LERU Focus Group on Public Engagement

LERU was founded in 2002 as an association of research-intensive universities sharing the values of high-quality teaching in an environment of internationally competitive research. Counting 24 members, the network brings together representatives to work on LERU policy development and mutual learning in several areas and on topics such as Open Science. LERU is a keen supporter of Open Science and its benefits for science and society and is an active player in the development of Open Science both at the university and EU policy level.

The Ad Hoc Group on Open Science has been set up in 2019 with the task of implementing the LERU Open Science Roadmap. The activities resulted in the formulation of the report ‘Implementing Open Science’. The Ad Hoc Group on Open Science stood down at the end of 2020 and handed over the baton to the LERU Ad Hoc Group “Open Science Ambassadors”. The focus of the implementation process thereby moved to the local institutions, with the 22 Open Science Ambassadors sharing good practices and preparing combined actions to stimulate the progress of Open Science.

LERU Open Science Roadmap
Report ‘Implementing Open Science’
Ad Hoc Group “Open Science Ambassadors”

To do this, the Open Science Ambassadors formed four focus groups. The focus group on Public Engagement under the lead of Open Science Ambassador Prof. Dr. Joos Vandewalle (KU Leuven) is bringing together experts and practitioners on Public Engagement of the LERU universities. Since its inception in early 2022, one of the main objectives of the focus group has been to share best practice in engaging the public at a local level, with approaches covering a broad spectrum from science festivals to research funding and citizen science. This blog series is a result of the focus group's work.

The current members of the focus group on public engagement are (in alphabetical order):

• Sarah Barnes (University College London)
• Victoria Brotto (University of Strasbourg)
• Emeline Dufrennoy (University of Strasbourg)
• Michael Foley (Trinity College Dublin)
• Dr. Lauren Gould (Utrecht University)
• Olivia Höhener (University of Zurich / ETH Zurich)
• Prof. Dr. Romain Julliard (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne University)
• Niccola Hutchinson-Pascal (University College London)
• Prof. Dr. Josep Perelló (Universitat de Barcelona)
• Dr. Lucinda Spokes (University of Cambridge)
• Dr. Saskia Stevens (Utrecht University)
• Prof. Dr. Joos Vandewalle (KU Leuven)