On Wednesday, 9 September, the first of five round-table sessions for ReConnect return grant recipients will take place. The first session will focus on science communication and public engagement – from finding the story behind your research and working with the media to practical tips on how to handle a microphone or camera.

How can you present years of research in just a few minutes? How do you explain a complex scientific topic to someone outside your field without oversimplifying it to the point where it loses its meaning? What makes research interesting to the media and the public, and how do you find a story worth telling?

These are some of the questions that will be addressed at the first ReConnect round table, led by Barbora Vošlajerová, science communicator at IAPG. The return grant recipients will learn how and where they can present their research to the public and the media, and what support is available to them both at IAPG and through the Press Department of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

The session will have a strong practical focus. It will cover the basic principles of storytelling in science, how to identify the key message and build a compelling scientific story, how to prepare a press release, and how to come up with a headline that catches attention while remaining factually accurate. There will also be practical advice on communicating with journalists: how to prepare for an interview, answer questions clearly and effectively, speak in front of a microphone or camera, and deal with situations when an interview does not quite go according to plan.

The session will also provide specific information on IAPG’s rules for communicating research, mandatory project publicity requirements, and the support available for presenting research results. And because even seemingly minor details can make a difference in an interview, there will also be a few tips on what to wear in front of the camera – and what is best avoided.

Five round tables for scientific career development

The round table on science communication is the first in a series of at least five sessions to be held as part of the ReConnect project at approximately six-month intervals until spring 2028. Their topics reflect the needs of researchers as they develop their careers and, in addition to science communication and public engagement, will cover academic publishing, funding opportunities and management skills.

The round tables aim to provide return grant recipients not only with information, but above all with practical tools, shared experience and opportunities for discussion that can support them in the further development of their scientific careers.