The role of the EU Competence Centre for Science Communication is to further develop and mainstream science-communication knowledge and to foster connections between society and science, including the related fields of technology, engineering and mathematics (together known as STEM). It will produce open-access resources and tools to achieve high-quality, evidence-based and interdisciplinary science communication.

The Competence Centre is being developed through consolidation of learning from projects funded through the EU Science with and for Society (SwafS-19) programme, as well as previous EU-funded and national science-communication projects. This included co-creation with relevant European stakeholders involved in science communication, such as science communicators (traditional and non-traditional/informal), journalists (including editors and publishers), scientists, science-communication researchers, policy makers, research funders and educators.

The Competence Centre is virtual in nature, represented by national and regional hubs in countries across Europe. As part of the Competence Centre, COALESCE will develop communities of knowledge and practice and will collaborate with existing stakeholder networks and university alliances.

COALESCE will also establish a Science Communication Academy as part of the Competence Centre, to provide bespoke science-communication training to interested groups such as science communicators and journalists.