Book a Scientist – Handbook for Scientists

Welcome to the handbook for scientists who want to take part in Book a Scientist. Here you’ll find everything you need to know — from what to consider before signing up, to practical information and advice on how to describe and promote your presentation.

You can read the handbook from start to finish or jump directly to the section you’re most interested in:

4. How to write a good presentation description

5. Contact

1. Before you register

What is Book a Scientist?

Book a Scientist is part of the Danish Science Festival – an annual, nationwide science event organised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

The programme gives you, as a scientist, the opportunity to offer one or more presentations to the public during the festival week.

The purpose is to bring scientists and the public closer together and to show how research and innovation help solve societal challenges.

In 2025, more than 18,000 people attended one of the 508 Book a Scientist presentations.

Danish Science Festival 2026
The festival opens on 17 April and runs until 26 April.

Why take part?

Taking part in Book a Scientist gives you the opportunity to:

• share your knowledge with new audiences
• strengthen your science communication skills
• gain new perspectives on your research

Scientists who have previously participated have found the experience rewarding.

“Entering into dialogue with users is, in my opinion, one of the most important things research should be able to do (…) It also sharpens my own research, because I have to communicate to audiences outside my usual field.”
— Bente Jensen, Professor of Education, Danish School of Education

By participating, you also help qualify and enrich public debate.

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Who can participate?

You can take part in Book a Scientist if you:

• are a PhD student, hold a PhD degree, or have equivalent qualifications
• work in a public or private organisation where research is a main task
• have been employed no longer than seven years ago (you can apply for an exemption from the employment period)
• can present research-based knowledge and communicate it in an engaging way

Participation runs for one year at a time and can be ended at any time by either party.

How much time does it take?

The festival lasts one week, but you decide how many presentations to offer, which days and times you are available, and whether you prefer physical or online format.

You can also set a limit for how many times your presentation can be booked.

As part of the programme, you are invited to take part in an optional online communication workshop for scientists.

Here, you can sharpen your skills in engaging your audience and making your research accessible and relevant to others.

Fees, transport, and reimbursement

Book a Scientist is a voluntary programme — you do not receive a fee for taking part.
However, it is expected that the host (the person or organisation booking your presentation) covers your travel expenses if your institution does not.

Agreements:

• Universities: Cover travel costs for their employees (agreement since 2016).
• University Colleges: Cover travel costs for their own scientists (agreement since 2020).

You reimburse travel expenses in the same way as for other work-related travel.

Who books the presentations?

Anyone who can gather at least 20 participants and provide a suitable venue can book your presentation.
This includes individuals, libraries, associations, schools, upper secondary schools, companies, or municipal departments.

Online presentations

When your presentation is booked as an online session, the host (requisitioner) is responsible for all technical aspects — including setting up the digital meeting, inviting you, introducing the platform, and managing participants.

2. How to register

Registration process

If you would like to take part in Book a Scientist, you can register one or more presentations.

Registration takes place via the Danish Science Festival website, where you fill in a form with details about yourself and your presentation.

Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation from us.

Information you need to provide

In the form, you will be asked to provide:

a short description of your presentation (see the section below on how to write one)
your target audience and topic area
where in Denmark you can give your presentation
the times and days you are available
format (physical, online, or both) – you can choose format for each time slot, so you can plan your week freely
your contact details and personal information (these are not made public)

If you want to limit the maximum number of bookings, please email us at bestilenforsker@bestilenforsker.dk.

GDPR and personal data

When you take part in Book a Scientist, the administration processes your data on behalf of the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science.

Publicly, only your name, job title, and place of employment are shown.
Your contact details are only shared with the administration and the host when your presentation is booked.

Your data are stored only for the purpose of possible participation next year.

Your name, title, and affiliation may appear on the websites and social media of the Danish Science Festival and the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, and in media coverage related to the festival.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

I’ve participated before and want to offer the same presentation again — do I need to re-register?
No. Contact us at bestilenforsker@bestilenforsker.dk, and we can reactivate your previous presentation.

Why is “Title” listed twice in the form?
The first “Title” is the name of your presentation; the second refers to your academic or professional title.

Which image should I upload?
Choose an image that fits your topic and makes people want to book your presentation.
Avoid portraits or graphs from your research.

If you’re unsure about copyright or need help finding a suitable image, we’re happy to assist.

3. After you have registered

When your presentation is booked

You’ll receive a confirmation email from us when your presentation has been booked.
It includes:

who booked your presentation
the date, time, and location (or online platform)
contact information for both you and the host

After that, you and the host agree on the final details:

exact time of the presentation
where to meet (address or online link)
who the audience is and how many will attend

We coordinate the overall logistics, while the host is responsible for practical arrangements — including technical setup for online events.

Important dates in 2026

26 January: Deadline for registering your presentation
7 February – 13 March: Booking period (when the public can book presentations)
17 April: Opening of the Danish Science Festival
20–26 April: Book a Scientist week

In December or January, we’ll contact you about participating again next year.
You can, of course, choose not to continue and may request deletion of your contact details and presentation description at any time.

Promoting your presentation

Our ambition is that every presentation gets booked.
We promote Book a Scientist widely, but you can also help by:

sharing your presentation on social media
contacting relevant schools, libraries, or associations
using your institution’s communication channels

The more visible your presentation is, the greater the chance it will be booked.

Remember to comply with GDPR if photos or videos are taken during your presentation. See the guidelines on our website.

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4. How to write a good presentation description

Once your presentation is published on forsk.dk, our editors will review it and may provide feedback to help you refine your text.

Here are three useful tips for writing an engaging presentation description:

1) Find your focus

Before you start writing, decide what your main message is.
You can’t cover everything about your research — so which aspects will be most interesting to your audience?

Use the sentence:
“I’m going to talk about…”

Examples:
• I’m going to talk about how the stories and images around us shape our view of ourselves and the world.
• I’m going to talk about how the genome-editing tool CRISPR can be used to edit our genes, and how in 50 years we may be able to cure cancer and cystic fibrosis.

When you have your focus sentence, you have a clear thread for your presentation.

2) Use the relevance criteria as a tool

Your description should grab your audience’s attention within the first two or three lines.
Use the relevance criteria to spark ideas:

Timeliness, essentiality, identification, conflict, fascination, myth-busting, future perspective, and constructive angle.

For example, you could start with:
• a relevant issue for the audience or society
• a striking or surprising claim
• a glimpse into the future

Examples:
• Of course, the Earth is flat!
• Will my sewer get smart?
• Tales from microbes in the sea

3) Create a catchy headline

Your presentation will appear in a catalogue among many others, so your headline should make people want to click and read more.

Try to:
• make your headline short and concrete
• use active verbs
• use words that create images and evoke curiosity

Examples:
• What is time?
• Why don’t children play outside anymore?
• Tough farmeres and quarrelsome chieftains
• Greenlanders carry a treasure trove of knowledge.

5. Contact

Book a Scientist is administered by the science media Videnskab.dk on behalf of the Danish Science Festival under the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science.

If you have questions about the Book a Scientist programme, contact us at:
📧 bestilenforsker@bestilenforsker.dk
📞 +45 29 74 52 31

We appreciate feedback and are always happy to help with any questions you may have.