Open Researchers

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - OPENRESEARCHERS (Open Researchers)

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

‘Open Researchers’ is designed to increase the awareness of research as a solution to the numerous challenges faced by citizens all around the world and mainly in Europe. According to the European project Stimula, Europe is suffering a decline in the study of science and technology. Especially, Spain is suffering a serious “vocational scientific crisis”. Particularly, the proportion of women choosing science and technology studies still remain below men and the choice of discipline is highly gender dependent. In addition, there is a lack of awareness of the role and activities of scientists nowadays. Reasons are the limited access to scientific culture for children, young people, and ordinary people and to do not see science and technology as career options from the professional point of view. Therefore, the Night looks for furthering recognition to scientists work and to their responsibilities and opportunities for contributing to the solution of daily problems.
'Open Researchers' aims precisely to become a platform for the public to have easy access to research and its protagonists, people who devote their life to research. The aim is to promote an activity to allow open access to researchers, free of gender stereotypes, with transparency so that research and science are nearby and accessible by the public.
The project achieved its objectives and proved to be successful. The effectiveness of the European Researchers' Night was demonstrated in the 2016 and 2017 editions, with over 68.000 attendes the first year, and 75.000 the second one. The event reached a large audience that come to discover science and the work of researchers. In fact, almost 60 % visitors were newcomers. Before the activity, one in five participants indicated that such work was little known or had little implication for society. After participating in the event, up to 88% stated that they had improved their perception of the task of researchers.

WP1
o Conception, realisation of promotional material, such as posters, programmes, roll ups, photo calls, postcards, T-shirts, stickers, brochures, canvas and banners displayed in libraries, shops and restaurants of the cities;
o Graphic and audio-visual coverage of the activities, production of 48 promotional videos and news, official acts...
o Public advertising: billboards, city lights, display of promotional material in streets, public spaces, both static and dynamic (bicycles);
o Advertising in public places and public transport: panels, bus stops, buses, shopping malls, buildings' facades, street marketing…
o Direct promotion during other public events;
o Airing of announcements/advertising/programmes/interviews on radio and TV stations: national and regional stations, media partnership with regional radio and TV station RTVA;
o Invitations sent (popular and institutional websites, municipalities and region capitals, media, schools, associations of parents/students, chambers of commerce, public services and foundations…);
o Mailings and phone calls to institutions, opinion leaders, researchers from participating institutions;
o Sending of the detailed programme to 300 mass media;
o Organisation of over 100 pre-events:
o Visits: schools, regional/local institutions, educational institutions, teachers centres, associations;
o Meetings with institutions and companies;
o Teaser events in public spaces;
o Organisation of 8 press conferences;
o Publication of press releases and press notes displayed to Andalusian cities prior to the event;
o Setting up and dissemination of a general press dossier and of 8 specific ones for each province involved;
o Publication of 648 on- and off-line articles, interviews, announcements, advertising in the main newspapers of the cities;
o Revamping, constant updating of the project website www.lanochedelosinvestigadores.es (national) and Andalusian www.lanochedelosinvestigadores.fundaciondescubre.es (ERN features, characters, schedule, witnesses, news, programme…);
o Links with popular and institutional websites, notably those of participating institutions;
o 107.529 visits and 351.547 pages visited on the official site;
o Revamping and constant updating of social networks profiles;
o 492 new likers on Facebook, over 11.000 followers;
o 694 new followers on Twitter;
o 48 videos uploaded on YouTube;
o Announcement of the event in on-line agendas of universities and participating institutions;
o Sending of newsletters;
o About 2.900.000 people made aware of the European Researchers' Night and its objectives.

WP2
Tasks undertaken
o Offer of the activities as described in Annex I Part B to the grant Agreement, namely:
o 518 activities (+10.68% over 2016) in the eight Andalusian provinces, Ceuta and Melilla, as planned in the Annex I part B to the Grant Agreement, namely:
o 296 hands-on experiments, science shows and workshops;
o 127 debates and micro talks with researchers;
o 64 hands-on experiments and workshops designed for kids;
o 23 leisure activities;
o 8 European Corners.
o Active involvement of 2.485 researchers, of whom:
o 30 having benefitted from MSC schemes;
o 176 having benefited form another EU support (FP 7, HORIZON 2020)
o Attendance of 75.000 participants having taken part in the activities offered, distributed as follows:
o Almería: 12,000
o Cádiz: 6,000
o Córdoba: 9,000
o Granada: 15,000
o Huelva: 5,00
o Jaén: 8,000
o Málaga: 10,000
o Sevilla: 10,000

WP3
Tasks undertaken
o Self-administered questionnaires distributed to attendees at their arrival;
o Ex post on-line questionnaire: selection of a representative sample based on coordinates provided on paper forms and invitation to take part in on-line survey;
o On-line survey addressing researchers involved:
o E-mail invitation to all the researchers involved in the activities of the Andalucía Researchers’ Night;
o Three follow-up contacts (by email and telephone if needed);
o Semi-structured telephone interviews:
o Based on phone mentioned on postcard displayed at the arrival;
o Selection of the sample based on relevant stratification criteria as sex, age, province and type of activity;
o Self-administered questionnaires distributed and collected at the end of the activities;
o Reward of the participation with a small gift;
o Techniques:
o Monitoring: estimation of number of attendees: counter, number of stickers/pins distributed (volunteers);

Overview of the results WP3
o Conception, collection and processing of feedbacks, based
o Main conclusions:
o Typology of respondents: important presence of young people (over 25 % under 15, 62 % under 35, 59 % female and 41 % male, About 75 % with a high educational background, 5% having come alone, 95 % accompanied by family members, friends or both (respectively 49 %, 37 % and 8 %), 59 % newcomers, with 30 % newcomers in any activity of science dissemination;
o Overall positive feedback about the events (activities, contacts with researchers, venues, locations, concrete organisation, scheduling) (95 % liked the activities);
o Acquisition of new knowledge for 95 % of respondents;
o General intention to take part in future similar events (97%);
o Overall satisfaction of the researchers (54 % female, 72 % under 45) involved (8,3/10) and intention expressed by 97 % to be involved in further events;
o Awareness about the importance of science dissemination for 87 % respondents and 88 % researchers
o General wish for more frequent similar events, from both respondents and researchers.

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Periodic Reporting for period 2 - OPENRESEARCHERS (Open Researchers)

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