The Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) is the UK’s flagship “moonshot” science agency. It funds high-risk, high-reward research with the potential to transform society. With a mandate to move fast, think big, and back visionary science, ARIA empowers researchers to tackle the most complex challenges of our time.

One of its most ambitious initiatives is the Forecasting Tipping Points Programme; an £81 million investment to develop the world’s first early warning system for catastrophic climate shifts. The programme unites 27 international teams across climate science, AI, physics, and engineering to monitor and model critical Earth systems.

Given the programme’s broad remit and growing media profile, Incredible Oceans developed a bespoke communications training package. This was delivered at the inaugural in-person meeting of the Forecasting Tipping Points teams.

ARIA’s programme brings together personnel from tech start-ups, data science, climate modelling, and ocean research. These teams must communicate not only with the media and general public, but also with future funders, and crucially, with each other.

To support this, Incredible Oceans designed training that helped participants speak with clarity, confidence, and cohesion. The goal was to create a lasting legacy: empowering researchers to become advocates for STEM careers, effective science communicators, and trusted voices in the climate conversation.

In a programme as ambitious as Forecasting Tipping Points, communication isn’t a luxury; it’s essential. These teams are developing world-first technologies to detect and respond to climate shifts. Their impact depends on how well they convey urgency, credibility, and relevance to non-specialist audiences.

The Tipping Points programme brings together a diverse cohort of researchers and innovators from across academia, industry, tech start-ups, engineering, data science, climate modelling and field measurements. This diversity is a strength but also presented a challenge: how do you build shared understanding and cohesion among teams who speak different technical languages and approach problems from different angles?

Tailored communication training bridges that gap. It empowers participants to explain breakthroughs without jargon, articulate risk without alarmism, and connect their work to real-world consequences. In a landscape where public understanding and political will are critical, clarity can be the difference between influence and invisibility.

Our communication training is designed precisely for this. We help researchers and innovators sharpen their messaging, master audience psychology, and craft narratives that resonate, whether they’re briefing ministers, speaking to media, or presenting at academic conferences.

As a high-profile, publicly funded agency, ARIA operates under intense scrutiny. Its communication challenge lies in translating complex, high-risk innovation into narratives that resonate beyond academia.

With multidisciplinary teams tackling climate tipping points, ARIA needed to ensure that its experts could speak with clarity and relevance to policymakers, journalists, and the public. Communication became the bridge between breakthrough science and real-world impact.

ARIA programme co-director Prof Sarah Bohndiek first connected with Russell Arnott at the Challenger Society Annual Conference. Russell’s background in climate research and science communication gave him unique insight into the challenges of engaging diverse audiences.

Drawing upon the journalism expertise and social science acumen of Ian Rowlands, this combination of skill sets uniquely placed Ian and Russell to deliver this bespoke communications training package for ARIA.

ARIA convened the Forecasting Tipping Points cohort for a three-day residential designed to foster collaboration and cohesion. With participants drawn from a rich mix of disciplines, the event helped teams connect, understand each other’s contributions, and build a shared sense of purpose.

Crucially, it set the tone: each participant was to act as an ambassador for the programme. Incredible Oceans’ communications training sat at the heart of the residential. Through dynamic workshops, participants scripted, redrafted, and rehearsed elevator pitches, presenting them to the full cohort.

This wasn’t just about delivery. It was about distilling complex science into compelling, adaptable narratives. By the end of the training, each team had crafted a versatile script they could tailor for press interviews, public talks, stakeholder briefings, or political engagement.

As leaders in marine science communication, Incredible Oceans evaluates every training course. We listen to participant feedback and adapt the course for future delivery.

We’re proud that 100% of participants reported increased confidence in communicating their work after just one day of training.

Instead of cherry-picking quotes, we present a wordcloud of the top 40 words from written feedback, offering a snapshot of how participants responded to the course.