What is dialogue?

Public dialogue run by Sciencewise-ERC brings together members of the public, policy makers and scientists to discuss and come to conclusions on the social and ethical issues raised by new science and technology, and other policies of national importance.

It allows a diverse mix of public participants with a range of views and values to:
• learn from written information and experts
• listen to each other, and share and develop their views
• reach carefully considered conclusions
• communicate those conclusions directly to inform Government’s decision making.

Why do dialogue

If the UK is to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by scientific discovery and technological development for our economic and social wellbeing, it is crucial that we develop new approaches to bring the public together with scientists and policy makers in a constructive dialogue to explore emerging issues.

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When to do dialogue

When to do public dialogue and when not to do public dialogue?

What are the deciding factors?

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The benefits of dialogue

  • A route to better policy
  • Influencing and enabling policy
  • Economic benefits

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Next steps

The aim of these pages is to help you to understand what is involved in public dialogue. There are many aspects that have to be considered in order to achieve a successful dialogue process. Luckily there are specialists able to guide and to advise you on the journey.

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Who to contact

Find out how to get into contact with us by telephone, e-mail or post.

Also find out more about our team of Dialogue and Engagement Specialists.

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Sciencewise-ERC support

A range of support services and activities are available.

These include in-house training sessions on public dialogue run by one of our dialogue and engagement specialists, and more...

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