Getting ready for trouble

The second day of the event (scientific symposium) is fully booked now, if you are interested in participating, please send an email to david.domingo@ulb.be and we will let you know if a seat becomes available. Registration for the first day is still open through the form!

The Belgian Pandemic Intelligence Network ULB members ReSIC (Research center for information and communication research) and I3h (Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in healthcare) invite you to a stakeholder workshop and international scientific symposium. The focus is on the communication processes for evidence-informed policymaking (EIPM) in times of crisis, at two intertwined levels:

1. the organisation of scientific knowledge exchange between the actors involved in  making the decisions for pandemic preparedness and response

2. the public communication of scientific knowledge and policy related to health crises

On 27 November, the stakeholder workshop invites policymakers, researchers, journalists, knowledge brokers and interest organisations to share best practices and discuss how to solve practical challenges for the communication aspects involved in the management of pandemic preparedness and response. In the registration form, please indicate if you would like to present and discuss your best practices or challenges with other stakeholders.

On 28 November, the scientific symposium will bring together researchers from all over Europe and beyond, from the diversity of disciplines studying EIPM: science communication research, political sciences, linguistics, risk communication, organisational communication, knowledge brokering, journalism studies, crisis management, and ethics. Presenters have already been selected after an open call for papers, but everyone is welcome to participate in the discussions.

Registrations are limited to 100 participants for the workshop and 60 participants for the symposium, don’t wait to book your spot!

Participation is free of charge. Coffee-breaks, lunch and evening networking drinks provided by the organisers.

Keynote speakers

Simone Rödder

Professor at University of Hamburg, Germany, sociologist of science and science communication and principal investigator of the WISDOM project

Exploring knowledge transfer as a wicked problem through the COVID-19 case

Paul Cairney

Professor of Politics and Public Policy at University of Stirling, Scotland

Researching the conditions for evidence-informed policy-making in contexts such as the pandemic crisis.

Provisional program

Stakeholder workshop (27 November 2025, 11:00-17:00)

• Best-practices presentations

• Interactive problem-solving challenge

• Simulation exercice of pandemic decision-making

• International experiences in pandemic public communication

• BE-PIN project key findings

Scientific symposium (28 November 2025, 08:30-17:30)

Thematic sessions on:

• From (scientific) evidence to decisions: the communication processes of EIPM related to crisis preparedness and response

• Governance of EIPM in crisis times

• Citizen perspectives on and expectations of public policy communication during crises

• Public communication of (evidence-informed) policy during a crisis

• Professional knowledge and competences for an efficient EIPM ecosystem

Questions or suggestions? Contact Ingrid.van.Marion [at] ulb.be

Timetable

Thursday 27 November 2025: Stakeholder workshop

10:30 - Registration

11:00 - Welcome

Niel Hens, Professor of Biostatistics, Hasselt University (Belgium), coordinator of the BE-PIN project

11:30 - Keynote :Communicating science during COVID-19: comparing insider and outsider strategies

Paul Cairney, Professor of Political Science, University of Stirling (Scotland)

This talk draws on insights from interest group studies to compare two strategies for communicating science advice. One involves an insider strategy: following informal 'rules of the game'; to remain included and respected by policymakers. The other is an outsider strategy, emphasising critical distance from government policy, and an appeal to like-minded outsiders.

12:00 - Lunch

12:45 - Simulation exercise of communication processes for decision-making

Speaking Up—or Staying Silent? What to Say During a Pandemic

Jeannette de Boer and Femke Overbosch, Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Center (Netherlands)

Outbreaks of infectious diseases are nothing new. However, the frequency with which major international outbreaks or pandemics occur is increasing. The threat of another pandemic is real. The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that each phase of a pandemic requires different approaches. These approaches extend beyond the biomedical field to the economic and socio-cultural fields as well. This includes communication. In our presentation, we will walk you through a fictional yet realistic scenario of an avian flu outbreak. At various points in the scenario, we will pause and challenge you with the strategic question: “What (not) to say in a pandemic?”

13:45 - Lessons learned on science communication from the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium

Ingrid van Marion and David Domingo, BE-PIN project, ReSIC-ULB (Belgium)

14:15 - Challenges and best practices: experiences of Belgian stakeholders

Contributions from stakeholders as proposed in registration process

15:15 - Coffee break

15:45 - International experiences

• Communication during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Simone Rödder (Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity)

• Music, medicine, and meaning: indigenous knowledge and health messaging in the time of COVID-19. Rodrigo Ong (University of the Philippines)

• Science sparring for science-policy dialogue in Finland. Tommi Kärkkäinen and Jaakko Kuosmanen (Finnish Academy of Science)

• Integrated science advice for policy in the Netherlands and beyond. Tomris Cesuroglu (Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Center)

16:45 - Closing remarks

17:00 - 18:00 Networking drinks

Friday 28 November 2025: Scientific symposium

8:00 - Registration

8:30 - Welcome

 Marius Gilbert, vice-rector of research, valorisation, culture and science mediation at ULB

9:00 - Keynote: Expertise in crisis

Simone Rödder, Head of the Centre for Knowledge Exchange, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity

The talk will explore the complicated position of science in the current political environment, as an expertise to which a society turns to solve public health crises, while expertise is facing a crisis itself.

