The Road to Friday of Science

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ReFocuS (The Road to Friday of Science)

Reporting period: 2017-02-01 to 2017-12-31

The Road to Friday of Science (ReFocuS) project’s aim is to extensively improve the public attention to science and its importance for society and wellbeing by bringing back the focus of the general public to researchers and the results of their studies. ReFocuS addresses the issue of the lack of public awareness about important scientific research in Serbia and EU, and the lack of Serbian researchers’ awareness about importance of cooperation among scientists and the public. ReFocuS turned public attention to modern EU science concept of: (i) mobility of researchers and ideas as a basis for economy and social prosperity, and (ii) transdisciplinarity of the research, as the essential concept of contemporary research and communication. Moreover, ReFocuS aimed to refocus: the young minds to be open to functional learning, and to be ready to accept the opportunity to be scientists; the scientists to be approachable because their results are not just important to academics, but to the society as a whole; and the general audience to be aware of the fact that science is a key to everyday life improvement and progress.
Successes rate was concluded based on the estimation that 2,6 million people have been made aware of European Researchers' Night and its objectives in Serbia, as well as more than 52.000 estimated visitors.

The project reached its objectives and proved to be successful. Reached objectives are:

o To encourage and support the development of young people as a future scientist generation;
o To encourage the young to be innovative and to seek for creative solutions to different problems;
o To promote and support networking and mobility of ideas among young people;
o To give the opportunity and means for hands-on activities and DIY approach;
o To encourage the scientists to stand out and communicate science;
o To break the existing stereotypes about the "awkward" scientist;
o To raise public awareness of the researchers' contribution to general progress and development;
o To explain the science by popular formats such as quizzes, interactive experiments, debates, scientific popular films, competitions, art and science approach etc. instead of using the usual scientific articles;
o To promote the mobility and migration of ideas, knowledge and researchers as necessary for the development of science and society;
o To highlight the importance of the EU support to researchers and science in Serbia.

o Organization of a joint press conference with the other Serbian EU-funded project (September 6th ), (display of programme in each city, highlighting of the date and national coverage of the event), attended by journalists and general public;
o Organization of local press conferences two days prior to the event
o Direct mailing to about 220 schools;

o Pre-events:
o Open day visits to the Institute for biological research “Siniša Stanković” during April, attended by 213 school kids and students (guided tours around Institute on every Wednesday in April);
o Science incubator competition: participated by 8 school kids realizing 5 projects during 7 days in Petnica Science Centre, with rewarding of 5 projects gathering 8 participants;
o Visits of SciTruck (mobile laboratory) in three towns, namely Užice 1.-5. May 2017, Leskovac 25.5.-2.6. 2017, and Smederevo 5-9. September 2017) (5 exhibitions, 81 workshops and hand-on experiment, 27 popular science lectures, 2 scientific debates, 3 Wiki corners, 3 Local corners and 3 European corners) with estimated 5.500 visitors of which 2.000 in Užice, 2.500 in Leskovac and 1.000 in Smederevo;
o Wiki corner competition “People of the world”, creation/significant change of 265 articles by 12 very active contestants;
o Playing scientific board games with the researchers in the board game centre Astal in Belgrade on September 23rd ;
o Shopping mall Lab on BIG shopping centre in Belgrade on September 24th (interactive experiments and science busking, EU corner);
o "Delicacy Monday"( September 26th): chance to meet with researchers who made special “science dinner” for them (cooking of different meals made of corn to show how migration influenced current Serbian cuisine);
o Estimated 2,6 million people in Serbia made aware of the European Researchers' Night and its objectives.

o Offer of the activities as described in the Annex I Part B to the Grant Agreement, 7 different types of activities of which:
o 41 hands-on experiments,
o 60 demos,
o 39 exhibitions,
o 44 workshops,
o 20 quizzes,
o 10 social games,
o 7 lectures
o 12 European corners;

o Activities addressing the audience aged 3 and above, except for quizzes;
o Many people having already participated in Nights before, in particular in Pirot and Požarevac;
o Active involvement of about 550 researchers, of whom:
o 3 having benefitted from Marie Curie schemes;
o 9 having benefitted from another EU support;

o Approximately 47.000 of attendees in total:
o 20. 000 in Belgrade;
o 8.000 in Niš;
o 8.000 in Kragujevac;
o 4.000 in Pirot,
o 5.000 in Požarevac,
o 800 in Petnica,
o 1.500 in Inđija.

o Collection, anlaysis and processing of 4.325 feedbacks

o Typology of visitors during pre-events: mostly elementary school students (77 % in Užice, 53 % in Leskovac, 78 % in Smederevo) with slightly more female visitors, large proportion of newcomers (Užice 65,1 %, Leskovac 57,6 %, and Smederevo 73,6 %;
o Workshops in SciTruck seen as showing something new from science to 65–80 % visitors;
o Typology of visitors during the events: 60 % female, 40 % male, education (preschool 2,1 %, elementary school 67,1 %, high school 16 %, higher education 4,3 %), personal acquaintance with a researcher (no 65,9 %, yes 34,1 %), showing no significant change compared to previous years despite a theme's change;
o Knowledge about the event: schools 45,6 %, friends, 10,9 %, Facebook page and other social networks 8,5 %, family 10,4 %, media (advertisements) and website 19,1 %, passers-by 12,3 %, showing no substantial difference with results observed during previous years;
o Overall positive feedback about the events: activities, contacts with researchers, venues and locations, concrete organisation and scheduling);
o Activities seen as fully comprehensible for 90,8 % of visitors;

o Facebook page: 7.520 fans, in the last 28 days 1.421 new ones;
o Twitter: 335 followers, 112 new ones;
o Instagram: 316 followers, 112 new ones;
o 85.712 interactions on Facebook with the highest reach of 31.000 interactions ( presentation of the one of the researchers named dr Ana Savić while most numerous reactions 298 towards the "Researchers Night Photo album");
o Publication of 139 articles on 30 different web portals and 79 articles in 31 different newspapers;
o 6 press releases officially distributed to media, followed by individual features about European Researcher’s Night and researchers;
o About 2,6 million people, via both media and social networks, made aware of the European Researchers' Night and its objectives;;
o Setting up of partnerships with 25 media; 18 advertisements in 13 different newspapers, radio jingle on 10 different radio stations (ca. 500 broadcastings);
o Production, distribution, and display of promotional material (10.000 booklets including the programmes and a map of the activities, banners on 11 internet portals, 15 billboards on different locations city centres, 20 posters on 10 city busses;

RN 2017 in Niš Eu corner

RN 2017 in Belgrade

Playing social games with researchers - promo action 2017

RN 2017 in BIG Belgrade

RN 2017 in Belgrade French Institute

RN 2017 in Niš

RN 2017 in SciClub Belgrade

RN 2017 in Pirot

RN 2017 in Kragujevac

RN 2017 promo material

RN 2017 in Niš

RN 2017 in Inđija

Belgrade press congerence 2017

RN 2017 promo material

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ReFocuS (The Road to Friday of Science)

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