Public engagement is a foundational key of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), having a crucial role to play in the establishment of bonds between science and society based on trust, two-way dialogue, and long-term thinking. It asks for commitment from a variety of actors, such as the public who is invited to participate, researchers who open up their work and challenge their research practices by involving others, and organisations which bring in public engagement in their strategic thinking and decision-making.

This webinar, organised as part of the GRACE project's final webinar series, asked how value is created and demonstrated at all these levels for a strong case for public engagement. It features presentations from and a lively discussion between:

• Laurène Cheilan, PhD student at the School of Education, Bristol University and Co-founder of CultureInstable, United Kingdom. After working for five years in the theatre field and for another five years in science centres, Laurene Cheilan is now in her final PhD year of investigating the implementation of a public engagement culture within the Innovative Training Network (ITN) Europah, in partnership with Graphic Science and the University of Bristol
• Marzia Mazzonetto, Co-founder and CEO Stickydot, Belgium. Marzia Mazzonetto is CEO and co-founder of Stickydot, a Brussels collective committed to pushing public engagement in science further, ensuring that all voices are included when it comes to shaping research and innovation. She coordinates the EU-funded project MOSAIC (Mission-Oriented SwafS to Advance Innovation through Co-creation).
• Dr. Maud Radstake, Utrecht University, Netherlands. Maud Radstake, PhD, is head of the Public Programs department of the Centre for Science Communication and Culture at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. The department develops and hosts public programs and activities at the interface of academia and society for a broad range of audiences, and offers training and advice to academic and support staff who (want to) do public engagement. Maud is also one of the track leaders for Public Engagement in the university’s Open Science Program.

To dive further into the topic of Public Engagement, you might also be interested in the related GRACE webinar 'Public Engagement from the Research Funders' Perspective' as well as the Spokes collection on 'Participation and Co-creation'.