Survey Shows Biomedical Researchers Concerns on Public Engagement

Training and opportunities to conduct public engagement are vital to encourage more biomedical researchers to participate in science communication. This is according to the study conducted by researchers from Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in Vietnam, Nepal, and Indonesia.

A total of 70 researchers from OUCRU were given an online survey with both open-ended and close-ended questions to gather and analyze their perceptions of public engagement.

The results showed that the conduct of public engagement activities contributes towards increasing science literacy rather than supporting public participation in science. Though they acknowledge the importance of being involved in public engagement activities, they mentioned several barriers, including time, lack of capacity, lack of support, and personal perceptions. Many of them admitted that they were not confident enough to communicate science to the public.

Find out more in Wellcome Open Research.

https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=20450