Ever since the European Researchers' Night project initiated, our consortium used it to strengthen ties between the academic community and the public at large, bringing scientists to meet the public at eye level.
We are proud to say that over the years we have achieved that goal by running venues all over the country in both main cities and the periphery while partners also engaged the public by outreach activities at local pubs, cafes, and community centers. We have moved forward with that important concept and opened new venues that will bring scientists to a new audience to increase the number of young people that will personally meet scientists.
This year, following the COVID-19 pandemic we ran an online event attracting more than 14,562 registered users (families) who engaged in 4.7 activities on average which in terms of an online event during an era of online events is a phenomenal success.
Global objectives:
1. Enhancing public recognition of researchers and their work by providing the public and most particularly the younger generation, countrywide, with an opportunity to meet researchers within the context of festive activity and to promote interest in science, as well as to highlight the appeal of pursuing a research career.
2. Render science and scientists more accessible to the public-at-large, with a view to diminishing stereotypes about researchers and their profession. Researchers will demonstrate their hobbies alongside their scientific careers to help remove any stereotypes.
3. Celebrate researchers' and scientists' achievements under the main them of our current times "Science Makes Reality" which is strongly tight to the situation in which we were all waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine. This main theme was chosen to emphasize the important role of scientists and science in our life.
4. Ensure that the ERNI2020 awareness campaigns will be disseminated to the public in the broadcasted, printed, and electronic media, on both national and local levels, in order to reach an estimation of two and a half million people (~30% of the population).
5. Giving the NIGHT a competitive edge in order to call the public to join "yet another educational online event" in an era of the pandemic.
6. Highlight the involvement and contribution of the EU to researchers and research in our virtual campus.
the project has reached its objectives and proved to be successful
