Making research easy to understand

With a wide range of formats and channels, the importance of science communication at German universities and research institutes has increased over the past few years. WWU - Robert Matzke Whether it is press releases, posts, reports in the university newspaper, podcasts, blog entries, lectures or events for children and school students: in all its diversity, science communication - informing the public, in an easy-to-understand way, about developments and results in the area of research - has long been an integral part of knowledge transfer at universities, including the University of Münster. As Beatrice Lugger, Managing Director of the National Institute of Science Communication, says, "Communication on research topics is extremely important. After all, science and its findings are an integral part of our society and, not least, they are a driving force in our economy. And, particularly in a world which seems to be becoming ever more complex, it is vital that we impart a basic understanding of science and, by doing so, increase people's trust in it." In the past 20 years, says Lugger, press offices at German universities and research institutes have steadily become more professional. "There have been enormous changes," she says. These changes are reflected, for example, in staffing and funding.