EU-EMBRACES went beyond the state of the art in public engagement with science by demonstrating a scalable, year-round model for the European Researchers’ Night that integrates build-up activities, Researchers at Schools initiatives, and large public events.
The project demonstrated a strong capacity to engage audiences traditionally underrepresented in science communication, particularly young people and school communities, including juveniles in educational detention settings, residents of peripheral neighbourhoods with reduced access to services, migrant communities, and the Deaf community, contributing to increased inclusiveness and trust in research. The large-scale involvement of researchers strengthened science communication skills within institutions and fostered long-term engagement beyond the project duration.
EU-EMBRACES also advanced the integration of EU priorities, such as the EU Missions, into public engagement activities, making European-funded research more visible, locally relevant, and understandable to citizens. Harmonised communication and evaluation approaches across multiple venues generated robust impact data, contributing to improved assessment practices for large public engagement initiatives.
For further uptake and success, sustained support for year-round engagement models, stronger coordination among consortia, and continued investment in school- and community-based activities are key. At project end, EU-EMBRACES leaves a validated engagement framework, a strengthened national network of science communication actors, and an evidence base to inform future European Researchers’ Night editions and related Horizon Europe actions.
