According to a report by the Communications Management Office (OGC) of the University of Granada (UGR), news related to UGR research generated an advertising value equivalent of more than 11.1 million euro in the first semester of this academic year.
Internationally, UGR research news has been featured in media outlets such as NBC and FOX in the United States, the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom and other international media outlets in India, Greece and Israel.
In the last six months, research news from the University of Granada has reached a gross audience of more than 1.5 billion people (including those who have read, seen or heard the news in the media) — the highest figure ever achieved by the institution.
Furthermore, during the first semester of the academic year, the economic impact of news related to UGR research was over 11.1 million euro in terms of advertising value equivalency (AVE). This record figure is the result of the extensive dissemination — both in national and international media outlets — of the work conducted by UGR researchers.
These figures have emerged from a report drawn up by the Communications Management Office (Vice-Rectorate for Ceuta and Melilla Campuses, Strategic Planning and Communications), which monitored the dissemination of the UGR’s research news during the first half of this academic year (September 2023 to March 2024). The data was provided by Onclusive Reputation, a global leader in media analysis.
During the period analysed, the UGR published 55 press releases related to research projects carried out by its scientists, which gave rise to 2,694 news stories in national and international print, radio, TV and digital media.
The report, developed in collaboration with the Scientific Culture Unit (UCC) of the Vice-Rectorate for Outreach, Heritage and Institutional Relations, shows that the UGR has improved in all indicators related to the dissemination of science when compared to the last report, which was also prepared by the Communications Management Office and covered the whole of 2020.
The figures for the last semester have improved significantly compared to the previous report, as the gross audience for the whole of 2020 was 1.550 billion people, compared to 1.511 billion for the last six months. In 2020, the impact in terms of advertising value equivalency was 20 million euro, compared to 11.1 million euro for the last six months. Furthermore, the previous report recorded 3,989 news pieces in the media for 2020, compared to 2,694 for the last six months.
The UGR research news piece that received the most media coverage during this period was on the effectiveness of the artificial skin developed at the UGR following its implantation in patients with severe burns (https://canal.ugr.es/noticia/artificial-skin-developed-at-ugr-proven-to-be-effective-after-implantation-in-patients-with-severe-burns/). In terms of advertising value equivalency, the impact of the article was over 1.1 million euro. In second place was the press release covering the most comprehensive study to date on the Andalusian accent, which analysed the way people speak in 500 Andalusian towns. The article has already generated media coverage worth more than 1 million euro (https://canal.ugr.es/noticia/la-ugr-coordina-el-estudio-mas-completo-hasta-la-fecha-sobre-el-acento-andaluz-con-un-proyecto-que-analizara-la-manera-de-hablar-en-500-municipios-andaluces/ [in Spanish]).
Moreover, many UGR news stories have had a major impact in international media outlets, such as the study showing that we are not addicted to mobile phones but to the social interaction they facilitate (https://canal.ugr.es/noticia/scientific-study-shows-we-are-not-addicted-to-mobile-phones-but-to-the-social-interaction-they-facilitate/). This news piece was widely reported on in the US media, including on NBC and FOX (see the full list at http://sl.ugr.es/0dW6 [in Spanish]).
Another of the most widely disseminated news pieces covered the first scientific evidence on the number of steps needed per day to reduce the risk of premature death (8,000, or the equivalent of walking 6.4 km), which appeared in the UK’s Daily Mail, as well as in media outlets in the US, India, Greece and Israel (see the full list at http://sl.ugr.es/0dW7 [in Spanish]).
The UGR’s Director for Communications, Carlos Centeno, points out that during this first semester of the academic year, in collaboration with the Language Services Unit (USL) of the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization, “the Communications Management Office has significantly boosted the internationalization strategy for the research being conducted at the UGR, creating a new section on the ‘CanalUGR’ News website to give greater visibility to UGR news in English (https://canal.ugr.es/ugrnews/), and fostering a greater presence on the international science news platforms AlphaGalileo and EurekAlert! (of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the publisher of Science).”
For his part, the Vice-Rector for Ceuta and Melilla Campuses, Strategic Planning and Communications, Salvador del Barrio, highlights “the crucial value of the work carried out by the institution to promote UGR research” and that these efforts “have positioned the institution as one of the most prominent in the national and international media.” He adds: “In this new phase of the UGR’s governance, we will continue to promote the dissemination of science, which is the right direction for this institution and is well deserved.”
Contact details:
Carlos Centeno Cuadros
Director for Communications of the University of Granada
Telephone: +34 958 24 42 78
Email: @email
Screenshot of the media monitoring and tracking tool “Onclusive Reputation”, used by the University of Granada
Translated version: This text has been translated into English by the Language Services Unit (Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization) of the University of Granada.
