Science communication and outreach: sharing, understanding, exchanging

What if science left the laboratories and came to meet you?

Through our science communication initiatives, we build bridges between research, society and the public. Our aim is to make science accessible, engaging and open to everyone.

Science communication and outreach brings together all the activities that help people to better understand science, its methods and the issues at stake. It is not simply a matter of simplifying content for a wider audience, but of creating spaces for discussion, sparking curiosity and giving everyone the tools they need to engage with scientific issues.

In a world where major challenges — the environment, energy, health and digital technology — take centre stage, it is essential to be able to stay informed, understand these issues and develop critical thinking skills.

For all audiences

Our activities are aimed at a wide audience: the general public, schoolchildren, students, staff at the institution and our partners. Everyone can find a way to explore science, depending on their interests and level of knowledge.

Activities to explore, experiment and share ideas

Throughout the year, the school takes part in a range of initiatives tailored to different audiences and formats:

Visits and immersive experiences

We open the doors to our research facilities and laboratories to give visitors a glimpse into ongoing research, up close to the equipment and teams.

Conferences and events

Researchers come to share their work, explain the latest scientific developments and engage with the public through conferences, round-table discussions and debates.

Workshops and experiments

Hands-on activities designed to let participants experiment, get hands-on and understand scientific phenomena in a practical and engaging way.

Initiatives for schoolchildren and students

We raise young people’s awareness of careers in research and the scientific method through projects, meetings and immersive experiences.

Events for the general public

We take part in key events that mark the scientific calendar, to reach out to a diverse range of audiences and share science in new and different ways.

Science communication and outreach also extends into the digital sphere, reaching wider audiences and offering alternative ways of exploring science.

On our social media channels, we share accessible content: breaking down current affairs, highlighting research projects, and short-form videos that explain a concept in just a few minutes.

Our YouTube channel, meanwhile, offers more immersive formats: laboratory tours, interviews with researchers, recordings of lectures and educational videos that explore scientific topics in depth.

This content allows people to discover science at their own pace, wherever they are, and to extend the experience beyond in-person events.

Some examples of our science outreach content

• En zone technique (In the technical area)
  The idea? To take you on a tour of a research facility so you can meet the research team and find out more about the facilities at Centrale Nantes.
• C'est quoi ça ? (What's that?)
  Can you guess what equipment lies behind a heavily zoomed-in photo? Every month, we tell you a bit more about the world of research at Centrale Nantes.
• Les gros mots de la Science (Big words in science)
  Every month, we explain a scientific phenomenon being studied by the school’s research teams.