Agency of Science Communication, Technology and Innovation of Argentina (ACCTINA)

In a May 9, 2014 posting for SciDev.Net, Cecilia Rosen mentions an announcement about a new science communication agency for Argentina (Note: A link has been removed),

For a while now, Argentina has seemed serious about science as a means for development. This week, at the 13th International Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference (PCST2014), there was fresh evidence of this.

I learned that President Cristina Kirchner’s government is setting up a specialised agency within the science ministry to boost science communication in the country. This is part of the government’s strategic goals for 2014.

It will be called the Agency of Science Communication, Technology and Innovation of Argentina (ACCTINA), and should be formally launched by the end of this year, if things go smoothly, according to Vera Brudny, head of the project at the ministry.

On the sidelines of PCST2014, she told me that ACCTINA will replace the National Program for Science Popularisation.

That’s an interesting move and unfortunately following up on this at some future date is going to be tricky since I don’t have any Spanish language skills.

For anyone interested in more about SciDev.Net, there’s this from the What we do page,

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Our website is the world’s leading source of reliable and authoritative news, views and analysis on information about science and technology for global development.

We engage primarily with development professionals, policymakers, researchers, the media and the informed public.

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The 13th International Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference (PCST2014) is produced by the Network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST). Here’s more from the About PCST page,

PCST is a network of individuals from around the world who are active in producing and studying PCST. It sponsors international conferences, an electronic discussion list, and symposiums. The aim is to encourage discussion and debate across professional, cultural, international, and disciplinary boundaries.

Members of the PCST Network come from a range of backgrounds:

  • Researchers working on the theory and practice of science communication
  • Communication staff working for research organisations
  • Staff at science centres and museums
  • Science journalists
  • Students on the ethics and philosophy of science and the public
  • Writers and editors of scientific material
  • Web designers
  • Scientists who communicate with the public
  • Visual and performing artists working on science themes.

The PCST international conference takes place every two years. The 2014 PCST conference took place in Salvador, Brazil. Conferences like this would seem to confirm the comments I made in a May 20, 2014 posting,

Returning to 2014, the [World Cup {soccer}] kickoff in Brazil (if successful) symbolizes more than an international athletic competition or a technical/medical achievement, this kick-off symbolizes a technological future for Brazil and its place on the world stage (despite the protests and social unrest) .

Perhaps Argentina is getting ready to give Brazil a run for its money (slang for ‘provide some competition’).

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