Edinburgh Napier University

  EDITOR'S NOTES
This contribution by Gary Kerr, taking the example of one of the British Council’s flagship partnership programmes – FameLab – covers the notion and nature of science diplomacy as cultural relations, situating the programme at the heart of a global community of science communicators who share knowledge and ideas, and through that exchange build cultural connections and understanding. It also covers the challenge faced by the FameLab teams worldwide following Covid-19. The impact of ‘going virtual’ has been on the minds of cultural relations practitioners since the start of the pandemic. This essay illustrates a number of the challenges faced by teams delivering FameLab, and how teams rapidly developed plans to ensure the programme could go ahead, and how they have continued to innovate and learn together. This illustrates what many of us recognise – that lockdown measures have accelerated innovation in digital delivery of programmes. Yet there are new questions about the quality of engagement that can be generated online, and whether the fundamental purpose of the British Council’s work in cultural relations – building trust – can happen without meaningful and close human contact. In his essay, the writer notes that a more culturally and geographically diverse audience could be reached following the pivot to online, and suggests this is a step towards the democratisation of these sorts of events. At a time when science communication is more vital than ever – whether in making people aware of how to stay safe during the pandemic, or in addressing misinformation about vaccines – that is surely positive. And yet the question remains about whether a crucial outcome of good science communication – enhanced public understanding of and trust in science – can be generated as effectively through this remote medium. The early theory on intergroup contact by American sociologist Gordon Allport in the 1950s suggested that direct, face-to-face contact was needed to generate the desired outcomes of positive intergroup encounter and a subsequent improvement in intergroup relations. But research in recent years has suggested that computer-mediated communication is as effective, and may even enhance the generation of positive relationships. Reasons include participant ease (joining from their own familiar surroundings), that joining as an individual highlights individuality and decreases identification with other groups, and that video-linked encounters allow for social cues to be read and understood. This potential to generate positive encounters, leading to increased trust and reduced potential for hostility, could turn out to be a significant benefit of the shift to online delivery of international engagement, particularly if it allows greater numbers and more diverse parties to participate and contribute. As so often with research, this contribution raises a number of questions that require attention beyond the scope of this essay. While programmes such as FameLab can continue to be delivered online, and may reach a greater and more diverse audience that way, further research is needed to analyse and understand the quality of the engagement, and how it contributes to the goals of science communication and of international cultural relations.