In the words of Albert Einstein, "The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity, out of discord, harmony and out of difficulty, opportunity."

Recognising the significance of influential leaders, a new initiative called SCi25 has marked the beginning of the search for Europe’s best science communicators.

SCi25 will be the first data-led curation of Europe’s most influential in-house science communicators. SCi25 has been created to display the talents in the PR and marketing industry, while uniting them under the same goal: to strengthen the scientific organisations and increase their impact, achieving change in the world.

Through SCi25, the top 25 science communication influencers will be recognised and together they will create a science communication community, supporting the science industry.

Ellie Dobson, programme director of SCi25, says, “The science sector doesn’t get a great deal of attention within the PR and marketing community, but great science communication has never been more valuable. It is the enemy of fake news, and helps the public, politicians and businesses recognise that science funding and education can lead to better, healthier lives for all.”

For SCi25 to determine the top 25 science communication influencers, the programme is obtaining knowledge from across Europe. From the information collected, the recommended organisations will be evaluated with a data-driven scoring system. Organisations at the top of the list will then choose an individual from their company who they think is responsible for that company’s communications success to join the SCi25 community.

Dobson says, “Communicating scientific research is arguably as important as the research itself. Without raising awareness of new findings and translating its significance for non-scientific audiences, its impact could be significantly hampered. It’s a truly unique sector in a PR and marketing sense and requires a specialist skillset.”

SCi25 is led by science and technology communications specialists AprilSix Proof and artificial intelligence-powered media monitoring company, Signal Media. The organisations examined will be evaluated for their communications success against four pivotal values: influence, impact, innovation and recognition, across a year-long period.

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