The University of Fribourg is well represented in the "Disinformation" cluster of the new National Science Advice Network. Anna Jobin, Assistant Professor at the Human-IST Institute, is a member of the steering committee and co-leads the cluster. Four further researchers from the University also contribute their expertise as members.

The National Science Advice Network is tasked with making independent, interdisciplinary scientific expertise available to federal and cantonal authorities. It aims to prepare research findings for the prevention and management of possible crises and to provide evidence-based foundations for decision-making.

The Network is organised around thematic groups known as clusters. The "Disinformation" cluster addresses societal and political risks that may arise from deliberately false information and manipulative information campaigns. Its aim is to bring together specialist knowledge from different disciplines in order to identify, prevent and contain disinformation crises.

Five researchers from the University of Fribourg
Professor Anna Jobin co-leads the cluster together with Professor Mark Eisenegger of the University of Zurich. The scientific steering committee also includes Professor Mena El-Assadi of ETH Zurich, Professor Karsten Donnay of the University of Zurich and Professor Pierre Vandergheynst of EPFL.

"Disinformation is not simply a communication problem, because it also concerns democratic processes and social cohesion", says Anna Jobin. "The cluster brings together scientific perspectives from different disciplines so that societal risks arising from disinformation can be assessed correctly and policymakers can draw on a solid knowledge base when considering possible measures."

Professor Sina Blassnig, Dr Mark Drenhaus, Professor Manuel Puppis and Professor Tobias Rohrbach are four further researchers from the University of Fribourg participating in the "Disinformation" cluster. Rector Katharina Fromm welcomes the University of Fribourg's participation: "Complex crises require independent, reliable knowledge that can be found in science. The participation of several researchers from our University in this National Network underscores the breadth of expertise at the University of Fribourg and the importance of dialogue between science and the administration."

About the Network
The Swiss Federal Council decided on 23 November 2022 to establish an interdisciplinary network as a basis for appointing ad hoc bodies in crisis situations. The implementation proposal in the form of today's National Science Advice Network was approved on 8 December 2023. It includes a cooperation agreement between the federal administration and the institutions of the education, research and innovation (ERI) sector: the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, swissuniversities, the ETH Board, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swiss Science Council, and Innosuisse. Thematic clusters are established before a crisis occurs in order to quickly mobilise relevant scientific expertise and to continuously strengthen dialogue.