Since its official launch in May 2024, the European Researchers' Night – Humanities Rock! project has implemented a variety of activities to reach diverse audiences. These efforts have centered on school outreach, public science engagement, media visibility, and digital communication.
A major focus has been on collaborations with educational institutions, ensuring that students across Slovenia have direct access to researchers and insights into their work. This has been achieved through school visits, interactive workshops, and partnerships with secondary schools, kindergartens, and primary schools. These activities have helped students understand the relevance of research in addressing real-world challenges, while also encouraging them to consider research careers, particularly in the humanities and social sciences.
The highlights of the project’s activities were the main events on September 27, 2024, and September 26, 2025, which took place at Center Rog and other locations in Ljubljana. These events featured interactive exhibitions, lectures, hands-on workshops, and panel discussions, allowing visitors to engage directly with researchers. The events received significant attention from Slovenian state television, national and regional radio stations, newspapers, and online media, helping to amplify the project’s message.
To further enhance outreach, the project has maintained a strong digital presence on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and a dedicated website. The use of paid and organic social media campaigns, developed in collaboration with an advertising agency, has significantly increased engagement, with videos and interactive content driving the highest levels of audience interaction. The video content featured researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, focusing on their relationship with science and their perspectives on artificial intelligence. A full-length event video documenting the main event in Ljubljana was also produced and widely shared.
Additionally, the project established partnerships with external institutions, media outlets, and other European Researchers' Night initiatives, ensuring broader European visibility and knowledge exchange.
In 2024, a key logistical success was the efficient management of the event relocation due to adverse weather conditions. The main event was relocated to Center Rog as a result of poor weather. The swift decision-making by the Project Management Team and the strong collaboration with Center Rog ensured a smooth transition with minimal disruption to planned activities. Due to the suitability of the spaces at Center Rog for hosting a scientific bazaar, lectures, workshops, and concerts, the main event in 2025 was also held there.
Over the course of 2024 and 2025, the project made significant strides in increasing public engagement with research, strengthening trust in science, and highlighting the societal relevance of the humanities and social sciences. Through a variety of workshops, events, and outreach activities, it successfully brought research closer to diverse audiences, fostering curiosity and dialogue. The initiative also promoted interdisciplinary collaboration, connecting researchers from different fields and creating opportunities for shared learning. By engaging both students and the wider public, the project inspired future generations of researchers and contributed to a broader understanding of the value of humanities and social sciences in society.
