In any organisation, the role of Communications is to enhance the ability to operate and achieve its goals by managing and sustaining relationships with key audiences and taking responsibility for its reputation.
This Communications Strategy covers the mandate of the current Directorate. It is underpinned by CERN’s strategic priorities for 2021–2025, as defined by CERN Management and approved by the CERN Council. The Communications Strategy was approved by the CERN Enlarged Directorate in May 2022.
A shared Communications Strategy
Many groups and people communicate about CERN, for different reasons, in many different ways and using different media. The strategy described herein sets out CERN’s main pillars of communications, within which more granular communications strategies and/or plans may be developed, aligned with the overarching goals and messages (e.g. media relations, internal communications, Knowledge Transfer, Human Resources, etc).
The Education, Communications and Outreach (IR-ECO) group within CERN’s International Relations sector takes the lead on the determination, development and execution of the strategy. For wider reach and impact, the definition and delivery of projects are either centralised (carried out by IR-ECO) or distributed (carried out by Departments’ communications and outreach teams in collaboration with IR-ECO).
The strategy encompasses internal and external communication. It builds on decades of well-established and successful communications, education and outreach programmes. These have contributed to CERN being recognised as not only a world-leading research laboratory in particle physics, but also a centre of excellence in science, engineering and computing, a model of multinational collaboration, and a source of learning and inspiration for teachers, students and the general public.
This Communications Strategy will be implemented in partnership with the Organization’s Member States, Associate Member States and Observer States, with CERN experiments and with partner laboratories and institutes around the globe.