Wisskomm@Charité

The Wisskomm@Charité program is about promoting new ways to impart science communication skills on an organizational or institutional level in the life sciences and university medicine in Berlin. Different aspects of the prevailing practice at the interface of science and media (intention, roles, language, choice of media, etc.) are to be rethought and changes tested. Complementing Stiftung Charité’s project-related "science x media tandems" funding, the program aims at implementing institution-wide changes in the science communication practice of the Charité and its partner institutions. Therefore, in addition to individual scientists and journalists, the organizational units of press and public relations as well as external actors in public relations work will be involved in Wisskomm@Charité.

For an initial period of two years (January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2024), Stiftung Charité is funding Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin to develop and implement an internal training program to teach current skills and provide training in new science communication practices. Charité’s Corporate Communications division is responsible for realizing the project. As an important component of its funding activities in the area of "Open Life Science", the foundation supports the "Wisskomm@Charité" program with both ideas and seed funding.

Questions the training program will address include: How do I manage to communicate complex medical issues in a way that is understandable to lay people? What impact can my statements about scientific findings have in public, especially on social media? How do I reach a non-specialist audience and why is that even important?

The program will enable researchers at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin to better understand the interplay between science, media and the public, in order to deal with journalists and other mediaries more confidently. The various modules will teach basic knowledge of strategic science communication as well as the logic of media and social media. Explaining one's own research topic clearly in two minutes, speaking convincingly in front of the camera or getting to the heart of a publication’s key point visually: the scientists’ media skills will expand thanks to hands-on exercises.

The aim is to establish an understanding of the processes, mechanisms and content of science communication, to consolidate cooperation with the Corporate Communications division responsible for science communication at Charité, and thus to further professionalize the science communication of Berlin’s university medicine.