June 13: 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

The Problem: Research often progresses within the specialized environments of departments, institutes, centers, networks, and labs. However, due to the specificity, incremental nature, and perceived "niche relevance" of scientific inquiry, many scientific advancements do not "trickle up" to inform the broader communications strategies of faculties and central communication offices within universities. Why does this happen? We hypothesize that central communications teams face competing demands for attention and messaging within academic institutions—balancing research alongside priorities such as marketing, student experience, and institutional branding. As a result, significant research advancements in narrow fields often go unnoticed, perceived as relevant only within specific domains, associations, or disciplines rather than aligned with the institution’s primary brand priorities. This "gap" has negative consequences for science communication.

The Challenge: Departments and research units, where much scientific progress originates, often lack dedicated communication support due to cost and scale constraints. This raises a crucial question: how can we close the gap between scientific progress in research units and the institutional communication support they receive? How can we better promote and profile research at this level?

Our Approach: To address this gap, we developed a platform powered by AI and ORCiD to create department- or unit-specific digital newsletters tailored to discreet “clusters” of researchers. This solution enables research units to produce both internal- and external-facing newsletters that showcase their contributions, even without dedicated communications teams. By integrating ORCiD, AI, and automation, we see this approach as an opportunity to streamline publication tracking, highlight collaborative opportunities, and boosts efficiency. The Impact: This innovative approach offers a scalable and practical solution for: 1) Enhancing communication and raising the profile of research units, 2) Incentivizing ORCiD adoption among researchers, 3) Improving knowledge mobilization and engagement, and 4) Simplifying internal processes for tracking and promoting research activity.

Presenter: James Shelley

James Shelley is a Knowledge Mobilization Specialist at Western University. His role involves piloting strategic initiatives, designing experimental ways to share new research, and delivering professional development training. He especially focuses on novel approaches to analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence in knowledge mobilization, science communication, and research administration.