Science Year 2018 (DE0014)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Germany National Action Plan 2017-2019
Action Plan Cycle: 2017
Status: Inactive
Institutions
Lead Institution: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Science in Dialogue (WiD) – an initiative of research organizations in Germany
Support Institution(s): Partners from research, society, politics and industry; federal ministries
Policy Areas
Public Participation, Science & TechnologyIRM Review
IRM Report: Germany Design Report 2017-2019
Starred: Pending IRM Review
Early Results: Pending IRM Review
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: Civic Participation
Implementation i
Description
Description: Science Years are intended to strengthen the public’s interest in science and research and to involve society in academic developments. The aim is to highlight the role of science and research in shaping our future. The Science Year 2018 will focus on the future of work. During that year, many activities will be organized for the interested public: large national hands-on campaigns, exhibitions, competitions, discussions and innovative online formats. This will give citizens and civilsociety organizations manifold opportunities to learn, participate and discuss with researchers, policy-makers and representatives from business and industry. Aim: The Science Year 2018 will highlight how science and research contribute to shaping the way we work by illustrating and encouraging discussion about the variety of opportunities and challenges in the future of work. The activities are intended to increase citizens’ appreciation of the role of research and of scientific jobs and encourage them to share their work experiences. Status quo: Science Years have been carried out and refined since 2000. Activities have become more diverse, including presentations, more participatory activities, discussions, interactive exhibitions, competitions, hands-on campaigns and citizen science projects. The current Science Year 2016*17 – Seas and Oceans will run until autumn 2017. Ambition: The Science Years strengthen dialogue between the research community and society also beyond the individual topic. In particular the funding projects contribute to developing and implementing new forms of dialogue and events. New or ongoing: ongoing Implemented by: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Science in Dialogue (WiD) – an initiative of research organizations in Germany Organizations involved in implementation: Partners from research, society, politics and industry; federal ministries Organizational unit and contact: Division 113, Christian Herbst, christian.herbst@bmbf.bund.de Open government values addressed: Participation, transparency Relevance: The Science Years are an opportunity for participation and make science and research accessible for individual citizens and organized civil society.
IRM Midterm Status Summary
14. Science Year 2018—Working Life of the Future
Language of the commitment as it appears in the action plan:
“Science Years are intended to strengthen the public’s interest in science and research and to involve society in academic developments. The aim is to highlight the role of science and research in shaping our future. The Science Year 2018 will focus on the future of work. During that year, many activities will be organized for the interested public: large national hands-on campaigns, exhibitions, competitions, discussions and innovative online formats. This will give citizens and civil-society organizations manifold opportunities to learn, participate and discuss with researchers, policy-makers and representatives from business and industry.
“Aim: The Science Year 2018 will highlight how science and research contribute to shaping the way we work by illustrating and encouraging discussion about the variety of opportunities and challenges in the future of work. The activities are intended to increase citizens’ appreciation of the role of research and of scientific jobs and encourage them to share their work experiences.”
Milestones:
14.1 Publishing the call for proposals for funded projects in the Science Year
14.2 Public opening of the Science Year
14.3 Tour of the exhibition ship “MS Wissenschaft” (on behalf of the BMBF)
Start Date: July 2017
End Date: December 2018
Context and Objectives
The governmental initiative Science Years intends to “strengthen the public’s interest in science and research and to involve society in academic developments, with the aim to highlight the role of science and research in shaping our future.” Related activities include presentations and participatory activities, such as discussions, interactive exhibitions, competitions, hands-on campaigns, and citizen science projects. A related funding stream seeks to “contribute to developing and implementing new forms of dialogue and events.” Milestone 14.1 will open the call for proposals under this funding mechanism. Milestone 14.2 refers to the public opening of the Science Year, and Milestone 14.3 covers the tour of a ship that hosts a science exhibition.
This commitment could be valuable for encouraging political deliberation and broader societal discourse around how research and technology can respond to central policy challenges of our time. The call for science proposals makes the commitment relevant to civic participation.
The proposed milestones are verifiable. However, they lack the specificity to assess how they relate to and advance engagement with the public. Some of the projects that receive funding might well contribute to these objectives, yet there are no specific actions or measures that ensure that this is the case. Because of the lack of specificity, it is difficult to determine what potential impact this commitment could have on improving the ability of the public to participate in science beyond the project proposals.
Next steps
The IRM researcher recommends that this commitment not be taken forward to the next action plan. However, the government could consider more outreach to citizens regarding the science projects and could present or exhibit the funded projects at schools and in communities.
Commitments
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Participatory development of research and innovation policy
DE0022, 2019, Public Participation
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Participatory creation of regulatory policy
DE0023, 2019, Public Participation
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Digital strategy pilot for rural regions
DE0024, 2019, Public Service Delivery
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Open government in North Rhine-Westphalia
DE0025, 2019, E-Government
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Policy co-creation in North Rhine-Westphalia
DE0026, 2019, Land & Spatial Planning
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Data sovereignty in North Rhine-Westphalia
DE0027, 2019, E-Government
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Open government portal in Saxony
DE0028, 2019, Civic Space
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Open-source software in public administrations in Schleswig-Holstein
DE0029, 2019, Subnational
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Regional Open Government Labs
DE0016, 2019, OGP
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Civil Society Consulation on Foreign Policy
DE0017, 2019,
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Create youth strategy
DE0018, 2019, Marginalized Communities
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Craete federal agency for digital innovation
DE0019, 2019,
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Transparency and participation in international aid
DE0020, 2019,
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Strengthen and socialize open data policy
DE0021, 2019, Open Data
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Conditions for OGP Participation
DE0001, 2017, OGP
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Open Data in Administrative Practice
DE0002, 2017, Capacity Building
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Open Data Environment
DE0003, 2017, Capacity Building
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Access to Spatial Data
DE0004, 2017, Capacity Building
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Financial Transparency - EITI Standard
DE0005, 2017, E-Government
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Transparency in Development Policy
DE0006, 2017, Aid
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Open Data for Intelligent Mobility
DE0007, 2017, E-Government
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Citizen Participation in Environmental Policy and Urban Development
DE0008, 2017, Capacity Building
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Electronic Procedures for Family Benefits
DE0009, 2017, E-Government
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Knowledge Network for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex People
DE0010, 2017, E-Government
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Local Alliances for Family Initiative
DE0011, 2017, Public Participation
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Share of Women and Men in Leadership Positions, Private and Private Sectors
DE0012, 2017, E-Government
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Open Access to Academic Literature
DE0013, 2017, E-Government
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Science Year 2018
DE0014, 2017, Public Participation
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Federal Competition “Living Together Hand in Hand”
DE0015, 2017, Citizenship and Immigration