From combating disinformation to promoting STEM subjects: A web seminar by the DIES programme of the DAAD and the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) entitled "Effective science communication: Innovative approaches, perspectives on politics and global trends" highlighted a wide range of tasks and perspectives. DIES is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

DIES stands for "Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies" and is a programme with which the DAAD and the HRK jointly promote higher education management in the Global South. In the last week of April, the topic of science communication was on the agenda. Around 100 university representatives sat at their screens in Quito and Surabaya as well as in Kurdish Erbil, Shiraz in Iran, Harare in Zimbabwe and many other places.

Tobias Wolf, Head of Section Development Cooperation: Partnership programmes, Alumni Projects and Higher Education Management at the DAAD, emphasized the central task of science communication in a rapidly changing world. "It can help close the gap between the public, science and policymakers," he said. Strengthening trust in science is also key.

Resilience to misinformation

In times of polarization, fake truths and realities manipulated by AI, all these tasks become even more urgent. In his keynote speech, Dr Patrick Honecker, Chief Communication Officer at the TU Darmstadt, called for a "paradigm shift": away from pure information transfer and towards strengthening resilience against misinformation. He praised recommendations for successful communication of scientific findings, as published by the HRK and the German Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat) and assessed the mention of science communication in the coalition agreement of the new government as a good sign.

It quickly became clear, however, that such a view depends on one's location and, above all, on the prevailing politics in one's country. While there was broad agreement with Honecker's analysis, his call for more rules was met with scepticism. A participant from Southern Africa warned: "In countries with long-standing one-party governments, control of information can quickly be abused. Because who controls the government?"

Learning how to use artificial intelligence

The challenges associated with the use of AI in education appear to be consistent across the globe. Students everywhere are turning to tools like ChatGPT and similar platforms, raising questions that remain unresolved internationally about how such usage should be appraised. As one participant aptly noted in the chat: "How do we get students to use their brains instead of robots?" 

Dr Faith Mugisha Ahabyoona from Cavendish University in Kampala, Uganda, advocated for structured teaching on the responsible and effective use of AI. As Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, she also highlighted the positive impact of technological progress: Video lectures, she noted, not only support distance learning, but also improve the verification of academic sources. She also emphasized the importance of training students to communicate effectively about their disciplines – an essential skill especially given Uganda's high youth unemployment rate. The university actively connects students with key stakeholders, underlining its commitment to science communication and real-world engagement.

Dr Romina Carrasco Zuffi from the Universidad de las Américas in Quito shifted the focus away from the virtual world: "Research must meet real people, where they are." The Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences and AV Media presented a project on the Galápagos Islands, in which students conducted fieldwork to understand how visitors experience a marine ecosystem museum. It included observing visitor interactions with text-heavy exhibits, interviewing families about accessibility, and speaking with scientists from the Charles Darwin Research Station for context. Their findings revealed that the Marine World exhibition is largely inaccessible to children and families. Her conclusion: "Scientists must adapt their language and visualizations so that they are understood." Local contacts are also important to compare urban studies with the reality on the ground, for example in water and electricity supply in rural regions. Carrasco Zuffi emphasized: "Such a reality check prevents misinformation and promotes critical thinking."

Shortage of STEM specialists

Professor Vu Hoang Linh from VNU University of Science in Hanoi described the problem, which is also known in Germany, of attracting too few students to mathematics and other STEM subjects. As rector and president of the Vietnam Mathematical Society, he focuses on maths lectures for students as well as maths and science festivals. Public lectures at the end of the academic year are also firmly established. The profession of science communicator, on the other hand, is still unknown in Vietnam; these tasks are taken over by – former – journalists.

Coping with natural disasters

There was agreement on the importance of cooperation between science, communication experts and the media in the face of natural disasters, which are becoming increasingly common in the Global South. Vu Hoang Linh reported on workshops following severe landslides in northwestern Vietnam, where researchers and media representatives jointly considered how they could convey recommendations for action to the population: "In such a situation, clear, easy-to-understand information is needed." Romina Carrasco Zuffi added: "Scientists have the knowledge; they need support in translating it into simple messages." In Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, when forests burned for several days in 2024 and the air was hardly breathable for people, the close collaboration between researchers, media and communications experts also showed the importance of disseminating knowledge beyond scientific publications: "It's no use if something is only in a paper."

Jeannette Goddar (14 May 2025)