Getting ready for trouble

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