Bilingual Webinar: “Agri-food Policy: A Comparison between France and Italy”

Key Features in a nutshell

• Bilingual webinars are the ideal format to virtually put face-to-face scientists and local/regional policymakers and break the language barrier.
• The remote component and its short duration (1h an half maximum) allow flexibility in terms of time, which meets the needs of the often-busy schedules of policymakers.
• Online formats such as webinars are more sustainable than in-person transnational meetings in terms of time, costs and inclusivity.
• The Q&A and comments sections of the platforms allow the interaction with a broader public such as civil society.

How does the format work

Université Lumière Lyon 2 and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice have piloted the bilingual webinar format, within the framework of the Erasmus+ project ENGAGEgreen: Enhancing Institutional Capacities for Policy Engagement for Green and Digital Transitions.

This type of webinar format, with the addition of Remote Simultaneous Interpreting (RSI), allows local and regional policymakers, who might not be familiar or comfortable enough to carry out a discussion in a different language, to actively participate in the webinar.

In their inclusivity, bilingual webinars help foster stronger relationships among host institutions and policymakers, thus broadening the network, and engaging in the discussion also the civil society.

Participants (including organizers and speakers):

10 Researchers

1 Student

9 NGO/Civil society

7 University personnel (Research/Project managers)

4 Other (freelance, company, Coldiretti)

Before the webinar:

In preparation for the webinars, host institutions meet online bilaterally to decide on common topics, possible speakers and the target audience. Subsequently, host institutions and speakers agree on the agenda and time slots dedicated to each speaker, to be included in the online registration form and communication material to be shared on websites and social media.

It is advisable to share with the interpreter the presentations or other support materials.

The videoconference platform chosen for this webinar format is Zoom. It allows RSI, the creation and customization of a registration form and automated reminders to attendees (e.g. 1 week, 1 day and 1 hour before the event), as well as follow-up emails and surveys.

15 minutes prior the start of the webinar the Research manager (or other support staff) initiates a “Zoom practice session” together with speakers, moderator and interpreter. This is to confirm all technical aspects such as audio, selection of language, and sharing of presentations, are ready for a smooth presentation.

During the webinar:

During a 1-hour webinar, a lineup of 3 speakers (ideally 1 moderator, 1 researcher and 1 policymaker from the respective regions/nations) will shortly present their cases and related challenges, to be followed by a round of open discussion, and concluding with taking Q&A from the broader public.

With the support of RSI, which translates the conversation in real time, participants to the webinar are able to follow the discussion without breaks and without the possible misunderstandings of listening/speaking in a language that is not native.

Research managers (or other administrative staff) can support the back-end moderation of the webinar, such as select questions from the participants, and assist the speakers and translators in the event of technical issues.

The structure of the programme is as follows:

15 minutes before the start – practice session with speakers, moderator and interpreter

5 minutes of welcoming & project introduction

15 minutes for the presentation of Speaker 1

15 minutes for the presentation of Speaker 2

5-10 minutes of discussion among speakers

10 minutes for the Q&A

(It is advisable to keep the overall duration of the webinars under 2 hours).

After the webinar:

The webinar is followed by social media posts to communicate the outcomes of the discussion. An automated follow-up email is sent to all participants including a short evaluation questionnaire and the link to the ENGAGEgreen project’s website.

This format of webinars can also be replicated with other project partners or stakeholders or repeated annually as a form of follow-up and to take in the state-of-the-art of the topics discussed.

Challenges (and way to address them)

• Identification of common topics of interests between the two national institutions. Mitigation measures: monitor common areas of study, investigate with other departments/units of the university about scientists/researchers to involve, contact the already existing network of policymakers.
• Match schedules of the speakers. Mitigation measures: propose multiple dates and time slots well in advance from the final date of the webinar. Set preliminary and recurrent meetings, to confirm the agenda and keep everyone updated.
• Possibility of increasing the number of languages and speakers, but this implies a longer duration and higher translation costs. Mitigation measures: investigate the possibility of using AI tools to generate subtitles or interpretation.
• Production of promotion material in both languages and carry out parallel promotion both on- and offline. Mitigation measures: Create some draft posters/promo material in a common language (e.g. English) and have each partner translate in the respective native language. Moreover, each should disseminate the promo material with the respective networks/dedicated mailing lists.

Tasks and Ressources

Project team

The personnel from the department/unit directly involved in a specific project liaise with other structures of the university/institution to identify the most suitable speakers on the chosen topic, both from academia and among policymakers and other organizations and stakeholders.

Knowledge exchange managers and research managers

Knowledge exchange managers and research managers play a key role in all phases of the organisation of webinars, from bilateral preliminary meetings to post-webinar debriefing. They can help identify possible topics for the webinars and coordinate the drafting of the programme. Moreover, they can assist in organising the webinar, like identifying the most suitable platform and setup the webinar, contact interpreters, or moderate the session. In addition to that, they can liaise with communication offices to give support in the preparation of press releases and social media posts before or after the webinars.

Speakers: Scientists/Researchers and Stakeholders

Researchers: The researchers need a clear understanding of the context in which they are speaking. Their contribution should balance scientific rigor with relevance for policy development. They should deliver high-value scientific content – not something obvious to the audience – while ensuring it is accessible to non-scientists. They must also adhere to the fast-paced timing typical of online events.

Stakeholder/Organization: It is important to involve individuals who represent a specific sector (for example, an economic sector) and who can effectively engage with researchers. This requires a sufficiently strong knowledge base to understand and meaningfully discuss the scientific issues presented.

Moderator: Given the complexity of connecting research and policy, the moderator’s role is to keep the discussion aligned with the objectives of the webinar. The moderator should be able to guide speakers back to the intended goals if the conversation diverges.

Required funding for activities

If the hosting institution does not have a licensed version of Zoom, which allows the webinar format, upgrade costs may apply.

Given the bilingual nature of this format of webinars, Remote Simultaneous Interpreting costs are required. AI-generated translation has not yet been considered.

Examples

Ca’ Foscari University of Venice website
Université Lumière Lyon 2 website