In this June's edition of “In Depth” section we discuss the new communication campaign by the ICM, which aims to connect scientific research with society.
In a world where environmental and social crises often dominate the headlines, the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM) is launching a bold and hopeful campaign called "The Research That Makes Us Dream". This initiative seeks to connect scientific research with society, highlighting the essential role of the scientific community as a collective of dreamers capable of paving the way toward a better future.
With an exciting, inspiring, hopeful, and revealing approach, the project focuses on the people who make research possible. Unlike previous campaigns that emphasized research lines and scientific challenges, this new campaign aims to tell stories of results that give hope for further research. In this way, the ICM wants to show how dreams become realities through scientific research, moving away from fatalistic environmental messages and proposing an optimistic vision of the future.
The campaign includes several audiovisual elements designed to capture the public's attention and convey the message holistically. One of the central pieces is a survey directed at ICM staff and other research centers, accompanied by opening and closing videos featuring animated text and audio that mixes sounds of nature and urban life, creating a unique and technological experience.
The survey aims to measure the scientific community's level of optimism regarding the future of the planet, identify the factors influencing optimism or pessimism, foster reflection on scientific biases related to the vision of the future, and promote an optimistic view of science's capabilities to address future challenges.
The main pillar of the campaign is a manifesto video that presents research as a fundamental tool for a better future. With a script that combines poetry and science, the video highlights how each discovery and innovation open unexpected paths to protect the ocean and, thereby, improve the planet's future. Through examples of basic and applied research projects, the video illustrates how science can help repopulate coasts with lost species, find cleaner energy sources, and provide ecosystems with the conditions they need to recover from anthropogenic impact, among other achievements.
Additionally, the campaign includes a series of photographic reports that delve into significant ICM research lines. These reports will be available on a website specifically designed for the campaign and will be disseminated through social media, presenting stories of researchers working in both basic science and those related to society and applied science.
The campaign's launch coincides with World Oceans Day, a date on which we want to highlight the role of science as a powerful tool for inspiration and social transformation. Ultimately, we want to answer the question of whether research is helping us dream of a more hopeful world or, on the contrary, certifying the collapse of our future.
This answer will be provided by the Ocean Science Dream Observer. In this space, the scientific community can share their dreams, inspirations, and visions about the future of the ocean and science. In this sense, the observatory invites the scientific community and the general public to reflect on the role of research in building a future full of possibilities.
In summary, "The Research That Makes Us Dream" is more than a communication campaign; it is an invitation to dream and believe in the transformative power of science through inspiring stories and a positive approach. With this initiative, the ICM seeks to connect with society and foster an optimistic vision of the future, where science not only explains the world but also helps improve it.