Science Communication Institute

What Science Communication Institute does

The Science Communication Institute (SCI) is a US-based 501c3 nonprofit public charity (EIN 27-4690007) founded in 2015 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with operations spanning at least 24 countries. Its stated mission is to improve the communication that happens inside science. SCI operates as a policy and convening organization rather than a technology company — its products are research outputs, policy briefs, network convenings, and analysis articles published through sci.institute, YouTube, podcasts, and an annual OSI conference cycle. There are no proprietary technology platforms; the closest technical component is AI-generated podcasts produced via Google's Notebook LM.

SCI's work is organized around three core programmatic areas: the Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI), developed in partnership with UNESCO since 2015, which addresses scholarly communication and open science policy; the Global CDR Action Network (CDRANet), which convenes world leaders on atmospheric carbon dioxide removal policy and produced the Vancouver Declaration in 2023; and a Combatting Disinformation Program, supported by Science Profiles research. The OSI network reportedly includes 400+ leaders from 24 countries, 250 institutions, and 18 stakeholder groups, positioning SCI as a multistakeholder convening platform. Its UNESCO partnership enabled OSI recommendations to influence the UNESCO open science policy approved unanimously by the UN General Assembly in November 2021.

SCI's constituents are policymakers, research institutions, science communication professionals, and funding agencies. Revenue is diversified across individual memberships at $10/month, corporate and project sponsorships at $250/month and variable amounts, grants and foundation funding (including the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation), and tax-deductible individual donations. The organization runs on a lean 7-person team led by Executive Director Glenn Hampson, who also serves as Program Director of OSI. Active content publication through March 2026 and explicit 2026 priorities across all three verticals indicate an operating, program-driven nonprofit.

Name

Science Communication Institute

Legal name

Science Communication Institute

Website

https://sci.institute

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Science Communication Institute is a US-based 501c3 nonprofit public charity that improves science communication through three global programs — open scholarship, carbon dioxide removal policy, and disinformation research — serving policymakers, research institutions, and funders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Science Policy Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Science communication research
• Open science policy
• Scholarly communication
• Nonprofit research institute
• Carbon dioxide removal policy

Headquarters

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Memberships: Monthly membership contributions at $10/mo level, providing supporters a way to contribute to SCI's ongoing operations and projects.
2. Corporate/Project Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at $250/mo level and variable project sponsorships for specific initiatives like OSI, CDRANet, and disinformation research.
3. Grants and Foundation Funding: Grant funds from foundations and institutional funders including principal investigator contracts and program-related investments.
4. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals supporting SCI's mission to improve science communication.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Science Communication Institute (SCI) is a US-based 501c3 nonprofit public charity that invents, launches, finances, and manages projects to improve science communication tools, practices, and policies, especially those used inside science. Its core offerings include the Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI) developed with UNESCO, the Global CDR Action Network (CDRANet) which produced the Vancouver Declaration, a Combatting Disinformation Program, Science Profiles research, and analysis publications and AI-generated podcasts.

Product overview

The Science Communication Institute is a US-based 501c3 nonprofit that improves communication inside science through multiple initiatives. The core offerings include the Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI) which develops global open science policy with UNESCO, the Global CDR Action Network (CDRANet) addressing carbon dioxide removal policy, a Combatting Disinformation Program, Science Profiles research, and a publications platform featuring AI-generated podcasts (via Notebook LM), reports including the Vancouver Declaration, OSI policy briefs, and analysis articles on science communication topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI): A global initiative working with UNESCO to develop equitable solutions for scholarly communication and open science policy.
• Global CDR Action Network (CDRANet)

