CABI News

Hundreds of scientists from CABI’s 48 Member Countries have participated in free science communication training designed to help them gain the confidence and skills to communicate their findings to policymakers and the public.

In total 725 people took part in six different training sessions on subjects including ‘How researchers can boost their career through science communication,’ and ‘Communicating numbers and statistics clearly to the media, policymakers and the public.’

Other topics in the series included ‘Practical ways to simplify scientific information without compromising its meaning,’ and ‘How to make research findings interesting to media, policymakers and the public.’

Open to researchers in both the natural and social sciences

The SciDev.Net training sessions offered by Script were open to researchers in both the natural and social sciences, working in or coming from CABI Member Countries, who have findings from their published research to share.

Dr Qiaoqiao Zhang, Director of Memberships, CABI, said, “At CABI, we are committed to delivering meaningful benefits to our member countries—benefits that encompass governance input, collaborative projects, knowledge access, and capacity building.

“It is especially gratifying to see so many researchers from our member countries participating in this comprehensive Science Communication training series. The strong demand reinforces our commitment to providing similar training opportunities in the future.”

Conveying scientific discoveries to broader audience

Dogari Darius Daniel, who took part in the training, said he gained invaluable skills on how to effectively convey his scientific discoveries in a way that resonates with a broader audience, including those who may not have a science background.

“The training highlighted the importance of selecting the best platforms for reaching different audiences and provided guidance on how to craft impactful messages tailored for policymakers.

“One of the standout moments for me was learning how to emphasize the societal importance of scientific findings to government officials and policymakers—demonstrating why their engagement and action are crucial, as we saw during the pandemic,” he said.

Another participant, Hidaya A. Hamidu, said, “The science communication training was incredibly fruitful. It served as an eye-opener, showing that scientific findings can indeed be shared with the outside world. These findings can be simplified and disseminated in a way that ensures proper understanding, without altering the key concepts, thereby satisfying both researchers and the intended audience.”

Support member countries to share agricultural and environmental knowledge

Dr Charles Wendo, Training Coordinator for SciDev.Net, said the training was part of CABI’s efforts to support member countries to share agricultural and environmental knowledge that can empower people and help protect the planet.

“Researchers who participated in this training and use the skills to communicate their findings will now be in a better position to influence policy, contribute to the development of their communities, enhance their public visibility, increase citations of their publications by other researchers and enhance their likelihood of being found by potential partners.”

He added that member countries and their communities will now benefit from increased opportunities to make evidence-based policies and decisions.

Last month (October), the Africa Science Focus podcast from SciDev.Net spoke with African scientists and researchers about the need for better communication of scientific research.

Jackie Opara-Fatoye, a science journalist and deputy coordinator at SciDev.Net, Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighted some of the barriers to effective science communication, including limited funding, technical jargon, and poor media coverage.

You can listen to the podcast here.

 

Additional information

Relevant stories

‘CABI’s Member Countries urged to sign up for free science communication training for researchers.’

‘Why researchers should drop the jargon and speak out.’

About Script

Script is made possible by funding from the Robert Bosch Stiftung and is implemented by SciDev.Net

It is a free training and networking resource for journalists, scientists and anyone who wants to communicate science in an engaging and accurate way.

Find out more about Script training by SciDev.Net – including courses, guides, news, and bespoke training from scripttraining.net

About SciDev.Net

SciDev.Net is the world’s leading source of reliable and authoritative news, views and analysis about science and technology for global development.

Our Mission is to use independent journalism to help individuals and organisations apply science to decision-making to drive equitable, sustainable development and poverty reduction. SciDev.Net is part of CAB International (CABI) – a not-for-profit organisation that improves people’s lives worldwide by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment.

SciDev.Net operates editorially independently from CABI with its content overseen by an independent Editorial Advisory Committee whose role is to ensure our editorial independence protocol is adhered to. The protocol is available on request.

Find out more about SciDev.Net