The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) yesterday launched a new expert resource centre to help policy makers talk to the public about science - the Sciencewise Expert Resource Centre for Public Dialogue in Science and Innovation (ERC).

The new centre - a virtual information hub together with a range of offline support services - was unveiled by Baroness Delyth Morgan, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at DIUS, who outlined that the resource would be an invaluable tool in helping Ministers and officials understand public views and concerns on complex and potentially controversial scientific issues.

"Science is constantly revealing challenging new areas for research and it's vitally important that we find out what people think about these before we commit to one policy direction or another. The creation of the ERC is therefore an important step in our pledge to involve the public much more directly in the decision-making process" stated Baroness Morgan.

The services available through the Sciencewise-ERC will be targeted primarily at all those who have a responsibility for national policy making in science and technology across government - including Government departments and agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies. In addition, it will interact with other stakeholders, including scientists, businesses, dialogue and engagement delivery organisations and the science communication community and will provide information to the public in how they can become involved in dialogue activities.

The Sciencewise-ERC will also provide co-funding to Government departments and agencies to conduct dialogue projects linked to specific live policy issues. A number of potential areas, for example synthetic biology and aviation, are being discussed with a view to commissioning projects in the next few months.

Ian Pearson, the Minister for Science and Innovation, welcomed the new Sciencewise-ERC. He said: "Our aim is for a society which is scientifically literate, where people can talk to and question scientists on equal terms and can have their views taken into account. We want people to have confidence that the policies being developed on their behalf will benefit society as a whole".

A Steering Group headed by science communicator and broadcaster, Kathy Sykes, Professor of Sciences and Society at the University of Bristol, will guide the Sciencewise-ERC. She said: "Our experience gained through Sciencewise over the last four years has shown us some of the potential power of public dialogue in helping policy-makers think issues through more broadly, and understand public hopes and concerns better. The public involved have felt empowered by increasing their understanding of the issues, discussing them and being heard.

"I am delighted that the ERC will increase the scale and impact of this kind of work - right across government, so that good practice in public dialogue is used when handling the biggest issues around science and society that face us."

The Sciencewise-ERC website is http://www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk.