We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in science communication: from explanation and knowledge transfer to dialog and participation. Researchers are increasingly involved in dialog and building trust between science and society. For a long time, communicating scientific knowledge to the public was seen as the task of journalism, but now, thanks to the profound change in the media and the development of new, innovative formats, there are more and more opportunities for scientists to communicate their own research directly - increasingly also in a global perspective and interconnectedness. In addition, modern science communication is no longer understood as simply passing on information: The aim is to establish a proactive dialogue with society that explores and institutionalizes the potential of participation.

Accordingly, the work at the Research Center aims to open up spaces for discourse that enable a large number of participants from the sciences and the public to engage in an informed debate about knowledge in general and scientific knowledge in particular. What can events look like that enable conflict-prone dialogs with controversial premises? What can dialog spaces look like that not only reach people who are already interested in science? How can the complex relationships between scientific and non-scientific forms of knowledge be taken into account? How can epistemic conflicts be resolved without "division" and "polarization"?

Examples of such dialogues and public engagement projects can be found in the “In Dialogue – Public Engagement” section of the University of Tübingen.

One possible reference point for practitioners is the Public Engagement Codex co-developed in Tübingen. It provides a preliminary normative framework that can support both institutions and practitioners in shaping the dialogue between science and society effectively and strategically.

At the University of Tübingen, the Excellence Strategy plays a key role in fostering public engagement.