122 | nº 39, pp. 121-145 |July-December of 2024Evolution of the UCC+i as a dynamic agent of science communication. Professional perceptions of their structure...ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicación1. Introduction e Scientic Culture and Innovation Units (UCC+i) are one of the main agents in charge of the popularisation of science, technology, and innovation in Spain. Its work aims at improving and increasing the training, culture, and scientic knowledge of society (FECYT, 2021). ese units spread scientic culture in universities, research centres, and other institutions. e purpose of their work is directed both at promoting scientic and innovation culture in civil society and in the productive fabric, in which they promote the transfer of knowledge and create a new and more competitive model. e units, as communication oces, have among their tasks to promote the advertising and public relations of the institution to which they belong without losing sight of their fundamental objective, which is the social transmission of the knowledge generated in these centres to improve the training, culture, and scientic understanding of citizens (González-Pedraz et al., 2018).Since their inception, these structures have positioned themselves as great promoters of science communication in the institutions they are located in, such as universities and research centres. To accomplish this in an orderly and coherent manner, universities have a department in charge of managing communications, located at the highest university levels, a Received: 30/10/2023 - Accepted: 20/12/2023 - Early access: 15/01/2024 - Published: 01/07/2024Recibido: 27/06/2023 - Aceptado: 31/01/2024 - En edición: 15/01/2024 - Publicado: 01/07/2024Abstract: e Scientic Culture and Innovation Units (UCC+i) have become one of the most dynamic agents in the promotion of science in Spain. Using a methodology based on surveying almost 60 professionals, four key aspects of its professional structure are thoroughly analysed: main functions, institutional location, the evolution of the human resources available, and professional recognition. After contextualising the origin, evolution, and current map of the UCC+i, the results indicate that these units are specialised, mainly, in the communication of results and the promotion of science. Likewise, they provide advisory and training functions. At the institutional level, they are under the supervision of the communication and research areas. Regarding sta, the most common structure is three professionals, but with low expectations of expansion and limited recognition by the universities. In summary, its high professional visibility is recognised as one of its strong points, and the lack of economic resources is a serious problem for development.Keywords: Communication, scientic culture, divulgation, science journalism, UCC+i.Resumen:Las Unidades de Cultura Cientíca y de la Innovación (UCC+i) se han convertido en uno de los agentes más dinámicos en la divulgación de la ciencia en España. A partir de una metodología propia basada en la realización de una encuesta a casi 60 profesionales, se analizan de forma exhaustiva cuatro aspectos claves de su estructura profesional: principales funciones, ubicación institucional, evolución de los recursos humanos de los que disponen, y reconocimiento profesional que se les otorga. Tras contextualizar el origen, evolución y mapa actual de las UCC+i, los resultados indican que estas unidades están especializadas, principalmente, en la comunicación de los resultados y la divulgación de la ciencia. Y, en menor medida, desarrollan funciones de asesora-miento y formación. A nivel institucional, se ubican bajo la tutela de las áreas de comunicación y de investigación. Respecto a las plantillas, la estructura más habitual son 3 profesionales, pero con escasas expecta-tivas de ampliación y limitado reconocimiento por parte de las propias universidades. En resumen, su alta visibilidad profesional se identica como su principal punto fuente, y la falta de recursos económicos como un problema grave para desarrollarse.Palabras clave:Comunicación, cultura cientíca, divulgación, periodismo cientíco, UCC+i. doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 121-145 July-December of 2024Susana Barberá-Forcadell and Pablo López-RabadánISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978| 123fact that conrms the degree of institutionalisation that communication has today. In these departments, public universities, in particular, pursue a double goal, as claimed by Simancas and García (2022). ese are to achieve greater social valuation and accountability. Despite the short time since their implementation in Spain, since the declaration of the Year of Science in 2007, the UCC+i have managed to showcase the science developed in the institutions in which they work. is process involves collaborating with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), which annually publishes grants for its operations. is means that the number of UCC+i uctuates annually, depending on the aid received, incorporating new structures. Nevertheless, it also implies that some may stop functioning as they lack the nancial resources to continue. e work completed in Spanish universities and research centres must be known by society through the promotion done by the researchers through their communication channels