Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BRIGHT-NIGHT (BRIGHT-NIGHT Researchers’ impact in everyday Life)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-06-01 bis 2021-05-31
The BRIGHT-NIGHT project aims to improve the visibility and image of researchers among the common people in the Tuscany Region, simultaneously with all the initiatives of the European Researchers' Night (ERN). After 6 years, the name BRIGHT was refresh for the new edition adding “NIGHT” for playing on the concept that it will be a night in which the future will seem brighter thanks to the outcome of research and the passion of researchers. The project lasts from Friday to Saturday on the date scheduled for ERN: hundreds of fun and exciting activities involving the main Tuscan cities, followed on from a set of preparatory events. Main topics: the 20th anniversary of the European Charter of Rights and the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations.
Overall objectives
- Setting up a two-way exchange of knowledge and expertise (scientists to people) and expectations (people to scientists)
- Performing two days of entertainment linked by a set of preparatory events. Researchers will be there showing what they do, the problems they are trying to solve, disseminating the achieved results. The atmosphere will be informal, with a mix of friendly science talks, food, wine, music and theatrical performances, within everybody’s grasp, from children to elderly people.
- Making pupils, students, young people and their families interested in a research career to increase the number of would-be scientists;
- Engaging academies, other research institutions, local and regional authorities, funding agencies and other stakeholders in a common action
- Stressing the relevance of the European dimension and international supporting networks as the typical framework for researchers to best carry out their activities;
- Synchronizing and merging all the events of the BRIGHT-NIGHT partners and collaborating bodies
- Putting in place a science-people interface through a double way of engagement of researchers and the general public
Conclusions
The specificity of the 2020 edition, designed and realized totally online, has determined the settlement of new workflows and the definition of a unique place of the event - necessarily virtual - which has constituted a further element of aggregation among the partners of the consortium.
Overall objectives
- Setting up a two-way exchange of knowledge and expertise (scientists to people) and expectations (people to scientists)
- Performing two days of entertainment linked by a set of preparatory events. Researchers will be there showing what they do, the problems they are trying to solve, disseminating the achieved results. The atmosphere will be informal, with a mix of friendly science talks, food, wine, music and theatrical performances, within everybody’s grasp, from children to elderly people.
- Making pupils, students, young people and their families interested in a research career to increase the number of would-be scientists;
- Engaging academies, other research institutions, local and regional authorities, funding agencies and other stakeholders in a common action
- Stressing the relevance of the European dimension and international supporting networks as the typical framework for researchers to best carry out their activities;
- Synchronizing and merging all the events of the BRIGHT-NIGHT partners and collaborating bodies
- Putting in place a science-people interface through a double way of engagement of researchers and the general public
Conclusions
The specificity of the 2020 edition, designed and realized totally online, has determined the settlement of new workflows and the definition of a unique place of the event - necessarily virtual - which has constituted a further element of aggregation among the partners of the consortium.
o M1 JUNE 2020: 1st General Assembly - KICKOFF: possible scenarios related to the covid emergency / website / internal communication strategy / branded materials / impact assessment phases / graphic kit
o M2 JULY 2020: 1st Steering Committee: approval of the Consortium Agreement | Communication Team: communication plan / graphic kit / workflow of the website update
o M3 AUGUST 2020: Communication Team: website architecture definition
o M4 SEPTEMBER 2020: Communication Team: follow up for website content, media plan consolidation
o M5 OCTOBER 2020: 2nd General Assembly: presentation of activities / verification of critical issues related to the COVID emergency | 2nd Steering Committee: it is resolved that the 2020 edition will be held entirely online
o M6 NOVEMBER 2020: Regional press conference | The Night
o M7 DECEMBER 2020 : Debrief and Flash Questionnaire | Collection of monitoring data and promotional materials
o M8 JANUARY 2021: Drafting Report Awareness Campaign D.1.1 and Promotional materials Report D.1.2
o M9 FEBRUARY 2021: Delivery of D.1.1 and D.1.2 | Drafting The Activities of the Night Report D.2.1
o M10 MARCH 2021: Delivery of D.2.1 | Drafting Impact Assessment Report D.3.1
o M11 APRIL 2021: Delivery D.3.1
o M12 MAY 2021: Drafting Final Report D.4.2
Although the sudden change of course required a complete re-programming and therefore a much greater planning and organizational effort than expected for all the partners, having concentrated all the events in one place – the official website -, which moreover allows them to be used over time, beyond a specific date, was an added value for the event.
Among the planned initiatives, some were then declined for digital use (live or on demand), others were conceived from scratch and others were not implemented.
Events: 326 of which 29 live
Researchers: active involvement of 982 researchers, including 28 MSCA fellows and 246 having benefitted from an EU support in the framework of FP7 or Horizon 2020.
