Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SuperScienceMe (SuperScienceMe: ResEArCH in your REACH - European Researchers\' Night)

Teaser

\"SuperScienceMe involves the entire Calabrian territory: 3 universities, 6 institutions of National Research Council, and Calabria Region. The activities are based on the successful format of the Unical Researchers\' Nights previous editions extended to the regional territory...

Summary

\"SuperScienceMe involves the entire Calabrian territory: 3 universities, 6 institutions of National Research Council, and Calabria Region. The activities are based on the successful format of the Unical Researchers\' Nights previous editions extended to the regional territory, involving Calabrian research/innovation system.
The claim – Research in your reach - synthetizes in a few words the issue to be addressed: to fill the gap between research and society, in order to implement a real and effective co-designed and shared growth.
Since 2014, we have proposed a format based on high involvement of local stakeholder and general public (family, pupils, high school and universities students, researchers, policymakers, volunteer) to bring research in several environments (schools, hospitals, museums).
All society is the main actors in the activities:
• \"\"Experiencing research\"\": guided tours in the laboratories;
• \"\"Research exhibition\"\": corner with spin-off and startups, innovative companies and social actors, as well as EU, national and regional structural funds, and EEN corners;
• \"\"Experiencing in the hospital\"\", the science at pediatric department of the public hospital in Cosenza;
• \"\"Research without barriers\"\", a program for integrating the disabled as users and authors of scientific demonstrations, cultural initiatives, and shows;
• \"\"Imagine the research\"\", a photo-video contest;
• \"\"Sport events\"\".
The overall objectives are:
• to bring the researchers closer to the general public to increase awareness of researchers’ work on daily life;
• to encourage youth to embark on scientific careers;
• to motivate researchers to communicate their passion for research and their results to the public as the first step to increase awareness of people, in order also to improve the support of local and EU policies on research;
• to inspire all students to embrace research career as an action to improve local growth and to support Europe global competitiveness;
• to strengthen the visibility of the activities of researchers involved in projects deriving from the opportunities offered by the European Commission (i.e. Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions);
• to reduce gender inequalities in research employment and career choice;
• to encourage the regional research/innovation network to create a replicable and scalable network model based on sharing scientific dissemination strategies.\"

Work performed

\"Main objectives from the beginning of the project (I period):
• directly and actively involving both researchers and citizens;
• combining in a balanced way entertainment and education to science through researchers;
• contributing to enhance the public recognition and appraisal of researchers and their work.
The WP1’s team carried out an awareness campaign reaching a multi-target of 1.369.680 people developing new tools and using the ROP 2014-2020 communications tools (a best practice in \"\"Perceive-Horizon 2020 project”).
WP1 first period results:
• developing of a graphic concept with the Superhero who conveys the message \"\"Research in Your Reach\"\";
• creating and managing of website www.superscienceme.eu;
• creating and managing social networks profiles (Facebook, Twitter);
• advertising through each partner institution website, social network profiles, and newsletters.
Communication tools used:
• off-line: promotional material, publication of articles, interviews, announcements in main local papers, clips/ads on main regional TV and radio channels, mailing and direct contact with educational institutions, pre-events, gadgets. Promotion material: 2.500 folders, 20.000 flyers, 30 roll-ups, 5 advertising sails 85x450cm, 700 posters, 40 press-kits, 500 promotional t-shirts and hats, 30.000 gadgets and 10.000 balloons, 300 maps of the event, 50 catalog of guided tours;
• on-line (project website, links with other project partners\', institutional and popular websites, social networks profiles: Facebook, Twitter, newsletter, web TV, and web radio. Promotion materials: banner, ads, websites, link to relevant EU websites and social networks.
WP2 first period results:
• 509 researchers actively involved (9 having benefitted from MSCA);
• Experiencing research: realization of the Research Catalogue containing 189 laboratory’s experiences and demonstrations bookable online;
• Research exhibition: 60 stands and n. 5 Thematic Corners showing research results and dissemination of EU project results;
• Experiencing in the hospital: 1 visit to the Department of Pediatrics of Cosenza’s Civil Hospital;
• Discover Museums: 30 Museums opened exceptionally on Sunday 2 September 2018 according to European Year of Cultural Heritage;
• Imagine the research: 1 photo/video thematic contest;
• Help the research: 1 coordination of volunteers’ activities accompanying and supporting an operative plan;
• research without barriers: 1 interaction with social associations accompanying and supporting operative plan for disables participants;
• recreational cultural program: 1 cultural program with various artistic performances.\"

Final results

Globally, the initiative was a great success.
Main progress beyond the previous editions:
1. greater involvement of all Calabrian citizens on the opportunity to attend the NIGHT 2018;
2. greater collaboration between regional research bodies: the project involved three universities (UNICAL, UNIRC, and UNICZ), six regional institutes of CNR (ITM, IIA, ICAR, IIT, NANOTEC, IBFM), and Regione Calabria;
3. greater involvement of scientific departments, laboratories, and regional research infrastructures;
4. 30 pre-events related to the European Year of Cultural Heritage.
Our project aims to inspire young people and to show them how the researcher works to solve problems of everyday life.
WP3 first edition results:
• 20,091 people attended the activities of the NIGHT;
• 18,263 number of hits on Website (Google analytics);
• 191 researchers expressed their opinion on the online survey (62% male, 33% female, and 5% did not declare the gender), 68.2 % of them declared that is essential to promote H2020 as an opportunity to support research projects;
• 1,366 people filled anonymous questionnaires (online and paper) for students and general public. The survey was filled from 49% male, and 51% female.
• online questionnaires: 93.7% described NIGHT as a positive initiative, 89% declared that is important to define a strong relationship between research and civil society. 73% did not know EU policy for research, 45% thought that it is important to promote the fund opportunities. 82.5% declared that the research can have a role in their life. 85% told “thanks Europe”. 32% would like to have a scientific career in the next future;
• 3,000 people involved in 30 pre-events in regional scale “Discover museums” (patronage of European Year of Cultural Heritage);
• 4,540 followers on Facebook page and 36,929 interactions during the NIGHT’s. The Gender analysis shown that the main trend was of female post (37% men, 63% women);
• typology of online users: 0.5% of responders aged 13-17, 25.8% aged 18-24, 33.2% aged 25-34, 32% aged 35-54, 8.4 % aged more than 55;
The main regional impact was the transfer of best practices from UNICAL to other partners. We aim to show at youth that “nothing is impossible” and that “you can become like me”. The long-term impact will be the increase of the students in STEM disciplines and the increase of young people (male/female) in scientific careers.

Website & more info

More info: https://www.superscienceme.eu.