or the media. Consequently, it became necessary to create specic units dedicated to conducting this work professionally, such as the publication of research work, for more than a decade so far. To this end, a valuable resource to promote the visibility of research sta in these institutions is the creation of expert guides as a media relations service (De Vicente and Sierra, 2020). Before the creation of the ocially recognised UCC+i in Spain, the Science Communication Oces (SCO, or Science Communication Oce, for its acronym in English) had been working in Europe and the United States for more than fty years. However, they are relatively recent in Spanish-speaking countries like Mexico (Frías and Rueda, 2014). e promotion of activities related to research in universities has gained strength in recent years to improve the social prestige of the institution, although it is true that scientic communication is done by a minority of academic sta (Bentley and Kyvik, 2011) compared to publications in scientic journals. is promotion contributes to obtaining more students and greater sources of external nancing, while in public universities, it serves to justify the budget invested by public administrations.1.1. Current relevance of the Scientic Culture Units (UCC+i)e UCC+i (Units of Scientic Culture and Innovation) play a crucial role in transmitting scientic knowledge to society. ese units, organised within the network of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), hold a strategic position that allows them to disseminate knowledge generated in universities, research centres, and other scientic institutions to the public. Being part of this network, the UCC+i have access to resources and collaborations that enable them to act as eective intermediaries between scientic institutions and society at large. eir work focuses on promoting scientic, technological, and innovative culture through various activities, including scientic communication, outreach, and training.e relevance of the UCC+i is determined by their initial goal, which is to enhance and increase the scientic education of citizens while promoting culture and knowledge (FECYT, 2022). A sign of the impact that these units have nowadays is the inuence they have on the media, reaching the entire society. An example is a study that demonstrates increased media visibility for scientic publications disseminated through UCC+i (Alonso-Flores et al., 2020). Other research (Alonso-Flores and Moreno, 2018) emphasises how scientists have improved their impact on society when engaging in scientic communication and when building and maintaining their reputation (Herman and Nicholas, 2019).In a similar vein, the importance of scientic communication for society, as analysed with biomedical students, is a cornerstone of the research by Diviu and Cortinas (2021). In this study, future scientists become aware of the signicance of science 124 | nº 39, pp. 121-145 |July-December of 2024Evolution of the UCC+i as a dynamic agent of science communication. Professional perceptions of their structure...ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicacióncommunication, but they acknowledge uncertainty about dedicating much time to it once they become researchers. is uncertainty is attributed to the fact that most of their teachers have not explained the benets of communication. Conversely, there are authors (Elías, 2008) who assert that some researchers use the media to give themselves importance that they lack scientically.Currently, the units continue to be the primary communication channel, from researchers at universities and research centres to the media, showcasing advances in science to the general public. e working methods of those in charge of these departments have certainly evolved since their creation. Nowadays, they focus their eorts on social networks, as this is where the public turns to stay updated, although they also maintain their websites. is eort to increase the visibility of science is driven by the fact that, as pointed out by López-Pérez and Olvera Lobo (2019), Spanish scientic excellence still does not consider the internet as a useful channel for disseminating its advances to the public, as evidenced by the diculty in accessing their websites and social media. In contrast, a recent study (Alonso-Flores et al., 2019) by Spanish researchers that focuses on the former social network Twitter claimed that the majority of researchers (74.6%) believe that social media like Twitter are a valuable tool to enhance scientic communication. However, despite this, less than half (41.4%) have an active prole on social media.e importance of these units has been evident during the recent health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, crises represent a state of exception that pushes the journalistic profession to its limits (Salvador-Mata, Cortiñas-Rovira, 2023), leading to a substantial increase in the number of news stories, which poses the risk of informational dysfunction. During the pandemic, text or audiovisual messages spreading disinformation were predominantly disseminated through false sources, using the verb in the present tense instead of the conditional, which is distinctive of scientic communication (Moreno-Castro, 2022). Particularly, a study by Jemielniak and Krempovych (2021) on the media discourse surrounding the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on