Participants:
o 19,000 in live events (172 average participants/event)
o 30,200 total views as at 28.11 (exactly at the end of the initiative)
o As each activity was then made available in asynchronous mode, the same figure was also monitored one week after the end of the initiative and a significant increase was observed: 56,000 total views as of 06.12
o M2 JULY 2020: 1st Steering Committee: approval of the Consortium Agreement | Communication Team: communication plan / graphic kit / workflow of the website update
o M3 AUGUST 2020: Communication Team: website architecture definition
o M4 SEPTEMBER 2020: Communication Team: follow up for website content, media plan consolidation
o M5 OCTOBER 2020: 2nd General Assembly: presentation of activities / verification of critical issues related to the COVID emergency | 2nd Steering Committee: it is resolved that the 2020 edition will be held entirely online
o M6 NOVEMBER 2020: Regional press conference | The Night
o M7 DECEMBER 2020 : Debrief and Flash Questionnaire | Collection of monitoring data and promotional materials
o M8 JANUARY 2021: Drafting Report Awareness Campaign D.1.1 and Promotional materials Report D.1.2
o M9 FEBRUARY 2021: Delivery of D.1.1 and D.1.2 | Drafting The Activities of the Night Report D.2.1
o M10 MARCH 2021: Delivery of D.2.1 | Drafting Impact Assessment Report D.3.1
o M11 APRIL 2021: Delivery D.3.1
o M12 MAY 2021: Drafting Final Report D.4.2
Although the sudden change of course required a complete re-programming and therefore a much greater planning and organizational effort than expected for all the partners, having concentrated all the events in one place – the official website -, which moreover allows them to be used over time, beyond a specific date, was an added value for the event.
Among the planned initiatives, some were then declined for digital use (live or on demand), others were conceived from scratch and others were not implemented.
Events: 326 of which 29 live
Researchers: active involvement of 982 researchers, including 28 MSCA fellows and 246 having benefitted from an EU support in the framework of FP7 or Horizon 2020.
Participants:
o 19,000 in live events (172 average participants/event)
o 30,200 total views as at 28.11 (exactly at the end of the initiative)
o As each activity was then made available in asynchronous mode, the same figure was also monitored one week after the end of the initiative and a significant increase was observed: 56,000 total views as of 06.12
The events organised in the framework of the BRIGHT-NIGHT addressed the whole population of Tuscany, with about 4 million inhabitants, distributed in medium-small cities (the larger city is Firenze, which has only 380.000 inhabitants). The area covered by BRIGHT-NIGHT events was much larger than the University cities alone, so that its impact went beyond the research community based in the main Tuscan cities.
Based on the experience of ERN past editions and on a solid awareness campaign, at least 500.000 people were made aware of BRIGHT-NIGHT and about 19.000 people took part in the activities offered “live” and around 56.000 people followed the event in asynchronous mode.
BRIGHT-NIGHT offered researchers a unique opportunity to explain to the general public how their work affects people everyday life, which consists of a decisive step towards popularization of research, moving it out of universities and laboratories and into the cities and among the citizens. Previous experiences in ERN proved that scientists enthusiasm becomes contagious once they start talking to people about their work, allow offering a "human face" to researchers and supporting the trust in them.
The presentation of publicly funded projects has reinforced the awareness of the fundamental importance of public funding for research, even if there are differences between research fields that are considered most important and fields considered less important. Contact with researchers – even if online this year - also helps to define a positive image of the researchers, showing their “emotional” dimension, making them friendlier, and freeing them from some common stereotypes.
Some activities specifically targeted young people, underlining the challenge within a researcher's career but it’s difficult to know if these activities will actually lead to an increase in research careers. Surely it has managed to convey a positive idea of the fascinating and exciting character of the research work. On the other hand, the researcher continues to be seen as a person who, despite being fundamental to society, has in exchange a moderate recognition, in Italy, both in economic and social terms.
Despite the fact that the 2020 edition was made in a completely new mode, giving up some much-loved activities, the data substantially show a confirmation of the previous edition and therefore a consolidation of the event in the reference territory.
The 2020 edition, totally different from the previous ones, has certainly paid the price of renouncing any direct interaction and any opportunity to meet with visitors: a factor that has greatly affected the usability and relationships with schools and families.
On the other hand, the digital edition allowed the consortium to experiment with new territories and new audiences: an experience that will be treasured in future editions.
Based on the experience of ERN past editions and on a solid awareness campaign, at least 500.000 people were made aware of BRIGHT-NIGHT and about 19.000 people took part in the activities offered “live” and around 56.000 people followed the event in asynchronous mode.
BRIGHT-NIGHT offered researchers a unique opportunity to explain to the general public how their work affects people everyday life, which consists of a decisive step towards popularization of research, moving it out of universities and laboratories and into the cities and among the citizens. Previous experiences in ERN proved that scientists enthusiasm becomes contagious once they start talking to people about their work, allow offering a "human face" to researchers and supporting the trust in them.
The presentation of publicly funded projects has reinforced the awareness of the fundamental importance of public funding for research, even if there are differences between research fields that are considered most important and fields considered less important. Contact with researchers – even if online this year - also helps to define a positive image of the researchers, showing their “emotional” dimension, making them friendlier, and freeing them from some common stereotypes.
Some activities specifically targeted young people, underlining the challenge within a researcher's career but it’s difficult to know if these activities will actually lead to an increase in research careers. Surely it has managed to convey a positive idea of the fascinating and exciting character of the research work. On the other hand, the researcher continues to be seen as a person who, despite being fundamental to society, has in exchange a moderate recognition, in Italy, both in economic and social terms.
Despite the fact that the 2020 edition was made in a completely new mode, giving up some much-loved activities, the data substantially show a confirmation of the previous edition and therefore a consolidation of the event in the reference territory.
The 2020 edition, totally different from the previous ones, has certainly paid the price of renouncing any direct interaction and any opportunity to meet with visitors: a factor that has greatly affected the usability and relationships with schools and families.
On the other hand, the digital edition allowed the consortium to experiment with new territories and new audiences: an experience that will be treasured in future editions.