Plan communication

About the project

Purpose of the research project

Describe the purpose of and background for the project.

Communication challenges

If possible, describe the specific communication challenges that you have identified for the project.

Scope

Describe your defined scope for the project, such as whether the communication plan only covers external communication.

Goals

Project goals

Describe the project’s overall goal. Some projects also include defined milestones in the application. Examine the goals to determine if any are particularly important from a communication perspective.

Measurable communication goals

In relation to the project goals, list the overall goals of the communication efforts in the project. What do we want to achieve with our communication efforts? How can communication support the project’s overall goal? Additionally, identify whether there are indicators that can be used to measure and follow up the impacts of communication efforts. For example, number of participants at conferences and number of press clips.

Identify whether there are any communicative risks to consider that could impact goal attainment in the project. If there are any measures to be taken, define these and specify who is responsible for them.

Target groups

Main target group

Based on your goals, define the main target group for your communication efforts. Depending on the goals of the project, the main target group may be politicians or decision-makers, researchers in other disciplines, specific professional groups, patient groups, parts of the business community, or others. Once defined, let the needs of the target group guide the choice of channels and activities used for communication efforts. 

Secondary target groups

Secondary target groups are less prioritised recipients of communication efforts. However, communicative activities can still reach secondary target groups and increase awareness of the project. As such, they can help achieve the project’s goals.

Communication initiatives

List the communication initiatives that will be part of the project, including a timetable if possible. Do not forget to indicate the resources required to carry out this work (both working hours and any costs).

Examples of communication initiatives

• Give a popular science lecture.
• Write a press release or news item.
• Participate in interviews or articles.
• Write an opinion piece.
• Participate in podcasts.
• Participate in television, radio, daily press, trade press.
• Write popular science articles, essays and books.
• Write policy briefs.
• Visit a school.
• Participate in exhibitions in museums and science centres.

Find out more about communicating your research

Channels

The channels used to present are important for the project’s communication initiatives. Choose channels with your target audience in mind. Think about where they will most easily see or find the material.

Examples of useful channels:

• Umeå University’s website www.umu.se. Research can be presented as news or reports, research project pages, research group pages, the personal pages of the researchers and so on.
• Press releases. Faculty communications officers or the communications officer at your department can help with formulating press releases and targeting their distribution. Find out more about the University’s communication channels and press contacts.
• Social media. Find out more on Aktum about what social media channels can best fit your target group (UMU ID required).
• The University’s regular science outreach events. Science lunches, Forskarfredag and Fika efter en forskare are just some of the events regularly organised by the University. Contact your faculty communications officer for more information. Read more about the University’s science outreach events.

Follow-up

Regularly follow up on your communication goals and revise the plan as needed. Funding bodies often require presentations and reporting of communication initiatives, and working with communication in a structured way makes this reporting easier.

Present your research on umu.se

The University's website is one of the most important channels for research communications. Find out more about how to work with different aspects of the web:

Your personal page on umu.se and press photo

Expand your network by sharing information about you and your research.

Present your research project on umu.se

Present a research or doctoral project on a research project page.

Present your research group on umu.se

Presenting a research group on umu.se increases the visibility of the group.