Circle U. has selected eleven projects for its 2025 seed-funding round, supporting new academic, professional and student-led initiatives across the alliance. The funded proposals reflect the alliance’s commitment to interdisciplinarity, sustainability, inclusion and long-term cooperation among its member universities. Each month, we spotlight one of these projects.
Improving understanding through stronger statistical literacy
Statistics play a central role in health sciences. They shape research, support evidence-based decision-making and influence how scientific findings are communicated. Yet differences in language, terminology and academic training can make statistical concepts difficult to interpret, particularly in international and multidisciplinary settings.
The seed-funded project Strengthening Statistical Literacy in Health Sciences: Latin America – Circle U. Collaboration, led by Fernando Valentim Bitencourt (Aarhus University), addresses this challenge by bringing together universities across the Circle U. alliance to improve statistical understanding and communication.
The project focuses on developing shared, open-access learning resources that make statistical concepts clearer and more accessible for students, researchers and educators. With inspiration drawn from experiences in Latin America, where similar challenges are common, the initiative aims to strengthen collaboration across languages, cultures and academic fields while supporting Circle U.’s wider goals of inclusive and international education.
In this article, Fernando Valentim Bitencourt tells us more about his project.
Why does your research project matter?
Clear understanding of statistics is essential for good research, effective education, and evidence-based decision-making in health sciences. Today, research increasingly depends on collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and countries, yet differences in language, terminology, and training often create barriers to understanding. These challenges are especially visible in international and multilingual settings, where the same statistical concepts may be interpreted differently. By addressing these gaps, the project supports more transparent communication, reduces misunderstandings, and improves the quality and reliability of research outcomes.
At a time when global health challenges require coordinated responses, strengthening statistical literacy helps ensure that data are used responsibly and that research findings can be shared, understood, and applied across borders.
Fernando Valentim Bitencourt, Project Leader (AU)
What will you achieve within the project this year?
The project will deliver a multilingual, open-access glossary of key statistical and research terms commonly used in health sciences. The glossary will be co-created by educators, researchers, and students from Circle U. universities, with input from Latin American partners to ensure clarity across languages and cultural contexts. Terms will be explained in plain language, with short examples that show how they are used in practice. Participants involved in the activity will gain experience in interdisciplinary collaboration, science communication, and inclusive teaching approaches. Users of the glossary will benefit from a practical tool that supports learning, teaching, and research by making statistical concepts easier to understand and discuss. This activity will lay the foundation for future workshops and learning resources developed within the project.
