in Search Of Certainty - Interactive Event To inspire Young people

Project Information

SOCIETY

Grant agreement ID: 722963

DOI

10.3030/722963

Project closed

EC signature date 7 June 2016

Start date 1 June 2016

End date 30 November 2017

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 155 375,00

EU contribution

€ 155 375,00

Coordinated by

ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SOCIETY (in Search Of Certainty - Interactive Event To inspire Young people)

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

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

SOCIETY (in Search Of Certainty – Interactive Event To inspire Young People) European Researchers' Night (ERN) events took place, as planned, in 5 cities of Emilia-Romagna region (Italy), covering a large and very active territory, in terms of research and business. Since Bologna is the main city of the region (local capital city) as well the place in which the first University in the Western world was born and all the partners have the main facilities (laboratories and departments), Bologna hosted the most part of the activities planned for the Night events. UNIBO also organized the activities in Forlì, Cesena, Ravenna and Rimini, where University of Bologna's campus districts are located (University of Bologna is the most extensive of all Italian universities and one the most popular in terms of enrolled students, around 84000). In addition, events were held in Predappio and Faenza, where university facilities or courses were available.
Besides the main and general objectives of European Researchers' Night, SOCIETY aimed to produce a flexible and effective Night co-design approach, in which researchers together with society at large conceived the event programme. The co-design strategy was intended to achieve these specific following goals:
o Inspiring secondary schools students on embracing research and science career, especially in Europe;
o Favouring a cultural change which can contribute to shrink gender inequalities in research employment and career choice;
o Fostering the alliance among local research community and society at large, including citizens, schools, media and industrial players ;
o Mobilising a broad range of societal interlocutors in discussing the relevance of research and innovation for all citizens through activities during the Night and actions on website and social media ;
o Stimulating researchers to creatively and effectively communicate their work and their passion for research to the public.
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

"Overview of the results of WP1 2017 (2 period ):

o Setting up of project's graphic identity, to be declined on all promotional materials displayed in several places of the city and around;
o Conception, production and display of promotional material: posters, roll-ups , leaflets, programmes…;
o Advertising by each partner institution through their own website, social networks profiles and newsletters;
o Revamping , constant updating and maintenance of project website http://nottedeiricercatori-society.eu/edizione2017 ;
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of social networks profiles;
o Organisation of pre-events:
o regrouped under the hashtag ""#AspettandoLaNotte ;
o promoted through social media channels and project website, : http://nottedeiricercatori-society.eu/edizione2017/aspettando-la-notte-2017/;
o special pre-event in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art “Science Invaders”: with seven researchers for seven art works, measuring the link between science, creativity and passionate study of reality;
o Pre-events specifically addressed to schools and students:
o See and you'll find (September 2017): with the yearly educational program provided by “Il Mulino” publishing house: informal conference on careers in research for secondary schools, debate between 3 researchers from different fields (science/humanities) on “Travelling in time.Research's new challenges” (nearly 150 participants);
o Special lessons (September 2017) (over 55 lessons on different topics organized on big challenges) during days prior to the event, addressing Bologna's secondary schools students, about 1.500 attendees;
o Workshop on English literature (Forlì, September 2017) ;
o Conferences and activities on “How to save the Earth with science and research” (Earth Day) in collaboration with Bologna Municipality-Energy and environment Show Room in the frame of Prg GSE 015-1-IT02-KA201-014774;
o Informative desk dedicated to ERN during AlmaOrienta, the event of the University of Bologna addressing future students to present courses and school, attended by 30.000 people.

Overview of the results of WP2 2017(second period) :
Offer of the activities as described in the Annex I Part B to the Grant Agreement, namely:
o Overall selected theme: In search of Certainty;
o Over 180 activities;
o Disciplines: hard science, life sciences, humanities, engineering and technology
o Showing how Research is relevant for the daily life of all of us, presenting researchers as dedicated people passionate and enthusiastic about science;
o Organised around lines and stations of an urban rail network, mixing scientific and research concepts with artistic and entertaining means to especially attract people without a particular scientific background;
o Dissemination of EU project results;
o Location in informal settings, in central venues, where the public usually goes out to spend free time with friends, or in well-known cultural institutions of the city, as well as “research venues” allowing the public to discover where researchers do their job;
o About 495 researchers actively involved, amongst which:
o 14 having benefitted from MSc ;
o 43 having benefitted from another EU support (FP 7, HORIZON 2020);
o Almost 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)

Overview of the results for WP 3 2017 Impact Assesment:

Collection, analysis and processing of 142 feedbacks from the pre-event survey and 118 during the vent itself, namely 260 feedbacks in total;
o Main conclusions:
o Typology of respondents: majority of female (both pre-and ongoing surveys), over 88 % high school (pre-event survey), 33 % working in private sector and over 25 % university students (ongoing survey), mostly coming from the cities involved and the region Emilia Romagna itself, relative short permanence during the event (; majority of newcomers (both pre and ongoing surveys);
o Overall positive feedback about the events themselves (activities, contacts with researchers, venues and locations, concrete organisation, scheduling);
o improved opinion about researchers, their work and its positive impact on citizens' daily lives;
o Improved interest for science and research;
o Improved interest for research careers for young people.

The Researchers Night Society in Bologna: hands-on activities

The Researchers Night Society in Bologna