Marine environmental research in Sweden is of high quality, but there are serious shortcomings as regards communication of the results. These are two conclusions from the evaluation by Formas and the Environmental Protection Agency of some of the Swedish marine environmental research projects over the period 2003-2008: two programmes at Environmental Protection Agency, a number of projects at Formas, and some of the research by the Board of Fisheries. The evaluation was presented and discussed at a seminar in Stockholm, with Anna Jöborn, IVL, as moderator.
Benefit to society and dialogue
Johanna Mattila, Åbo Academy, and Karin Pettersson, Västra Götaland county administrative board, presented the evaluation on behalf of the evaluation panel. This was followed by some researcher contributions. Katarina Abrahamsson, Göteborg University, said that it is important to apply different time scales in judging whether research is of benefit to society; things become useful at different times. Agneta Andersson, Umeå University, said that researchers must be better at formulating the relevance of research, and that it is important to recruit competent environmental reseachers of practical orientation for assessing applications.
Sverker Jagers, Göteborg University, considers that an interdisciplinary approach can result in more usable research, but social scientists of environmental expertise are in short supply these days. Michael Gilek, Södertörn University College, considers that more research is needed on the communication process as such, and more knowledge of what scientific communication is about.
Kerstin Johannesson, Göteborg University, described with reference to the Marbipp programme how the specifications of the Environmental Protection Agency resulted in the creation of a special website for communication of the results. But it cost money, and it is a little uncertain who is to be responsible for keeping this site up to date.
- It is remarkable that not all research funding institutions clearly demand that the results shall be communicated, said Annika Tidlund, Stockholm University Marine Research Centre. But it is not reasonable to expect that all researchers are expert communicators. There must be an infrastructure with journals and series of seminars.
The Institute for the Marine Environment is a new player with the task of communicating research results. The director of the institute, Åke Hagström, said that the users of the results must become more involved and ask questions concerning details of the research.
Some advice for research funding institutions
In the afternoon there was a discussion of issues such as: Why is communication between researchers and the users of research results not working? What can various actors in society do? How can training in communication for researchers be designed? How and when can the users of research results take part in the formulation of research issues? How can the instructions for applications and the application processes be formulated so as to promote communication? Lack of time, lack of meeting places, too much information, and lack of incentive and requirements were quoted as the most important reasons that communication is not working very well. Research funding institutions should lay down requirements concerning communication, and even small projects can define relevance and have a plan for communication. It is important that research funding institutions should monitor the projects and take charge of the results.
Where do we go from here?
Anna Ledin, Formas, and Thomas Nilsson, Environmental Protection Agency, summed up.
- We, the research funding institutions, must facilitate the dialogue among researchers and between researchers and the users of research results, for instance by arranging seminars at different stages of a research programme. And the requirements concerning communication that we make in conjunction with the application process must be improved, said Anna Ledin.
The role of the Environmental Protection Agency is different from that of Formas, since the Agency is also a user of results.
- We must continue with large targeted calls for applications, requirements concerning dialogue with the users of research results, and requirements concerning a communication plan and funds for communication in the budget. And we must get better at taking charge of the results, said Thomas Nilsson.
Website on the seminar
The seminar on marine environmental research can be accessed through the website of Sustainability.
The report Evaluation of Marine Environmental Research in Sweden, 2003 – 2008, can be ordered through the Formas webside (publications).
Author
:
Birgitta Johansson
Formas