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How spin-off companies can play a role in science communication

Nature Reviews Physics volume 4, pages 79–80 (2022)Cite this article

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Although participating in outreach activities has many benefits for early-career researchers, outreach programmes are not always structured in a way that helps them participate. Three physicists explain why this motivated them to start a spin-off company dedicated to outreach.

The participation of research scientists in education and public outreach activities is broadly recognized as necessary1 to promote scientific literacy, to build trust in science and to increase the scientific work force. Outreach is therefore an important part of the activities of universities and research institutions. At the same time, research has shown that young researchers practise outreach less than senior scientists2 — which we believe is an obstacle to innovation in this field, as there is evidence that outreach programmes are more successful when graduate students and postdocs are actively involved3,4,5,6. Furthermore, participating in outreach has benefits for young researchers, such as the opportunity to improve their communication abilities. Indeed, public outreach is an interesting career path, suited for physicists with strong communication skills and a broad research background7. To address these opportunities and challenges, we decided to set up a spin-off company to facilitate involvement of young researchers in outreach activities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy

    P. Riccardi, F. Valentini & V. Carbone

  2. INFN — Gruppo Collegato di Cosenza, Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy

    P. Riccardi

Authors
  1. P. Riccardi
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  2. F. Valentini
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  3. V. Carbone
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Riccardi.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Riccardi, P., Valentini, F. & Carbone, V. How spin-off companies can play a role in science communication. Nat Rev Phys 4, 79–80 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-022-00421-x

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