SciCafe: The Science Cafes Network

Objective

The SciCafe project proposes the notion of networking, exchange of best practices, and co-operation between science cafes (SC) in different cities and regions of Europe, both in their physical vicinities and in virtual space, as a vehicle for the promotion of the public understanding of science and of the public debate on scientific issues, focusing specifically on the promotion of a scientific culture at the local level. The SciCafe proposes an innovative approach that crosscuts the boundaries between the already existing initiatives, focusing both on the improvement of organisers’ knowledge on how to develop and maintain a SC and on increasing the participants intrinsic motivation to learn and understand about scientific issues, which could potentially change their attitude towards science and encourage them to follow scientific careers in the years to come. It offers tools and activities combining physical presence of its members in the existing SC, and virtual presence of members from across Europe and beyond, ensuring everyone’s active participation, irrespectively of their physical location and possible disadvantage (rural areas’ citizens). In this hybrid world of SC, the network will consist of actors from the cities who are involved in science/culture/entertainment/education/local development/citizens' participation/media, such as local authorities, universities/research centres, science communication structures, schools, libraries, local civil society organisations, enterprises based on science and technology. Today’s participant to a SC has to find it more and more attractive and not static to what it was when these initiatives were begun so such places should follow the new trends and the new technological achievements. The project will focus on: (i) To create a network of SC that will guide the next generation of SCs, (ii) To implement a series of state of the art technologies (virtual presence, social tagging) through a series of innovative scenarios.

Keywords

• Network
• Science Cafes
• exchange of best practices

Programme(s)

• FP7-SIS - Specific Programme "Capacities": Science in society

Topic(s)

• SiS-2008-1.1.5.1 - Exchanges and co-operation of local actors on scientific culture

Call for proposal

FP7-SCIENCE-IN-SOCIETY-2008-1
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Coordinator

Participants (13)