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Science Policy

Oliver Hochadel

Researcher from CEHIC

Challenge 2030?

15 june 2010

Photo: FECYT

PYou missed your chance, I assume. Or do you belong to the 107,309 people who did vote in Challenge 2030? On this website you had the chance to choose which of the 14 scientific objectives you wanted to become reality by 2030. “Unify all physics theories,” for example, or “More comfortable, accessible and ecological cities.” Each challenge was presented by an “innovator.” Celebrities such as primatologist Jane Goodall or architect Norman Forster explained in 45 seconds why it is important to do the right thing for humanity and nature. Some of the videos are rather embarrassing. Star chef Ferran Adrià is pulled in front of a camera (the background is of course a market) to solemnly state that food and health are connected. That surely must have come as a surprise to many viewers.

What good are these commonplaces supposed to do? I have no idea. I am also wondering why a quality paper such as El País writes an incredibly affirmative article about the initiative that is indistinguishable from PR. The title alone is annoying enough – “The future of European science, in your hands” – as if participating in an anonymous, online vote would have any impact at all.

In my view, this reflects quite well the deplorable level of the discussion on science communication in Spain. Spanish politicians as well as journalists and many other people argue that the country has to catch up with other European countries and heavily invest in science and technology. True. Yet the communication policy that goes along with it cannot exclusively consist in marshalling public support for research. The public is not a flock of ignorant sheep in dire need of being fed scientific facts. There have to be elements of reflection in order to promote a broad democratic discussion about the issues at stake. What is needed is a scientific understanding of the public and not only a public understanding of science.

The communication policy that goes along with it cannot exclusively consist in marshalling public support for researchForgive my bluntness, but in terms of science communication Spain is still a developing nation. Countries such as Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom or the Netherlands are way ahead in trying to find ways to include the public in science policy issues and research agendas. Not all of these attempts – citizen conferences, science festivals, science shops – have been successful. Yet the learning process in these countries over the past three decades has been enormous.

Science communication in Spain, it seems, cannot rid itself of an antiquated patronizing attitude, and Challenge 2030 is only the latest proof. To click an icon on a website is being sold as participation of the public.

So I spoke with Nuria Molinero, the director of the communications of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), the organizer of Challenge 2030, which formed part of the Spanish presidency of the European Union. She explained to me that the main aim of the initiative was to disseminate knowledge rather than to foster public participation in science by making people aware of pressing research issues. They also wanted to show the people “behind” research and innovation. To personalize science is certainly a good idea. But I doubt that it can be achieved by some short videos on YouTube.

Molinero told me that they were happy with the result. They would have liked to reach out more into other European countries but lacked the budget to promote the initiative abroad. Molinero claimed that they actually did not spend much money on the campaign although I could not get concrete information about the cost of this initiative. They had indeed thought about offering the public the possibility to formulate their own challenges for 2030 instead of simply presenting them with preselected issues. But this would have been far more demanding and hence too costly.

The big selling point of the initiative was the presentation of the results in Brussels. Yet I wonder what Cristina Garmendia actually told her colleagues at the meeting of the EU Ministers for Science and Innovation at the end of May. “Well, look, 14 percent of those who participated, a tiny fragment of the citizens in the European Union, and most of them Spanish, voted for ‘Store electricity more efficiently’ as their goal for 2030.” I doubt that the Spanish minister went further, suggesting that maybe the EU policy on science and innovation should listen to the “vox populi.” To me this sounds like mere symbolic activism. Challenge 2030 was a feel-good initiative for politicians and institutions: Look, we included the public!

P.S.: Only 4 percent voted for the challenge “Innovate in healthy eating habits”. Obviously Ferran Adrià did not do such a good job.

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