Project description
Public engagement in research in Scotland
EXPLORATHON has been successfully promoting science and research in Scotland since 2014. The EU-funded EXPLORATHON 2021 project will perform digital and on-site events across Scotland, building on its expertise in engaging researchers. It will also use social media and marketing to bring researchers closer to citizens. The project will apply different styles of engagement, from comedy to fun hands-on science experiments, reaching audiences in rural and remote areas to raise awareness about research and innovation activities. EXPLORATHON 2021 will target upper primary and secondary school students to spark their interest in scientific careers and address the stereotypes about research.
Objective
Our proposal builds on the success of EXPLORATHON in Scotland from 2014 to date and will deliver a blockbuster edition
of the NIGHT across all of Scotland, utilizing both digital events as well as face-to-face events. Our pan-Scotland partnership learned significant lessons in our online only delivery in 2020 which will allow us to reach more audiences, leave a lasting digital legacy and upskill researchers in how to achieve digital as well as traditional engagement.
We will engage with audiences in the main urban centres in Scotland as well as in hard to reach audiences in rural areas and geographically isolated communities in the Highlands and Islands.
We will use our full expertise of marketing, social media and styles of engagement to mobilise our researchers and train them to engage with the public. We will use a variety of different styles of engagement from comedy to drama, to online and fun hands-on science
experiments to enthuse the public about research and researchers. Working with key partners across Scotland we will
showcase to secondary and upper primary aged school children the array of research careers that are on offer and bust
myths about researchers.
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
CSA - Coordination and support actionCoordinator
AB24 3FX Aberdeen
United Kingdom