The Working Group meets on a monthly basis and has structured its activities around a renewed, coordinated communication strategy for the Department’s scientific network. The initial phase of work has focused on mapping, systematizing and reviewing the communication resources and tools available across the network, promoting the development of best practices to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration, and launching shared initiatives, including a monthly newsletter and a departmental brochure. Further thematic communication products may be jointly developed by the Department and its network of Institutes over time. A departmental podcast series, Coordinate, is currently under development and approaching launch.

Coordination of activities of common interest across the Department’s scientific network may also serve as an incubator for new proposals, fostering interaction and collaboration among Institutes in relation to projects, research infrastructures, institutional initiatives and participation in international bodies, thereby strengthening the Department’s capacity-building activities.

Alongside consolidating the internal communication strategy, including further initiatives to highlight the Department’s main thematic areas, the Working Group is exploring communication approaches tailored to external partners. Promoting the integration of art and science represents one potential strategic approach to external communication and engagement, creating opportunities for dialogue between scientific and artistic languages and making DSSTTA research more accessible, far-reaching and culturally relevant. Through creative, visual and narrative approaches, these initiatives can encourage the participation of diverse audiences and strengthen the role of research in understanding contemporary environmental, climate and territorial challenges. Beyond academic partners, the external audiences to be engaged include companies, citizens, non-academic partners and, more broadly, all societal actors.