Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ReConNeCt (Research, Connections, Networks and Culture)
Période du rapport: 2019-02-01 au 2019-10-31
2019 European Researchers Night was a jubilee edition since it was the tenth edition of Researchers' night project in Serbia. It was organized on 27th September 2019 and it covered Province of Vojvodina, a multiethnic and multicultural area with approximately 30% of the total population of Serbia (2.2 out of 7.5 mil people). Geographical focal points were three main cities of Vojvodina: Novi Sad (400.000) Subotica (140.000) Zrenjanin (80.000). However, in 2019. the celebration was marked in five additional cities (Indjija, Kanjiza, Kikinda, Pancevo, and Sabac ). For the fourth time Pancevo (75.000) and Sabac (75.000) and for the second time, Indjija (30.000) and for the first time Kikinda (38.000) and Kanjiza (10.000) participated in the project and organized activities during the night.
In well organized and logically connected sequence, the project focused on showing and scrutinizing the faces of researchers – introducing the researchers in their global connections - junior and senior, females and males, international in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, medicine, and arts, at work and in leisure in science existing in 2019. Host cities and Provincial government systematically support the project in all its phases so it developed a truly regional character with a high impact across all important segments of the public.
One of the objectives in 2019 edition was to improve networking with other national/international projects involved in science popularization, through mutual support of events and exchange of ideas, experiences, and people.
Keywords describing the objectives of the EU RN project are global connections, attractive, innovative, futuristic, understanding, connecting, facilitating. At the same time, these keywords perfectly describe researchers and science.
To achieve these objectives in a way that would be equally acceptable and understandable to each and every visitor, regardless of their age and education, program offered a balanced combination of science-linked activities (demonstrations, simulations, hands-on experiments) and festive ones (games, sport, quizzes, competitions, and music). Activities during the Night included scientific demonstrations realized by researchers, hands-on experiments, workshops for children, competitive, sport, and music activities, as well as meetings with scientists in cafés in a relaxed atmosphere.
In well organized and logically connected sequence, the project focused on showing and scrutinizing the faces of researchers – introducing the researchers in their global connections - junior and senior, females and males, international in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, medicine, and arts, at work and in leisure in science existing in 2019. Host cities and Provincial government systematically support the project in all its phases so it developed a truly regional character with a high impact across all important segments of the public.
One of the objectives in 2019 edition was to improve networking with other national/international projects involved in science popularization, through mutual support of events and exchange of ideas, experiences, and people.
Keywords describing the objectives of the EU RN project are global connections, attractive, innovative, futuristic, understanding, connecting, facilitating. At the same time, these keywords perfectly describe researchers and science.
To achieve these objectives in a way that would be equally acceptable and understandable to each and every visitor, regardless of their age and education, program offered a balanced combination of science-linked activities (demonstrations, simulations, hands-on experiments) and festive ones (games, sport, quizzes, competitions, and music). Activities during the Night included scientific demonstrations realized by researchers, hands-on experiments, workshops for children, competitive, sport, and music activities, as well as meetings with scientists in cafés in a relaxed atmosphere.
Awareness Campaign
The main target of the awareness campaign
o The public at large regardless of age and scientific background;
o Specific targets: students and alumni, researchers and teaching staff, school teachers, teenagers, kids, and elementary school pupils, funders, policymakers, local industrials, parents, adults…
Pre-events:
o 6 half days training in communication for researchers and personnel involved in the activities;
o Marathon run for the youngest as a celebration of NASA 50 years Moon landing;
o Several conventional public promotions;
o Science connecting life: lectures in schools;
Communication tools
Offline
o Publication of articles, announcements, advertising in written media (newspapers, magazines);
o Airing of promotional spots, interviews, programs on TV and radio stations;
o Researchers' night newsletter also open to contributions from individuals;
o Featuring 10 research groups, working on state-of-the-art topics from different fields, and use of their image on the various promotional materials planned;
o Involvement of those research groups in all the awareness activities implying contact with the targeted audience;
o Launch of the competition “Best research group”;
o Appearances in TV and print media (including RTV Vojvodina, public broadcast service);
o Mailing of RN newsletter to University’s employees, students, and other partners;
Activities during the night
Connecting with Scientists –meet and chat with 10 researchers
Connecting Science hands-on experiments and demonstrations
Science and Play –connect with researchers through joint activities
Search and Connect –Interactive science quizzes
Science: Connecting Lives –Several lectures were given in schools during the awareness campaign.
Science and Culture This segment had the theme of cultural heritage specific for Serbia and in particular for Vojvodina region, as a part of celebrating 2018 as the European Year of Cultural Heritage.
