Promoting the integration of science in society
The Genova Science Festival is an annual event which over the years has succeeded in enhancing the European dimension thanks to the contribution of qualified EU organisations. The 'European Science Festival: Itinerant Exhibitions' (Esciential - I.E.) project aimed to further improve the event's European spin-off and contribute to the integration of science in society at European level. The Esciential IE project recorded numerous successes, welcoming over 32 500 visitors in 13 days and receiving widespread media coverage. More than 250 websites and online news sites, 30 television networks and 30 radio stations covered the festival's events. Project partners met their awareness and publicity objectives with resounding success. Another major success of the project, which this time around involved new EU Member States, was its contribution to the organisation of the European Academy for Science Explainers (EASE). During the workshop, EASE participants shared their knowledge and experiences in the training phase of the guides of the Genova Science Festival, and promoted ways of communicating science and stepping up interest in the field. The main EASE initiative hosted the second international workshop on science communication, called FSE — the first festival school for students as science and society explainers of excellence — held prior to the science festival. Feedback highlighted enthusiasm for a more modern teaching methodology and more interactive activities to be included in future workshops. The Genova Science Festival offered a unique means of showcasing, presenting, illustrating and testing events. A future goal is to make the most successful of these itinerant events transferable to other EU science centres. Esciential - I.E. thus played a major role in establishing a forum for sharing experiences in science and highlighting intercultural differences as well as the different role of educational systems.