9:45 - Session 1: From (scientific) evidence to decisions: the communication processes of EIPM related to crisis preparedness and response 

Moderator: David Domingo, ReSIC-ULB

•  Institutionalizing Science Communication: Lessons from the Global South and North for Evidence-Informed Crisis Response. Famida Khan (Indian National Science Academy, India)

• I Know Someone: How Personal Relationships Influence Evidence-Informed Policy-Making. Tiago Durães (University of Porto, Portugal)

• Unpacking Policy Learning of Subnational Governments in Authoritarian Contexts. Hao Zha (University of Oxford, UK)

• “Subservient to experts”: examining the claims of evidence-informed policymaking in Austria during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clemence Bouchat (KU Leuven, Belgium)

• Science for policy communication processes for pandemic management in Belgium. Ingrid van Marion (ReSIC-ULB, Belgium)

11:00 - Coffee break

11:30 - Session 2: Governance of EIPM in crisis times

Moderator: Eveline Cleynen and Miriam Saso, Sciensano

• Crisis Advice during COVID-19: Lessons from Seven European Countries. Tomris Cesuroglu, Charlotte Waltz, Ferrán Castaño Rosario, Danique ten Bokkel Huinink and Anja Schreijer (Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Center, Netherlands)

• Ethics Advice in Times of Crisis: Epistemic Failures and the Role of PolycentricKnowledge. Holger Straßheim, Bielefeld University, Germany

• Beyond linearity and co-production in science-policy interaction – understanding the model of hypothesis testing and its role in the future of science-for-policy ecosystems. Tommi Kärkkäinen and Jaakko Kuosmanen (Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, Finland)

• Pandemic governance in Belgium: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis. Miriam Saso, Shona Cosgrove and Eveline Cleynen (Sciensano, Belgium)

12:45 - Lunch

13:30 - Session 3: Citizen perspectives on and expectations of public policy communication during crises 

Moderator: Annelies Mondelaers, University of Antwerp and Marlies Saelaert, Sciensano

• What do citizens understand by pandemic preparedness? A comparative study in four European countries. Mart van Dijk, Catarina Filipe Santos Ribeiro, Anne Wester, Pauline Dirven, Floor Kroese, Saskia Euser and Jet Sanders (RIVM, Netherlands), Clare Delargy and Aaron Deegan (Dept of Health, Ireland), Andreja Belscak (National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia), Maria Falcon Romero (University of Murcia, Spain), and the international consortium on Pandemic Preparedness and Behaviour.

• Public Communication, Fear Dynamics, and Grassroots Advocacy: Lessons from Turkey’s 15-Month School Closure During COVID-19. Tomris Cesuroglu (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands), Aysuda Kölemen, Gül Pamukçu Günaydin.

• Public engagement and citizen perspectives on communication during health crises. Marlies Saelaert, Chloé Mayeur and Wannes Van Hoof (Sciensano, Belgium), Annelies Mondelaers and Erika Vlieghe (University of Antwerp, Belgium)

14:15 - Session 4a: Public communication of (evidence-informed) policy during a crisis

Moderator: David Domingo, ReSIC-ULB

• Cross-Country Infodemic Evidence from Bangladesh, India and the United Kingdom:Policy Implications For Disaster Risk and Crisis Communication. Jyoti Mishra (University of Leeds, UK), Shabana Khan (Indian Research Academy, India) and Nova Ahmed, (North-South University, Bangladesh)

• Managing Risks through Mundane Governance: Crisis Communication and the Making of Non-Incidents. Michiel Oudheusden and Keje Boersma (VU Amsterdam, Netherlands)

• Metaphors in Public Health Crisis Communication: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Gudrun Reijnierse (VU Amsterdam, Netherlands)

15:00 - Coffee break

15:30 - Session 4b: Public communication of (evidence-informed) policy during a crisis (continued)

Moderator: Ingrid van Marion, ReSIC-ULB

• Autonomy at risk: COVID-19, the WHO and the ethics of science communication during uncertain times. Seppe van Bladel, Matthias Bogaert, Bram Jansens, Veerle Provoost (Ghent University, Belgium)

• From COVID-19 to chronic disease: How public health institutes can lead communication in the ‘silent pandemic’ of NCDs. Stefan Schaub and Anke Spura (Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit, Germany), Federica Rossetti (Sciensano, Belgium), Charlott Elise Gyllenhammar Nordstrøm (Directorate of Health, Norway)

• Communicating science through evidence in the media. Pernille Almlund (Roskilde University, Denmark)

• Scientific experts in Belgian newspapers during the COVID-19 crisis. David Domingo, Ingrid van Marion and Sébastien De Valeriola (ReSIC-ULB, Belgium)

16:30 - Session 5: Professional knowledge and competences for an efficient EIPM ecosystem

Moderator: Caroline Van Swieten, I3health-ULB

• Evaluating the Quality of Public Science Dissemination: An Evaluation Framework for Creative, Interactive, and Evidence-Based Crisis Communication. Priscilla Van Even (KU Leuven, Belgium)

• Integrating ethics expertise during the times of crisis: development of capabilities-enhancing tools for policymakers. Marija Antanavičiūtė (University of Birmingham, UK)

• The need for knowledge brokers to receive training in communicating risk and uncertainty effectively. David Schley (Sense about Science, UK)

• Training for pandemic preparedness in Belgium. Caroline Van Swieten, Hilde Stevens, Michel Goldman (I3h-ULB, Belgium)

17:30 - Closing remarks

18:00 - 19:00 Networking drinks