the social network Twitter found that the most retweeted tweets contained negative information and, in many cases, originated from media outlets known for spreading fake news.In this context, the public university, as one of the institutions where Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) activities are developed, is recognised as a public service that produces scientic knowledge (Simancas-González and García-López, 2019) and served as a trusted source for society during the crisis (Mut-Camacho, 2020). In addition, since March 2020, RDI professionals have taken on an active role as an informative source, working beyond their regular duties, explaining through their researchers any possible doubts of society, and responding to media demands (Sanz-Hernando and Parejo-Cuéllar, 2021). Not only that, many of them launched innovative initiatives, products, and narratives through the Internet.1.2. Origin and evolution in the last decadee creation of the Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Network began with the publication of the call for grants for conducting activities related to the dissemination and popularisation of scientic and technological knowledge in 2007. is year was declared the Year of Science, during which the establishment and promotion of units in research centres and universities were encouraged (FECYT, 2015). In the rst year of the network’s foundation, a call for proposals with over 1.7 million euros was issued, leading to the launch of fty-three units distributed throughout the Spanish geography. doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 121-145 July-December of 2024Susana Barberá-Forcadell and Pablo López-RabadánISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978| 125e launch of this network aimed at establishing oces or units for the promotion of scientic culture in research centres that lacked such services. Simultaneously, it aimed to train and guide those units that were already engaged in similar activities (FECYT, 2021). ese initial units marked the beginning of a structure that has continued to grow since then, promoting the science of the organisations on which they are based. However, the network has indeed experienced uctuations over time, depending on the calls for proposals.FECYT published a document (FECYT, 2015) that outlines the evolution of the initial years of the units from 2007 to 2014. e document points out the high number of applications to join the network, reaching up to 76 in the year 2010. However, not all could receive funding. In the case of the year 2010, only twenty-ve units were granted subsidies, with an average of 18,000 euros each.2007 marked the rst step towards the creation of the ambitious Network of Units for Scientic Culture, Innovation, and Technology (UCC+i). at year, universities and research centres gradually established these units within their institutions. Until 2019, forty-four new units were created, with signicant increases in 2018 (adding seven new units) and in 2019 (adding four more). is was organised within the mentioned network and under the coordination of FECYT, with years of signicant additions such as 2012 with ten new units, 2018 with eight, and 2019 with an additional ten. In 2023, there are one hundred and twenty-three registered UCC+i, a gure that inspires optimism about the continuous growth of this network for the promotion of knowledge.1.3. Professional distinction of the UCC+ie Units for Scientic Culture, Innovation, and Technology (UCC+i) represent structures with a unique and non-replicable initiative not found in other countries. In some places, this is because the universities have sucient funds to ensure stable sta dedicated to these tasks, while in others, it may be because they have not yet considered it or have not found the appropriate strategy. e UCC+i are unique as they are ocially recognised as institutionalised entities at the state level to full a social function (González-Pedraz et al., 2018). ey are located in universities, research centres, and other entities dedicated to research with individual interests. ese units, born in the Year of Science at the initiative of the Barcelona City Council, had numerous precedents aimed at helping research centres open their doors to the public (López-Pérez and Olvera-Lobo, 2017). e activities and programmes implemented in the city of Barcelona during the anniversary had a signicant impact on the public due to the multitude of activities that took place. Additionally, many organisations and entities dedicated to science began to promote it through a program entirely created for this purpose (Revuelta, 2007). All this mechanism enabled the creation of Local Units of Scientic Culture (UCC) throughout Spain, as they were initially identied, which at that time already foresaw that they would have plenty of work ahead to develop.In many universities and centres, the UCC+i represents a structure that provides visibility and the opportunity to engage with the general population or specic groups. Among these groups are science journalists (Moreno, 2022), who in recent years have gained popularity in the media by making scientic content understandable to the public, promoting interest, and fostering the cultural advancement of society. A recent example can be found in the COVID-19 health crisis, which has reconnected the 126 | nº 39, pp. 121-145 |July-December of 2024Evolution of the UCC+i as a dynamic agent of science communication. Professional perceptions of their structure...ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónless interested public to this type of news and those more distant from scientic knowledge (Casero-Ripollés, 2020). Young people, individuals with less education, and sporadic consumers of information are the groups that consumed the most news about the coronavirus during the pandemic. In contrast, Spanish universities have not played a prominent role in the social management of knowledge during the health crisis on YouTube (Simancas and Blanco, 2022). ey had a reactive response to the crisis, as they have been adapting content to the needs and evolution of the health situation.Furthermore, the lack of connection between university UCC+i and society is also determined by the fact that these entities present a too institutional and corporate facet on platforms like YouTube (Buitrago and Torres-Ortiz, 2022). is causes the audience to not identify with the individuals providing information, leading to a sense of detachment.1.4. Goalse main objective of the study is to analyse the evolution of the professional structure of the UCC+i and delve into its adaptation to the digital context. In particular, the research is developed based on the following specic goals:O1. Organise the current map of UCC+i (Research and Development + Innovation) in Spain. O2. Identify their main professional functions and level of specialisation. O3. Determine their institutional location to identify who manages them. O4. Examine their human resources management to analyse the number of workers, the evolution since their creation, and future prospects in terms of sta. O5. Analyse the professional recognition that UCC+i professionals have and nd out the reason behind it.e recent launch of these units in Spain has caused a lack of studies of them to be published yet. Nevertheless, the growing interest in science communication is promoting research on these units. One of the latest published studies (Alonso-Flores et al., 2020) analyses the contribution of institutional communication to the impact and visibility of research in the UCC+i of Carlos III University of Madrid. It identies that UCC+i in universities plays a prominent role in promoting scientic work produced within the institution. On the same subject, another recent study on these units (González-Pedraz et al., 2018) emphasises in its conclusions that UCC+i enhances the visibility of science and knowledge developed in Spanish research centres through the media. is is because they bring these topics into public debate and contribute to improving the scientic culture of society.Likewise, Parejo-Cuéllar et al. (2016) state that UCC+i contributes to the university environment by enhancing the communication of results through communicative resources such as press releases. However, multimedia tools for science communication remain a pending issue for many universities. In a later study, these same authors (Parejo-Cuéllar et al., 2017) assert that these units have dierent functions other than press oces, so they execute complementary actions and often collaborate with them due to the nature for which they were conceived. doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 121-145 July-December of 2024Susana Barberá-Forcadell and Pablo López-RabadánISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978| 1272. Current map of the UCC+i: modalities and professional network in 2023e current map of UCC+i is shaped by research centres and universities, both public and private. e UCC+i Network was established in 2007 to promote these units in research centres and universities (FECYT, 2015). In the rst year of the network’s foundation, a call for proposals with over 1.7 million euros was published, resulting in the creation of fty-three units spread across the entire Spanish geography.e launch of this network aimed to create oces or units for the dissemination of scientic culture in research centres that did not have such a service. At the same time, it sought to train and guide those units that were already engaged in similar activities (FECYT, 2021). ese initial units marked the beginning of a structure that has continued to grow since then to promote the science of the organisations they are part of, although it is true that it has experienced highs and lows depending on the calls for proposals.e year 2007 represented the rst step towards the creation of the ambitious UCC+i Network, and gradually, universities and research centres began establishing these units within their institutions. Until 2019, forty-four new units were created, with notable years like 2018 adding seven units and 2019 introducing four more. All was organised within the mentioned network and under the coordination of FECYT, with years of signicant additions, such as 2012 with ten new units, 2018 with eight, and 2019 with another ten. Presently, in 2023, there are one hundred and twenty-three registered UCC+i, a gure that inspires optimism regarding the ongoing growth of this network for knowledge promotion. e categories of UCC+i were established through the publication of the ‘White Paper on Units of Scientic Culture and Innovation UCC+i’, which was published in 2012 and updated in 2021 by FECYT. is manual sets out the basic criteria for dening a UCC+i, although other units unocially use this designation. FECYT classied the units (Table 1) based on the traits that best dened them, thus establishing the minimum requirements that a UCC+i had to meet to be considered as such (FECYT, 2021). 