Connecting Kids and Science Presentation of the next generations of scientists
Euro Connection - The EU corners had hosted the information desk, interactive quizzes and games for visitors
Overview of the results
o Exhibition stands;
o Hands-on experiments;
o Demos;
o Lectures:
o Conception, realization, and display of promotional material (over 100.000 items);
o Public advertising (billboards) and advertisement on public transport (busses, bus-stops in the city center) billboards, advertisements at bus stops, and inside city buses, advertising in shopping center BIG Novi Sad;
o Organization of a national press conference;
o Airing of news, announcements, ads and reports about the Serbian funded project and ReConNeCt project specifically on radio and TV stations, amongst which 47 radio news and announcements and 28 TV + radio shows, news and reports;
o Revamping, updating, and maintenance of the project website www.nocistrazivaca.rs ;
o Over 12.000 sessions and 5.000 unique visitors, average time 2 minutes, 3 pages opened;
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of social network profiles;
o Over 7.000 likes on Facebook;
o Links with popular and institutional websites;
o Organization of pre-events:
o Round table discussion about a state of the art science topics;
o 47 visits to primary and secondary schools;
o Over 900.000 people made aware of the Researchers' night and its objectives.
o Active involvement of over 372 researchers, amongst which:
o 5 having benefitted from Marie Curie schemes;
o 14 having benefitted from another EU support (FP 7, HORIZON 2020;)
o Over 35.000 visitors having taken part in the activities offered, distributed as follows:
• Novi Sad 16.500
• Subotica 10.000
• Zrenjanin 4.500
• Indjija 2.800
• Kikinda 700
• Kanjiza 400
• Sabac 800
The main target of the awareness campaign
o The public at large regardless of age and scientific background;
o Specific targets: students and alumni, researchers and teaching staff, school teachers, teenagers, kids, and elementary school pupils, funders, policymakers, local industrials, parents, adults…
Pre-events:
o 6 half days training in communication for researchers and personnel involved in the activities;
o Marathon run for the youngest as a celebration of NASA 50 years Moon landing;
o Several conventional public promotions;
o Science connecting life: lectures in schools;
Communication tools
Offline
o Publication of articles, announcements, advertising in written media (newspapers, magazines);
o Airing of promotional spots, interviews, programs on TV and radio stations;
o Researchers' night newsletter also open to contributions from individuals;
o Featuring 10 research groups, working on state-of-the-art topics from different fields, and use of their image on the various promotional materials planned;
o Involvement of those research groups in all the awareness activities implying contact with the targeted audience;
o Launch of the competition “Best research group”;
o Appearances in TV and print media (including RTV Vojvodina, public broadcast service);
o Mailing of RN newsletter to University’s employees, students, and other partners;
Activities during the night
Connecting with Scientists –meet and chat with 10 researchers
Connecting Science hands-on experiments and demonstrations
Science and Play –connect with researchers through joint activities
Search and Connect –Interactive science quizzes
Science: Connecting Lives –Several lectures were given in schools during the awareness campaign.
Science and Culture This segment had the theme of cultural heritage specific for Serbia and in particular for Vojvodina region, as a part of celebrating 2018 as the European Year of Cultural Heritage.
Connecting Kids and Science Presentation of the next generations of scientists
Euro Connection - The EU corners had hosted the information desk, interactive quizzes and games for visitors
Overview of the results
o Exhibition stands;
o Hands-on experiments;
o Demos;
o Lectures:
o Conception, realization, and display of promotional material (over 100.000 items);
o Public advertising (billboards) and advertisement on public transport (busses, bus-stops in the city center) billboards, advertisements at bus stops, and inside city buses, advertising in shopping center BIG Novi Sad;
o Organization of a national press conference;
o Airing of news, announcements, ads and reports about the Serbian funded project and ReConNeCt project specifically on radio and TV stations, amongst which 47 radio news and announcements and 28 TV + radio shows, news and reports;
o Revamping, updating, and maintenance of the project website www.nocistrazivaca.rs ;
o Over 12.000 sessions and 5.000 unique visitors, average time 2 minutes, 3 pages opened;
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of social network profiles;
o Over 7.000 likes on Facebook;
o Links with popular and institutional websites;
o Organization of pre-events:
o Round table discussion about a state of the art science topics;
o 47 visits to primary and secondary schools;
o Over 900.000 people made aware of the Researchers' night and its objectives.
o Active involvement of over 372 researchers, amongst which:
o 5 having benefitted from Marie Curie schemes;
o 14 having benefitted from another EU support (FP 7, HORIZON 2020;)
o Over 35.000 visitors having taken part in the activities offered, distributed as follows:
• Novi Sad 16.500
• Subotica 10.000
• Zrenjanin 4.500
• Indjija 2.800
• Kikinda 700
• Kanjiza 400
• Sabac 800
Developed concept offered more interaction between the researchers and visitors and better public participation in the event. Coffe with scientists, interactive science quizzes, treasure hunt and other social activities with researchers (sport, gaming and painting) were organised in order to offer more space and time for interaction with visitors, more time to friend to each other. While discovering the fascinating aspects of their jobs, the visitors had the unique opportunity to learn about their hopes, dreams, hobbies, concerns, and perceive them as “ordinary people”. In addition, the activities of the Night will gave the young an opportunity to take part in something that is beyond everyday routine and to operate and play with sophisticated equipment under the supervision of expert-adults.
Researchers’ community from the whole region was invited to apply with experiments and demonstrations and take part themselves. Researchers were additionally motivated to design some new experiments in order to refresh ideas and intensify interacting with visitors. With 372 researchers participating in Researchers’ Night 2019, ranging from MSc students to full professors, we are extremely satisfied.
Researchers’ community from the whole region was invited to apply with experiments and demonstrations and take part themselves. Researchers were additionally motivated to design some new experiments in order to refresh ideas and intensify interacting with visitors. With 372 researchers participating in Researchers’ Night 2019, ranging from MSc students to full professors, we are extremely satisfied.