By partnering with communities, scientists have a tremendous opportunity to advance democracy by improving community access to technical information. Communities that have the least access to scientific and technical expertise are often those that most directly bear the burden of environmental and health hazards.
The Union of Concerned Scientists has continued working with a diverse audience of community groups, science organizations, and other interested stakeholders to explore ways to overcome barriers to collaboration and make community/scientist partnerships more effective. The resources below reflect this ongoing learning process.
A toolkit for successful partnerships
To help scientists engage more effectively in their communities, we've put together a 16-page guide that explains some of the benefits and challenges of community partnerships and offers specific advice for finding partnership opportunities, building relationships with community groups, and overcoming barriers to successful collaboration.
Scientist Community Partnerships
Beyond the Trend of Decolonizing Science
Community Connections
Videos and webinars
UCS has produced a series of videos offering tips and insights for scientists interested in community partnerships:
Related resources
What We Need to Make Democracy Work
2024 CSD Election Science Task Force
The State of the Science