128 | nº 39, pp. 121-145 |July-December of 2024Evolution of the UCC+i as a dynamic agent of science communication. Professional perceptions of their structure...ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónTable 1. Typology of UCC+iTypology of UCC+iLines of action of the UCC+iCommunication of results.Promote innovative content from the results produced in research centres.Dissemination.Disseminate content that contributes to increasing the scientic and technological culture of citizens.Training.Advise and train researchers, promoters, and communicators of science and technology.Research.Study the social perception of science, the level of scientic culture, or the interest of citizens in science and technology.Nature of the centre or entity to which they belongPublic.Established in public (state funded) universities and public research organisations and centres.Private non-prot.Established in private universities, private research centres, technology centres, science and technology parks, foundations, and business associations, among others.Geographic area of its lines of actionArea.e area can be local, regional, national, or international.Target audienceGroups.Prioritises the scientic community, the media and communication agencies, young people, children, and teachers.Sources of fundingResources.Own funds, public or private sponsorships.Source: elaborated by the author from the UCC+i White Paper (FECYT, 2021)After this classication, FECYT published, up to the present date, a document that compiles the work produced by the units during the period 2007–2014. In this study (FECYT 2015), forty-eight UCC+i out of the seventy existing in the network in 2014 participated. From 2015 onwards, and with this new publication, FECYT focuses the work of the UCC+i on specialisation in dierent dened elds (Table 2). doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 121-145 July-December of 2024Susana Barberá-Forcadell and Pablo López-RabadánISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978| 129Table 2. UCC+i modalitiesUCC+i modalitiesFields in which they focus their activity (*)e communication of the results of scientic research developed by the entities to which they belong.Promotion of science or bringing science closer to society, especially to those who are farthest away from it.Advice and training in communication and dissemination of science to researchers.Research on the social perception of science following the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) model developed by the European Union.Source: elaborated by the author from the UCC+i White Paper (FECYT, 2021)(*) FECYT includes as a mandatory requirement that the UCC+i belonging to the network must develop at least two of the mentioned modalities, with one of them necessarily being one of the rst two.In 2023, FECYT had a total of one hundred and twenty-three UCC+i registered. Out of these, seventy-three were in research centres and fty in universities. Following the display of the dierent modalities, a rst table (Table 3) has been prepared presenting the UCC+i from research centres and a second table (Table 4) with the UCC+i from universities, all registered in 2023 in the FECYT network.Table 3. UCC+i network of research centres in 2023Centres and organisations with UCC+iAgencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientícas (CSIC) Fundación para el Desarrollo de la Enfermería (Fuden) CSIC - Delegación Galicia Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO) CSIC - Delegación Valencia Fundación Parque Cientíco y Tecnológico de Castilla-La Mancha Asociación Colaboración Cochrane IberoamericanaFundación Parque Cientíco y Tecnológico de Extremadura (FUNDECYT - PCTEX)Associació Catalana de Comunicació CientícaFundación Pública Andaluza Progreso y Salud AZTI - TecnaliaFundación Séneca Campus de Excelencia Internacional en Agroalimentación (ceiA3) Geociencias Barcelona 130 | nº 39, pp. 121-145 |July-December of 2024Evolution of the UCC+i as a dynamic agent of science communication. Professional perceptions of their structure...ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónCentre de Visió per Computador (CVC)Hospital Universitario 12 de octubre Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA)ibs.GRANADA - Fundación para la Investigación Biosanitaria de Andalucía Oriental Alejandro Otero (FIBAO) Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, CIBERIDIBAPS Centro de Investigación en Agrigenómica (CRAG)Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe (CIPF)Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB, CSIC) Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT)Institut de Recerca de l’Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau) Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA)Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Lleida Fundació Dr Pifarré (IRBLleida) Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB)Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico (IAPH) Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, CENIEHInstituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientícas (CSIC). Delegación