In the period covered by the report there was organised one edition of the European Researchers' Night in Małopolska 2021.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic ERN 2021 in Małopolska was organised in the hybrid formula– participant could attend online and stationary activities (but most of activities was available online).
Over 30 institutions from 7 cities of the Małopolska Region (Kraków, Tarnów, Nowy Sącz, Niepołomice, Oświęcim, Chrzanów and Skawina) were involved in the ERN. Partners are various institutions, such as universities, research institutes, company research centres, museums, cultural centres, libraries, schools, open air (e.g. Astronomical Observatories in Krakow and Niepołomice), and their different departments, institutes, branches, etc.
Approx. 2,000 activities were offered for participants.
There was also the art contest "ECO-POWER of Researcher" organised as pre-event.
In 2021 all activities were organized under the slogan "Researchers are changing our world". We wanted to make everyone aware of the importance of the work of scientists in various areas of our lives, as well as to show – through various examples – how the work of researchers affects our daily lives and that in fact science is all around us, and thus we can see the results of the work of researchers everywhere. Particular emphasis was put on the role of researchers in the fight against environmental and climate threats, incl. the European Green Deal. During dedicated workshops and demos, scientists presented the solutions they are working on to save the planet and use natural resources more efficiently and sustainably.
Type of activities during the ERN 2021: workshops, demonstrations, shows, lectures, chats with researchers, visit to laboratories, exhibitions, contests and games, science shows – most of activities carried out in online formula, some of them also in stationary formula. All activities were addressed to all segments of the public at large.
To achieve all the goals and attract as many people as possible, from the beginning of the project we worked on promotional activities. The awareness campaign was addressed to different group of people, so that's why we used various tools (media, internet campaign, social media, the event website, radio, tv, press and direct communication to schools and other educational institutions etc.).
The impact of the event was assessed to analyse possible evolutions of the public perception of researchers and their work (in comparison with the previous years) and identify the types of activities that proved the most effective towards the achievement of the objectives. The tools used in the impact assessment methodology: surveys (for children and adults) distributed mainly via Facebook (for online participants) and filled in by participants of the stationary events, developed through Google free tools, individual interviews with selected researchers, internet survey (use of tools such as Google Analytics), as well as desk research (based on a detailed analysis of secondary data), and analysis of opinions sent electronically to the e-mail address dedicated to the event and on social networks, mainly Facebook, where everyone can submit their suggestions. All conclusions were included in the final evaluation report.
