START is based on the simple idea that we Start Talking About Research Today. The foundational idea is to empower communication: to encourage researchers to promote their work beyond traditional academic venues, and to enable the public to interact with research and researchers on a regular basis.
European Researchers’ Night events have been held at Trinity College Dublin every year since 2013. Co-ordinated by the Office of the Dean of Research at Trinity, and in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the ADAPT Research Centre, and Qualia Analytics, START 2022 and 2023 will expand the scope of its activities to spark deeper, more impactful engagement with the public.
Based on the idea Start Talking About Research Today, the objective is to create an event that will activate various sites around Dublin to highlight the fact that research happens everywhere and takes many forms. START will provide an opportunity for the general public and researchers to engage with each other in new ways. Through a combination of in-person and virtual activities, demonstrations, tours, talks and more, START will promote the idea that research is a living, fundamental part of our society that impacts on and involves everyone.
START will work to achieve a number of specific goals:
1. Create new dialogues between researchers and the general public that will lead to a deeper, more profound and sustained engagement with each other;
2. Raise awareness of research and research careers as positive forces in our society;
3. Highlight the role of the European Union in supporting research and discovery.
Public engagement and communications workshops will be offered to all MSCA-funded researchers, as well as other participants in the events on the Night. A series of activities and showcases will be held across a variety of locations to raise awareness in the months preceding European Researchers’ Night. The START project group has a wealth of talent and experience in public engagement activities, including previous ERN events, and the project team will draw on this expertise to ensure that START 2022/23 is grounded in best practice.
