Researchers' Night: It's Your Friday to Discover!

Project Information

LT2016

Grant agreement ID: 722959

DOI

10.3030/722959

Project closed

EC signature date 26 May 2016

Start date 1 June 2016

End date 30 November 2017

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 140 405,75

EU contribution

€ 140 405,75

Coordinated by

BALTIJOS PAZANGIU TECHNOLOGIJU INSTITUTAS
Lithuania

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LT2016 (Researchers' Night: It's Your Friday to Discover!)

Reporting period: 2017-02-01 to 2017-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The LT2016 European Researchers’ Night projects for 2016 and 2017 took place in major Lithuanian cities, i.e. Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Siauliai and Moletai, as well as in rural areas. The project aims were to enhance public recognition of researchers and their work through bringing scientists and public closer to one another and thus increasing an understanding of the impact of researchers' work on citizen's daily life as well as encouraging young people to choose careers in science and research. Both events offered a broad range of varied activities addressing all categories of the public at large, regardless of age and scientific background, i.e. notably: Meetings and activities together with researchers; Lectures, discussions; Visits to open laboratories; Real life observations and experiments; European corners; Various contests, games, exhibitions, movie and online broadcast watching. All the activities planned actively involved researchers and offered a balanced combination of "serious" activities and funny ones to be attractive for the general public. Activities were hosted in labs, lecture halls, meeting places, cafes, while in the rural areas they took place in schools or public spaces. Some activities conducted in the main sites were broadcasted online. Common concept for the Night in 2016 and 2017 was Learning about Technology Futures. Therefore activities of Researchers’ Night projects in 2016 was organised with focus on Virtual Reality thus building foundations for the Night in 2017 which focused of "science futurity" or Futures of technologies. Both events were finalised with the grand event unifying different fields - music, science and cinema. Around 1 million people were made aware of the Researchers' Night and its objectives through the awareness campaign each year of the project and 11.500-12.000 direct attendees to the various events visited European Researchers' Night in 2016 as well as in 2017. Thus the project has reached its objectives and proved to be successful.

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

- Conception, production and display of promotional material, amongst which a promotional video, posters, billboards;
- Public advertising through billboards in public spaces;

- Airing of promotional spots, programmes, live broadcast and announcements through radio and TV stations (national): on TV - LRT daily programme "Labas rytas, Lietuva", "Laba diena, Lietuva"; on the radio, such as LR daily daily programme "Ryto garsai", LR daily daily programme "Ryto allegro" and radio station LRT Opus (targeted at a younger audience) daily programme „Dienos pulsas”;
- Publication of a special newspaper (journal, 40 pages) dedicated to the events of European Researchers‘ Night with programme and distributed in universities, colleges, schools, offices of partners, coffee shops “Caffeine Roasters”;
- Direct mailing to schools (for teachers and thus indirectly for pupils) delivered to more than 500 contacts;
- Public advertising on public transport, announcing that the Researchers' night is approaching and inviting people to choose from a variety of events in the programme published online;
- Publication of press releases (for journalists, governmental institutions, other interested parties). The publicity has been ensured on the biggest news portals Delfi.lt 15min.lt as well as in the top 30 most visited online news outlets.;
- Publication of a special column „Science futurity, today and the future“ providing information about advancement of science (“sci-fi” technologies coming to daily lives) and Researchers‘ Night on one of the biggest and most popular websites in Lithuania (for public in general) on news portal 15min.lt;
- Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of social networks profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram);
- Over 960.000 people made aware of the Researchers' Night and its objectives.

Offer of the activities as planned in the Annex I Part B to the Grant Agreement, namely:
o Over 250 events in 5 biggest cities and 15 smaller towns;
o Types of activities offered: hands-on experiments, demos, simulations, science shows, guided visits to labs, European corners, live discussions, lectures, games, competitions, exhibitions, quizzes, display of films, science-art installations, interactive activities, project presentations, meetings with researchers, workshops, European corners...
o Almost 150 events hosted by about 50 high schools;
o Active involvement of 280 researchers, amongst whom:
o 1 having benefited from MSC actions;
o 15 having benefitted from another EU support (FORWARDER2020, EPN2020-IR, PHEBE, EXCILIGHT, Up2U, ENviSION, InnoITeam, CLUSDEV MED, 3Ccar, AutoDrive, SAVES2);
o Over 12. 000 visitors having taken part in the activities offered.

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)

Collection, analysis and processing of about 1.500 feedbacks, amongst which:
o 513 during the events;
o 1.000 ( public poll) conducted after the event;
Feedbacks under the form of:
o Surveys with different questionnaires;
o Semi-structured face to face interviews;
o Interviews with events' organisers from different partner organisations;
Main conclusions:
o Typology of visitors: age 55,4 % under 19, major representation of women, 66,1 % are attending school or studying, and 29,6 % are working, 36,7% primary education, 33,1 % higher education, 18,3 % secondary education, over 42 % Vilnius residents, 35,5 % from other big Lithuanian cities, from smaller cities 15,4% and from rural areas amounted up to 5,8%;
o Knowledge about the event: for the broad majority of respondents: TV broadcasts, Internet media, newspapers, social networks, family members;
o Overall positive appreciation about the events themselves (activities, interest, contacts with researchers, concrete organisation, venues and locations, scheduling...) (89%);
o Improved opinion towards researchers and their societal role;
o Highest interest in scientific and technological novelties among pupils/ students or specialists with higher education from biggest cities of Lithuania;
o Contribution of the events to improve researchers 'image in society;

Possible improvements with a view to a future similar event:
o Broaden communication in social and other media by itself;
o While communicative messages in the Internet and communication at schools reach younger participants groups, need to transmit more information for older groups or general society by communication in television or radio;
o Necessary improvement of the registration process notably by informing people on the internet site that event is already fully booked and there are no available seats;
o Improved communication with Ministry of Education and Science notably because of their existing contacts with all schools in Lithuania, which could help to inform students from smaller cities or towns about event;
o Increased involvement of volunteers;
o Earlier start of the awareness campaign, multiplication of information sources (notably addressing those who do not use social media).

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