the Nordics/Baltics and would like more information about how to join the new network, please get in touch with Lena Söderström or Maria Hagardt at VA.
