Our Lunch Talks are creative, interdisciplinary and international. Speakers think out-of-the-box about science communication, often drawing from experience in media, the arts or the cultural sector. Because we focus on communication techniques, the sessions are relevant for researchers from all scientific disciplines.

The programme is bilingual (EN/NL), and we regularly welcome international voices.

Next up:
How to stand out as an expert?

Daniëlle Wopereis (SciMingo) - December 19 - 12.00 pm

In a media interview, you often have only a few seconds to deliver your research story clearly. In this lunch talk, given by Daniëlle Wopereis (SciMingo), you’ll get seven concrete tips to ensure your key message doesn’t get diluted, but lands exactly where you want it to. You’ll learn how newsrooms operate, how to approach them, and how to position yourself as a credible expert.
Click here & register for free

Missed a talk?
How to use ChatGPT to prepare for your media interview?

Jo Detavernier

In this interactive Lunch Talk, Jo Detavernier shows how you can make ChatGPT your backstage coach for media interviews. Discover how to understand your interviewer’s perspective, refine your key messages, and prepare for tough questions using smart prompt techniques. The first part of the session gives you a crash course in writing effective prompts. Then we’ll dive into a live ChatGPT demo: you’ll see the tool in action, ask questions, and even suggest prompts yourself to test what works (and what doesn’t).
Rewatch this Lunch Talk

Missed a talk?
Scicomm for policymaking during a health crisis

Ingrid Van Marion, Niel Hens, Mieke Vandenbroucke, Erika Vlieghe, Jorgen Stassijns

When a crisis hits, how do science and policy really talk to each other? This Lunch Talk opens with Ingrid Van Marion (Université libre de Bruxelles – ULB), co-lead of the Communication Processes work package within BE-PIN – the Belgian Pandemic Intelligence Network. She shares insights from her research on how communication shaped pandemic policymaking — from the exchange of knowledge between scientists and policymakers to the government’s public communication about science and policy decisions.

After her presentation, an expert panel — Mieke Vandenbroucke (University of Antwerp), Niel Hens (Hasselt University), Jorgen Stassijns (Sciensano), and Erika Vlieghe (Institute of Tropical Medicine) — will reflect on what we can learn from the pandemic. Join the discussion on how science communication can make — or break — evidence-based policymaking.
Rewatch this Lunch Talk

Missed a talk?
Slow science communication

Siska Van Parys

Most science communication today is short and fast — but at the Institute of Natural Sciences they also try something different. Together with colleagues, Siska Van Parys works on long-form stories that highlight the institute’s core research areas — palaeontology, geology, archaeology, taxonomy, evolution — and the collections that support them. They create overview articles on the website, mini-documentaries about expeditions and fieldwork, and stories that spotlight the people behind the research.

In this SciComm Academy Lunch Talk, Siska will share some of the projects she’s been involved in, what they hope to achieve with them, and why slow science communication has become part of their approach.
Rewatch this lunch talk
Explore past talks and blogs.
Catch up on inspiring lunch talks and panel discussions, and dive deeper through blogs by our speakers.
Discover our past talks
I’m Daniëlle, Project Manager of the SciComm Academy. Would you like to present your project in a Lunch Talk, have an idea for a topic, or just want to know more about the SciComm Academy? Feel free to reach out!
Get in touch