Products and services

• Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI) A global multi-stakeholder initiative developed in partnership with UNESCO since 2015 that works to improve scholarly communication through open science policy development and reform. It unites researchers, policymakers, funders, and publishers from 24 countries and 250 institutions.
• Global CDR Action Network (CDRANet) An international network bringing world leaders together to develop global policy solutions for atmospheric carbon dioxide removal. CDRANet developed the Vancouver Declaration, the world's first international agreement on CDR.
• Combatting Disinformation Program Resources and networks developed to educate citizens at scale in the fight against disinformation through global stakeholder collaboration across disciplines and countries.
• Science Profiles Research and analysis helping understand what makes science communication work, profiling practitioners and methods in the field.
• Podcasts, Reports & Publications AI-generated podcasts using Notebook LM of popular articles, policy reports including the Vancouver Declaration, OSI issue briefs, and scholarly communication analyses distributed freely.
• SCI Analysis Section Commentary and analysis articles on science communication topics including climate policy, disinformation, free speech, and science literacy, published regularly on the SCI website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vancouver Declaration - world's first international agreement on CDR
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• CDRANet (Carbon Dioxide Removal Action Network)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020SCI launched CDRANet to bring world leaders together to develop global policy solutions for atmospheric carbon dioxide removal. CDRANet developed the Vancouver Declaration, the world's first international agreement on CDR.
• UNESCOflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015SCI developed the Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI) in partnership with UNESCO beginning in 2015. OSI is the world's only global, large-scale, multistakeholder effort to improve scholarly communication. UNESCO's open science plans have moved forward with OSI recommendations influencing policy development.
• George Mason UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity pledge of support for OSI, hosting conferences and providing institutional backing for the initiative.
• Major PublishersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarious commercial publishers have participated in OSI discussions and provided support for scholarly communication reform efforts.
• Open Access 2020 Initiative (OA2020)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOA2020 includes over 120 organizations on five continents coordinating the transition to open access. SCI/OSI complements OA2020's efforts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Public Library of Science (PLOS): PLOS is a nonprofit open-access publisher that has been a central participant in OSI stakeholder discussions. While PLOS operates publishing infrastructure rather than convening networks, it shares SCI's mission of reforming scholarly communication and overlaps heavily in funder and institutional relationships.
• SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition): SPARC is a nonprofit advocacy organization that convenes libraries, publishers, and policymakers to advance open access and scholarly communication reform. Like SCI's OSI, SPARC operates a global stakeholder network and produces policy recommendations that influence funder and government open-access mandates.
• cOAlition S: cOAlition S is an international consortium of research funders that implements Plan S for immediate open access. It is the most direct policy counterpart to SCI's OSI, working with UNESCO-adjacent bodies to operationalize open-access mandates and serving a similar funder-driven stakeholder community.
• Carbon180: Carbon180 is a nonprofit focused on scaling carbon removal policy and practice in the United States. It is the closest U.S. peer to SCI's CDRANet, working on CDR advocacy, policy frameworks, and stakeholder convening in the same emerging carbon dioxide removal policy space.
• Creative Commons: Creative Commons is a nonprofit that develops open licensing frameworks and advocates for open access and open science globally. Like SCI, it convenes policymakers, foundations, and creators to produce shared norms and policies, and engages with UNESCO on open-science recommendations.
• Center for Open Science: The Center for Open Science is a nonprofit that builds open-science infrastructure (e.g., OSF) and advocates for transparency in research. It shares SCI's open-scholarship mission and engages the same multi-stakeholder community of researchers, funders, and publishers around open science policy and practice.
• Open Access 2020 Initiative (OA2020): OA2020 is a network of 120+ organizations on five continents coordinating the transition to open access. It is explicitly cited as a SCI/OSI partner and shares the same scholarly communication reform mission, organizer model, and funder base.
• Global CCS Institute: The Global CCS Institute is an international member organization advancing carbon capture and storage deployment. It shares CDRANet's international policy coordination role and operates a comparable stakeholder convening model across government and industry for atmospheric carbon management.

Broad incumbents

• Union of Concerned Scientists: The Union of Concerned Scientists is a broader U.S. science policy advocacy nonprofit that engages policymakers and the public on science integrity and climate. It is comparable to SCI as a science-policy advocacy organization, though it operates at significantly larger scale and across more issue areas.

Emerging players

• Information Futures Lab at Brown University: The Information Futures Lab is an academic research group that studies and combats disinformation and misinformation. It is closely comparable to SCI's Combatting Disinformation program, producing research, public education, and policy frameworks in the same domain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/science-communication-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Science Communication Institute