Road to Friday of Science and Art

Project Information

ReFocuS Art

Grant agreement ID: 101061356

DOI

10.3030/101061356

Project closed

EC signature date 4 May 2022

Start date 1 May 2022

End date 31 December 2023

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 267 050,00

Coordinated by

CENTAR ZA PROMOCIJU NAUKE
Serbia

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

Reporting period: 2023-05-01 to 2023-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ReFocuS Art (Road to Friday of Science and Art) project aims to raise public awareness about the importance and positive role of science for and in society by bringing the researchers into the general public's focus. The 2020 year demonstrated the necessity for the state of the art of science in everyday life and large creativity in the research process to respond to contemporary challenges.
Using Science is art as an overall theme, we want to promote the creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills of researchers and artists as an imperative for the development of science and society. In this way, we want to inspire and stimulate young people to be innovative and to seek creative solutions to different problems and challenges.
Creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking are fundamental for the careers of today's generations. The same skills are crucial for the researcher's career and instrumental in art as well. Science and art may have different subjects and audiences but share an investigative spirit, motivation, and skills. Both artists and researchers strive to see the world in new ways, and when they succeed in those endeavors, the general public acquires a novel perspective and new knowledge. Both are based on the process that can encourage creativity, critical thinking, and questioning the world around us.


The project reached its objectives and proved to be successful. Reached overall objectives are:
o Promote the creative thinking and problem-solving skills of researchers as an imperative for the development of science and society;
o Inspire and stimulate young people to be innovative and to seek creative solutions to different problems;
o Encourage scientists to enhance engagement with citizens in their research projects;
o Exemplify partnership of citizens and researchers on important topics of public interest;
o Explain science by using popular formats such as workshops, quizzes, interactive experiments, debates, scientific popular films, competitions, art, and scientific approaches, etc., instead of using the usual scientific articles;
o Illustrate transparency and reproducibility of research;
o Raise public awareness of the researchers’ contribution to general progress and development;
o Improve/increase the trust of visitors in science/scientists;
o Encourage and support the development of young people as future scientist generation;
o Break stereotypes that stand in the way of young people, especially girls taking careers in science;
o Promote and support networking and mobility of ideas among young people;
o Highlight the importance of the EU support to researchers and scientific research in Serbia and everyday life in general;
o Encourage EU-funded researchers to contribute and interact as much as possible with visitors by displaying their projects and promoting the use of research and
o Improve networking with other national/international projects involved in science popularization through mutual support of events and exchange of ideas, experiences, and people

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The activities occurred in 13 cities and 42 diverse venues throughout Serbia, including research institutes, old streets, houses, museums, archaeological sites, fortresses, science clubs, shopping malls, city parks, and libraries. Some activities were exclusively online, allowing reaching the public outside proposed cities. The diversity of partners in the project, both cultural and scientific institutions, will expand the general image of how and why science and researchers are essential for society.
During the awareness campaign and the Night event, 319 activities were presented in 2023:
- 51 hands-on experiments,
- 38 demos,
- 28 experiments,
- 25 exhibitions,
- 98 workshops,
- 14 quizzes,
- 03 games,
- 04 theater/performances,
- 11 Informal talks with researchers,
- 32 lectures,
- 15 guided tours.


Estimates are that around 1.000.000 people in Serbia were made aware of European Researchers' Night and its objectives based on the media and social media reach. Also, the estimated number of attendees is continuously high, 65 000.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Researchers' Night can have a long-term measurable socio-economic impact on society. Furthermore, it influences the relationship between research institutions, universities, and non-academic institutions that work in the same field and cooperate on the project. ReFocuS Art positively impacted the relationships between the researchers' community and reputable cultural, educational, and EU institutions such as the French Institute in Niš, the University Library in Niš, the National Museum, and EU Delegation in Serbia. The cooperation which started while preparing and organizing the Researchers' Night is continued through popular science lectures and workshop sets that take place independently from this event.

ReFocuS Art edition continued the tradition of spreading scientific culture and strengthening scientific literacy in Serbia. Enrolment of 11 Science clubs across Serbia as science hubs in local communities: in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zaječar, Kragujevac, Leskovac, Čačak, Kruševac, Ranovac, Šabac, Niš and Kikinda was a part of Night activities together with the Pirot and Inđija.

Researchers’ Night events in science clubs are organized in the form of Researchers week, with proven success. The audience emphasized the importance of organizing events where the research community and institutions are scarce or non-existent and science promotion is limited to enthusiastic schoolteachers and school clubs.

The Researchers at school activities gave a new perspective to the ERN in Serbia. It was a novel opportunity for the schools to join and pair with the researchers. Projects were explicitly designed to contribute to open science and citizen science with outcomes in ERN 2023.

All the above-mentioned reinforced networking and Researchers’ Night activities will undoubtedly contribute to a constant improvement of the public image of researchers and their jobs and the awareness about opportunities related to the choice of a science-linked career.

Press conference in EU info center Belgrade

Promotional material with visual identity for the 2023

Researchers at school - Lets create

ERN 2023 - panel and opening

Logo ERN 2023

Researchers at school - Green diary

Web site ERN 2023

ERN 2023 Bilboards

ERN 2023 Museum of Science and technology and Science club

Pre-events ERN 2023

ERN 2023 in Serbia - several locations

Promotional material with visual identity for the 2023

ERN 2023 in Serbia - several locations