The strategic partnership FIRE! addresses the staff of intermediaries at the interface between science and society. FIRE! deals with innovative science communication, addresses thereby two horizontal priorities: "Development of relevant and high-quality skills and competences" and "Strengthening the recruitment, selection and induction of Educators". Science Communication (SC) is an important strategy to promote the understanding and appreciation of relevant scientific results, the design of adjusted research questions and the assessment of research results within civil society. Science Communication is an essential basis of Citizen Science, which provides opportunity for broader public engagement and democratization of science. Citizen scientists may design the method, gather and analyze data, and / or communicate the results. Citizen science as a rule has a practice-oriented scientific outcome. For example, informing conservation action, management decisions or environmental policy. The antiquated “one-way-road” explanation strategy led not to satisfying results due to lack of acceptance and missing relevant mutual knowledge. Dialogue and co-creation are promising ways to involve civil society in scientific work; enabling citizens to influence and contribute to scientific research for mutual benefit. Reflecting on this, concepts like Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and Citizen Science have been developed on European level. RRI, dialogue between science and society need efficient tools and formats and professional intermediaries. To reach these aimed goals the instruction staff of the involved institutions is core, the development of high-quality skills and competences as well as the recruitment, selection and induction of staff has priority. Intermediaries of four European countries decided to start a process to enhance their respective competences and qualifications within the strategic partnership FIRE! by exchanging their experiences and good practices. Exchange of experiences and processes of collaborative learning are well-placed in the two chosen horizontal priorities. FIRE! is innovative – it creates new concepts / processes as well as tools / methods and successfully implements them in the practice of the participating partners. The work process of the project itself is innovative. FIRE! aims a cooperative self-organized teaching and learning process based on experiences of four intermediaries with different expertise, operating over diverse time, acting in different areas. These differences will be a resource for mutual capacity building regarding processes, tools / methods and skills. It is a project from the intermediaries, through the intermediaries and for the intermediaries. The innovation of the project is motivated in the working principles of the participating intermediaries. The project reflects on the working process of intermediaries practicing dialogue between citizens and scientists. Content and format of operating process go in line with each other. The whole project fosters intended future cooperation and continuing exchange of experiences. FIRE! fosters the development of social, civic and cultural translation competences. FIRE! aims to contribute to a process of (joined) continuing education for intermediaries on European level.
The project mainly consisted of four thematically different training, teaching and learning activities: Online Tools in Science Communication and Citizens Science, Science Communication and Citizen Science, Arts & Science - Art in Science Communication and Citizen Science and Explorative Learning - an approach to Citizen Science and Science Communication. Due to force majeure caused by the Corona Pandemic, the LTTA "Exploratory Learning - an approach to Citizen Science and Science Communication" could not be held as planned. Instead, the contents were worked on in 3 online workshops. The project served to build a strategic partnership and exchange of good practice on the basis of the four topics mentioned above.