ScienceUpFirst is a Canadian initiative launched to counter misinformation online, especially about

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

. Launched January 25, 2021, it brings together independent scientists, health care providers and

science communicators Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

Goals and history

The initiative is the result of conversations between Senator Stan Kutcher and

Timothy Caulfield Timothy Allen Caulfield (born 1963) is a Canadian professor of law at the University of Alberta, the research director of its Health Law Institute, and current Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy. He specializes in legal, policy and et ...

, who were discussing ways to counter misinformation about COVID-19. In April 2021, the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

announced $2.25 million in funding for two new projects to increase uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, one of which was ScienceUpFirst. The initiative received $2,590,682 in new funding through the Canadian Association of Science Centres from the

Public Health Agency of Canada The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC; french: Agence de la santé publique du Canada, ASPC) is an agency of the Government of Canada that is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic dis ...

's Immunization Partnership Fund. The groups aims at disseminating information created by its members or selected from credible sources. Starting in March 2021, it also plans to track misinformation online and post science-based content to oppose it. In addition to recruiting athletes and celebrities, it's building a network of volunteers to increase the distribution of the selected information. The initiative will be especially active against misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination, which threatens to have an impact on vaccination rates. Caulfield commented that the amount of disinformation circulating in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in unlike anything experienced in decades. He hopes the campaign can get information to people looking online for reliable information. The campaign is active on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

and Instagram. It tries to apply best practices on fighting misinformation that were identified by various studies on science communication and public opinion.

Organization

ScienceUpFirst is organized around the Canadian Association of Sciences Centres, COVID-19 Resources Canada and the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

's Health Law Institute. Institutional partners of the initiative include the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS),

British Columbia Centre for Disease Control The BC Centre for Disease Control is the public health arm for British Columbia's Provincial Health Services Authority. It is located at 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC. The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) provides provincial and nati ...

, the

Canadian Institutes of Health Research The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; french: Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada. Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the M ...

, and the

Royal Canadian Institute The Royal Canadian Institute for Science (RCIScience), known also as the Royal Canadian Institute, is a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the public with Canadian science. History The organization was formed in Toronto as t ...

, along with a variety of community partners including 19 to Zero.

References

{{COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Awareness activism Science communication COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Organizations established in 2021 2021 establishments in Canada