Scientific Culture in Portugal

In recent decades, the promotion of scientific and technological culture in Portugal has increased and initiatives in this area have multiplied. However, the last few years have seen a period of shrinking investment, which can be attributed primarily to the international and national financial crisis and austerity policies. The aim of this short essay, published by Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos, is to map out some initiatives to promote scientific and technological culture that have taken place in Portugal in recent years, creating a first approach to this issue. To this end, the authors address issues such as:

• the role of science museums and centres;
• the role of communication offices in research units and universities;
• the way the media deals with news in the scientific field;
• the dissemination of science through books;
• the role of science communication publications;
• science communication on platforms such as YouTube;
• the role of training in science communication;
• scientific research produced and disseminated in Portugal;
• the work of associations with activities to promote scientific culture;
• companies operating in the scientific culture market;
• citizen science projects;
• the role of awards and competitions in science communication in Portugal.

With the publication of this study, Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos aims to broaden existing knowledge on the subject it covers, as well as highlighting more clearly the gaps that need to be filled in the area of science communication.