While the word "lockdown" can be used to describe 2020, we used the words "opening up" to describe 2021. If the world is set to return to normalcy, research will play a critical role in this process. As a result, the European Researchers' Night in 2021 honored research as the hero who allowed the globe to open up.
Our event, which was themed "Opening Up Science," focused on the role of science and researchers in the process of re-opening the world. Science's impact on our lives has never been clearer or faster in the history of humanity. The concept was expanded to emphasize the importance of research in a post-Covid green recovery, a process that will enable society to progress toward a cleaner, more sustainable, carbon-neutral, and resilient future.
The event was organized by a national consortium of 6 universities centered in major Romanian university cities (Iași, Timișoara, Craiova, Constanța, and Sibiu), in partnership with their traditional partners and local authorities, as well as collaborating with local science festivals or associations.