AragónInstituto de Astrofísica de Canarias Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientícas (CSIC). Delegación Illes BalearsInstituto de Biología Evolutiva (IBE, CSIC-UPF) Consorcio Centro de Láseres Pulsados (CLPU)Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS) Consorcio para el Diseño, la Construcción, el Equipamiento y la Explotación de la Plataforma Oceánica de CanariasInstituto de Ciencias Matemáticas (ICMAT) Consorcio para la Construcción, Equipamiento y Explotación del Laboratorio de Luz Sincrotrón (CELLS)Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL) Consorcio Parque de Investigación Biomédica de Barcelona (PRBB)Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL) Euskampus FundazioaInstituto de Investigación Sanitaria Biodonostia (IIS Biodonostia) Fundació Institut de Bioengineyeria de Catalunya (IBEC)Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur (IISGS) Fundació per a la Universitat Oberta de CatalunyaInstituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe Fundació Privada Centre de Regulació GenòmicaInstituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC) doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 121-145 July-December of 2024Susana Barberá-Forcadell and Pablo López-RabadánISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978| 131Fundació Privada Institut de Recerca de la Sida IrsiCaixaInstituto de la Grasa (IG-CSIC) Fundación 3CINInstituto de Salud Carlos III Fundación Canaria General de la Universidad de La LagunaInstituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) Fundación Canaria Parque Cientíco Tecnológico de la Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran CanariaInstituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME) Fundación de Investigación del Cáncer de la Universidad de SalamancaInstituto IMDEA Software Fundación DescubreInstituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC) Fundación GaikerInstituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) Fundación INCLIVAISQCH - INMA (antes Instituto de Ciencias Materiales de Aragón) Fundación Institut de Recerca Biomédica (IRB Barcelona)Parc Cientic de Barcelona Fundación Instituto de Investigación Marqués de Valdecilla (IDIVAL)Real Sociedad Española de Física Fundación Instituto de Salut Global de BarcelonaSource: elaborated by the author from data contributed by the FECYTTable 4. UCC+i network of universities in 2023Universities with UCC+iUDIMAUniversidad de NavarraUniversidad Autónoma de BarcelonaUniversidad de OviedoUniversidad Autónoma de Madrid Universidad de SalamancaUniversidad Carlos IIIUniversidad de Sevilla Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir (UCV)Universidad de ValladolidUniversidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia Universidad de Zaragoza Universidad Complutense Universidad del País VascoUniversidad de Alcalá Universidad Francisco de Vitoria 132 | nº 39, pp. 121-145 |July-December of 2024Evolution of the UCC+i as a dynamic agent of science communication. Professional perceptions of their structure...ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978doxa.comunicaciónUniversidad de Alicante Universidad Internacional de La Rioja Universidad de Almería Universidad Miguel HernándezUniversidad de Barcelona UNEDUniversidad de Burgos Universidad Politécnica de CartagenaUniversidad de CádizUniversidad Politécnica de Madrid Universidad de CantabriaUniversidad Ponticia de Comillas Universidad de Castilla - La Mancha Universidad Pública de Navarra Universidad de CórdobaUniversidad Rey Juan Carlos Universidad de Extremadura Universidade de Vigo Universidad de Granada Universitat de les Illes BalearsUniversidad de Huelva Universitat de València Universidad de JaénUniversitat de Vic Universidad de la CoruñaUniversitat Internacional de Catalunya Universidad de La RiojaUniversitat Jaume I de Castellón Universidad de León Universitat Politècnica de València Universidad de Málaga Universitat Pompeu Fabra Universidad de Murcia Universitat Rovira i Virgili Source: elaborated by the author from data contributed by the FECYT3. Methodology In line with the stated objectives, this study has employed a quantitative methodology. A survey was developed for professionals in UCC+i to analyse their work comprehensively. With this technique, study variables are measured objectively and with a high degree of precision (Lafuente and Marín, 2008). Particularly, data on certain variables is collected and analysed to support and strengthen the in-depth identication of the reality of science communication generated through UCC+i in Spanish universities and research centres. erefore, the survey is used as a sampling method among the specic population targeted doxa.comunicación | nº 39, pp. 121-145 July-December of 2024Susana Barberá-Forcadell and Pablo López-RabadánISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978| 133in this research. Data collection is conducted through a questionnaire distributed to a sample of the population, emphasising the participant’s anonymity.For the survey, all UCC+i that were part of the FECYT Network, under the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain, were used as the sample. e universe of the sample includes the 96 UCC+i that were registered on the network in 2019. Under the umbrella of the Foundation, this network encourages the exchange of experiences and the search for synergies