The paper reviews the way European citizens perceive science and technology (S&T) today, as reflected by a public opinion survey conducted in 32 European countries in 2005. It also includes some comparison with similar surveys conducted recently in the US and in China. Against this background, the paper addresses the challenges and difficulties of science communication in Europe today. Recent initiatives have been taken by the European Commission (EC) in improving communication in general and science communication in particular. The EC's Directorate-General for Research is actively involved in communicating the results of EU-funded research to the media and the general public. Support and help are provided to assist project coordinators and team leaders to generate an effective flow of information and publicity about the objectives and results of their work. Concrete measures taken by the European Commission to improve communication, outreach and dissemination of research results, such as the recent 'Communicating European Research 2005' conference in Brussels, are also presented.

public perception  /  science communication  /  Europe