Why is science important for society?

We live in a knowledge society. Knowledge – in addition to mineral resources, capital and physical activity – is an increasingly important resource. It contributes to the functioning of democracies and innovation and helps countries to be competitive on a global scale. But science which contributes significantly to knowledge production, is confronted with new challenges.

The role of science in an increasingly fragmented and digital society, as well as its significance for politics and civil society, will be redefined. Science can never offer a universal truth or an objective representation of the world. It can, however, offer methodologically verifiable interpretations and can question certainties and trigger reflections. Science has an important social role and at the same time bears great responsibility precisely when the situation is not clear. How can science communicate existing uncertainties and disputes clearly and still avoid the impression of arbitrariness?

Björn Scheuermann

Director of the institute

"A serious transfer between research and practice takes time and energy. Does that mean we should leave things alone? No! If you are prepared to invest time and energy, the transfer rewards you with approaches you haven't seen before, results you don't know, questions you haven't asked, problems you haven't recognised and methods you weren't aware of. That can be incredibly inspiring."

Jeanette Hofmann

Director of the institute

"One of the motives that drives my exchange with civil society is to question the assumptions or worldviews that we take for granted and that therefore limit our ability to democratically self-determine. We must first recognise the variety of paths that technological development can take before we can think about ways to shape it together and consciously."

Wolfgang Schulz

Director of the institute

"The world has changed in recent years: Principles of scientific work that used to be taken for granted have become political. This is particularly evident in international co-operation. It goes without saying that research does not aim to simplify, but to make diversity and differences visible. And the community of researchers is truly global and not nationalistic like many political movements."

Thomas Schildhauer

Director of the institute

"The interplay between research and practice could help to pose new and highly relevant research questions. It is therefore important to create opportunities and spaces to meet and exchange ideas. That's why we have developed a format that promotes dialogue between startup founders, managers of established SMEs and researchers - thus creating a much-needed exchange platform."

What is knowledge transfer?

The interaction between science and society ensures that knowledge is exchanged, tested and reflected between the various interest groups. This interaction is often referred to as knowledge transfer. For example, one speaks of knowledge transfer when medical research is applied in practice or when certain technologies are based on prior research.

Why does the HIIG speak of science communication?

Contrary to the widespread idea that there is a unidirectional transfer from science to society, the HIIG speaks regularly of the comprehensive term ‘science communication’. Knowledge is changeable and arises out of dialogue when it is shared. An important aspect of knowledge production is the constant exchange between different actors and institutions. Therefore, one should not speak of a one-sided transfer, but of a productive dialogue between scientific and social actors. Science bears the responsibility to keep the door open for communication and to constantly examine and reflect on the knowledge it has gained.

We are committed to responsible, transparent and problem-oriented science communication (as a conceptual extension of knowledge transfer). That is why we strive for a dialogue on an equal level and for empathy for different stakeholder groups and pursue the approach of accepting uncertainties in science and making them transparent.

FAQs about science and society

Does science need society?

Knowledge is an increasingly important resource in our society. Science contributes significantly to the production of knowledge and thus contributes to the functioning of democracies, drives innovation and helps countries to be competitive in the global economy.

Science can never offer a universal truth or an objective representation of the world. However, it can question the conditions of validity and trigger reflection. Science thus has an important social role to play.

What is impact of science on society?

The social effects of science communication – i.e. the consequences of a communicative relationship between science and society – are called Impact of Science. A distinction is made between internal, i.e. within academia, and external impact. Internal impact is often measured in the form of publication metrics. Impact of Science is complex and cannot be broken down to quantitative numbers.

At HIIG, Impact of Science is one of the research topics of the "Knowledge and Society" research programme, in which the effects of science on society are analysed.

Read more: In a commentary in the FAZ, HIIG researchers Benedikt Fecher, Sascha Friesike and Gert G. Wagner explain why today's methods for measuring scientific relevance prevent the perception and development of significant research.

Is it possible to measure the impact of science?

What is the altmetric score?

Altmetrics are tools to measure the attention a scientific publication receives on the net. The company Altmetric, which offers the software, is part of the Digital Science Group and is an example of possible altmetrics. With Altmetric, it offers a tool that visually shows how much attention a scientific paper receives in various online media.

The Altmetric score is regarded by many as a measure of social relevance and thus an indicator of impact. Yet, the Altmetric score does not provide a serious indication of the social relevance of a particular research.

Altmetrics are only able to measure the Impact of Science for research within a limited context, because they contribute to a scenario where researchers become more concerned with maximizing the number of likes, among other things. They do not automatically increase social relevance.

What are the problems in measuring impact of science?

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HIIG researches the development of the internet from a societal perspective in order to better understand the digitalisation of all areas of life.

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Research projects and programmes on the topic of science and society

Du siehst eine große Welle in blauer Farbe und weißer Schaumkrone. Es steht sinnbildlich für die Welle an Wissenschaftsfeindlichkeit (hostility towards science), der manche Wissenschaftler*innen gegenüberstehen.

Capacities and competencies in dealing with hate speech and hostility towards science

This project develops strategies to make the science system more resilient to high publicity negative statements.

IMPaQT – Indicators, Measurement and Performance of Quality Assurance: Third-Mission-Activities in the Social Sciences

The research project “IMPaQT” is about making knowledge transfer from research to society measurable through quality criteria and indicators.

Knowledge & Society: Shifts in knowledge production, organisation and transfer

Our research team analyses the influence of digital technologies on knowledge transfer in order to provide practice-oriented findings for science policy and university management.