Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FF16_17 (Researchers\' Night in Sweden - ForskarFredag 2016-2017)

Teaser

Objectiveso To bring researchers to the general public. To create festive meeting points for researchers and the general public across the whole country. The events will offer something for everyone, regardless of age, education level or scientific background;o To increase...

Summary

Objectives
o To bring researchers to the general public. To create festive meeting points for researchers and the general public across the whole country. The events will offer something for everyone, regardless of age, education level or scientific background;
o To increase awareness of research and innovation activities, reaching the largest and widest possible audience;
o To support the public recognition of researchers, improve public attitudes towards researchers and tackle existing stereotypical images by engaging researchers with a diversity of disciplines, age, gender, ethnicity …;
o To create an understanding of the impact of researchers\' work on citizen\'s daily life by engaging researchers from local universities and enterprises and choosing topics close to people’s daily lives;
o To encourage young people to embark on scientific careers;
o To generate direct exchange and interactivity between researchers and the public;
o To highlight the international dimension of research;
o To gain experience, draw conclusions and disseminate results that will help to inform and improve future events.

Work performed

Overview of the results:
o Conception, production and display of promotional material: posters, programmes and flyers distributed by local organisers to libraries, upper secondary schools, politicians, university staff, students and organisations;
o Public advertising through posters put up in streets and on notice boards billboards and digital screens by major roads, digital screens on campuses, city centres, libraries, outdoors banners, beach flags…;
o Publication of announcements and advertisements in the written press (newspapers, students\' magazines) and weekly calendars;
o Publication of press releases and other communications addressing journalists ( leading to articles in newspapers and news on radio and television);
o Pre-event: engagement of 1.500 pupils in the 2016 mass experiment, the Notice Board “Anslagstavlan”;
o Airing of announcements, interviews, notably about Researchers\' Grand Prix, on several radio and TV stations;
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of project website www.forskarfredag.se;
o Revamping of Researchers’ Grand Prix, www.forskargrandprix.se, (part of the Researchers’ Night activities( national information and local pages for each local competition, linked closely with www.forskarfredag.se );
o 30.717 page views during the period and 42.006 page views during the period (Grand Prix);
o Links of the website with EU websites and popular local organisers\'\' websites;
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of social network profiles Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube;
o 6.000 followers on Twitter ;
o 400 followers on Instagram;
o 1.250 -1.400 likes on Facebook, 23.000 views of the Facebook campaign;
o Cooperation with the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR) and the Nobel Museum through UR podcast;
o Posting of press releases online, national and local;
o Newsletters to target groups, both by VA, the local organisers and their partner organisations;
o Publication of the events on several calendars;
o Several millions of people made aware of the European Researchers\' Night and its objectives.

o Offer of the activities as described in the Annex I part B to the Grant Agreement :
o Participation of a record number of 31cities ;
o About 400 activities offered:
 119 hands-on experiments, experiments;
 113 lab visits, shows, demonstrations, and competitions such as science slams and the Researchers’ Grand Prix;
 164 involving dialogue with researchers: workshops; talks in smaller groups; breakfast/coffee/lunch with researchers; science cafés, speed dating; after work; borrow a researcher;
o Participation of 1.500 pupils across the country in the mass experiment (annual citizen science-project) “The Notice board”;
o Generation of 1.500 collaborations with the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR), the Nobel Museum and the Swedish Space Board;
o Active involvement of 546 researchers, of whom:
o 7 having benefitted from MSC schemes;
o 5 having benefitted from another EU support (FP 7-HORIZON 2020);
o Attendance of 15.257 visitors having taken part in the activities offered.

Final results

o Collection, analysis and processing of about 2.400 feedbacks from visitors, teachers bringing their classes, researchers and other participants (questionnaires as well as some in-depth interviews based on common instructions provided by coordinator) corresponding to 11,3% of the visitors and 50% of the researchers and participants.
o Main conclusions:
o Nearly 50% of the responding visitors were 16-18 years old, 21% 13-15 years old.
o 51% of visitors were female, 44% male and 5% had another gender identification.
o 55% of the visitors stated they were currently studying at upper secondary school. 30% of the visitors stated they were currently basic school pupils. 8% had studied at university or university college for at least two years.
o Overall positive feedback regarding the events (activities, interest, contacts with researchers, concrete organisation, scheduling, venues and locations);
o Increased number of interactions between attendees and researchers;
o Improved attitudes to researchers;
o Increased awareness about research\'s impact on daily lives;
o Stimulation for embarking on a science career;
o Positive feedback from teachers. 79% answered that their pupils had found the visit interesting. 94% of the teachers answered that the visit provided extra value to their lessons (“Yes” or “partly”). 72% answered that their class had neither visited nor been visited by researchers in any other context than ForskarFredag.
o Extremely positive feedback from researchers: they considered the experience as inspiring for young people (80%), gained new insights or ideas from the visitors (72%), become more positive about engaging with the public (75%), development of their activities for those having already participated (63%), and 96% express the intention of participating again.

Website & more info

More info: https://forskarfredag.se/researchers-night/.