Capacities and Competences in Dealing with Hate Speech and Anti-Science Sentiment (KAPAZ)

The KAPAZ project (Capacities and Competences in Dealing with Hate Speech and Anti-Science Sentiment) addresses a pressing question: How can the academic community better protect and support researchers who encounter hatred and hostility when engaging with the public? In recent years, researchers in Germany and across Europe have become increasingly aware of the risks of online harassment, public attacks and reputational damage – particularly when working on socially and politically sensitive topics. Such hostility not only affects the researchers personally, but also poses a challenge to open scientific exchange and democratic discourse.
At the same time, research policy promotes a more intensive dialogue between research and society. KAPAZ addresses this tension by strengthening resilience to hostility at both the individual and institutional levels. The project is a joint initiative involving seven partners from the worlds of research and practice, including the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin with its Berlin School of Public Engagement and Open Science. The project is coordinated by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society.

The core objective of KAPAZ is to strengthen the resilience of the scientific system against anti-science tendencies. This is to be achieved by:

• building up knowledge about the nature, spread and impact of hostility towards researchers
• developing practical support structures within research institutions
• equipping researchers and organisations with the skills to anticipate and respond to hostile interactions.

A key intended outcome is an academic environment in which researchers feel safe and supported when engaging with society. Clear institutional channels and resources should be available should any hostility arise. Furthermore, KAPAZ aims to raise awareness amongst research managers, policy-makers and communications professionals.

Work packages

KAPAZ is structured into interlinked work packages that combine the areas of research, development, training, communication and evaluation:

• Empirical foundations: A large-scale survey of German researchers and a legal opinion on hostile behaviour provide a solid knowledge base regarding experiences and the legal framework.
• Capacity building: Building on this foundation, KAPAZ has developed guidelines for institutions and contributed to Scicomm-Support. Scicomm Support is a national helpdesk service that advises researchers and communications professionals facing hostility and provides them with resources.
• Capacity building: Targeted training programmes for researchers and staff in research funding provide individuals and institutions with strategies for safe and confident communication and collaboration. 

In all these areas, KAPAZ combines quantitative and qualitative research with participatory design, stakeholder engagement and the development of openly accessible resources.

Work Package 3 (WP3) is led by the Berlin School of Public Engagement and Open Science at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. It focuses on building practical skills among researchers and the professionals who support them.
Between 2023 and 2025, WP3 offered two complementary training formats:

• A train-the-trainer programme for staff in the fields of communication and research support (five workshops with 62 participants), aimed at strengthening institutional capacities and providing proactive support.
• Two sessions of a summer school for early-career researchers (41 participants in total), in which participants developed strategies for confident and effective public engagement.

These activities put KAPAZ’s core focus – linking individual resilience with organisational preparedness – into practice.

Results

AP3 revealed that researchers are very aware of the risks and impacts of hostility on their work. By taking part in the programme, they sought not only to find practical ways to protect themselves, but also to forge links with others facing similar challenges. Researchers need actionable response strategies, strong institutional support and clear recognition of the practical and emotional burdens that hostility can entail in the context of public engagement.

Professionals working in research funding sought insights into the issue of hostility towards researchers and clarity regarding their own role in providing support. The training offered a structured approach to developing practical strategies from personal, organisational and legal perspectives. Participants gained a deeper understanding of the tools at their disposal, greater confidence in advising on and shaping institutional practices, and an improved ability to deal with hostility and support researchers at their institutions.

The key findings of the project have been published as Open Educational Resources:

• practical training materials and educational resources, freely available to research institutions
• a strengthened network of professionals committed to integrating resilience-building into institutional strategies
• guidelines on dealing with hostility, developed for researchers and science communicators
• a report on hostility towards researchers in Germany, based on a nationally representative study
• a legal guide on investigating hostility and personal attacks against researchers, as well as on legal remedies.

KAPAZ’s findings strengthen the research system. They help to identify hostility at an early stage, respond appropriately and learn from experience. In this way, they promote an open and sustainable dialogue between research and society.