Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MalopolskaRN (Małopolska Researchers\' Night 2018-2019 (European Researchers\' Night in Małopolska))

Teaser

\"Main goal of the European Researchers\' Night (ERN) in Małopolska is bringing researchers to the general public and increasing awareness of research and innovation activities, with a view to supporting the public recognition of researchers, creating an understanding of the...

Summary

\"Main goal of the European Researchers\' Night (ERN) in Małopolska is bringing researchers to the general public and increasing awareness of research and innovation activities, with a view to supporting the public recognition of researchers, creating an understanding of the impact of researchers’ work on citizen’s daily life, and encouraging young people to embark on scientific careers. Detailed objectives are the following:
- presenting researchers as ordinary people who have an extraordinary job, but also have – like all of us - different passions and interests,
- presenting the outstanding discoveries of researchers that affect our lives, including by means of workshops, demonstrations, experiments, competitions and games that combine learning, education and entertainment, in a popular scientific manner,
- enabling participants of the event to look \"\"behind the scenes\"\" at the workplace of researchers where they work on a daily basis creating various solutions and experimenting, which is possible only once a year during the ERN,
- presenting the extremely interesting work of researchers in a comprehensible and accessible manner, and thus encouraging children and young people to choose a career in science as their way of life in the future.\"

Work performed

\"1ST PERIODIC REPORT: In the period covered by the report there was organised one edition of the European Researchers\' Night in Małopolska 2018.
ERN in Małopolska was organised in 8 cities: Krakow, Tarnów, Nowy Sącz, Niepołomice, Skawina, Andrychów, Chrzanów and Oświęcim, in approximately 70 locations in over 30 partner institutions throughout the Malopolska Region: universities and research institutes, company research centres, Kijów Centre cinema, museums, cultural centres, libraries, schools medium, open air (e.g. Astronomical Observatories in Krakow and Niepołomice, different departments, institutes, branches, etc.).
Above 1000 activites were offered for participants.
There was also the art contest \"\"Be like a researcher\"\" organised as pre-event.

2ND PERIODIC REPORT: In the period covered by the report there was organised one edition of the European Researchers\' Night in Małopolska 2019.
ERN in Małopolska was organised in 9 cities: Krakow, Tarnów, Nowy Sącz, Niepołomice, Skawina, Andrychów, Chrzanów, Oświęcim and Limanowa (Limanowa joined the partnership in 2019 for the first time), in approximately 80 locations in over 50 partner institutions throughout the Malopolska Region: universities and research institutes, company research centres, Kijów Centre cinema, museums, cultural centres, libraries, schools medium, open air (e.g. Astronomical Observatories in Krakow and Niepołomice, different departments, institutes, branches, etc.).
Above 2200 activites were offered for participants.
There was also the art contest \"\"With a scientist through the world\"\" organised as pre-event.

In 2018-2019 classes took place in various locations, such as laboratories of universities, scientific institutes and companies, but also outside the walls of scientific institutions - researchers presented their work in places that are normally associated with scientific experiments to create a passion for science among those who are not very interested in it, as in cinemas, museums or libraries. There were organised also some events on Saturday (scientific show and workshops in the Kijów Centre cinema) to attract kids and families. All of activities had the same motto: to show - through various examples – how the work of researchers affects our daily lives and that in fact science is all around us, and thus we can see the results of the work of researchers everywhere. Type of activities: workshops, demonstrations, shows, visits to laboratories), enhanced by \"\"face-to-face\"\" meetings with researchers, exhibitions, contests and games and science shows. All activities were addressed to all segments of the public at large.

To achieve all the goals and attract as many people as possible, from the beginning of the project we worked on promotional activities. The awareness campaign was addressed to different group of people, so that\'s why we used various tools (media, internet campaign, social media, the event website, radio, tv, press and direct communication to schools and other educational institutions etc.). There was also organised, both in 2018 and 2019, the press conference dedicated to the event with the participation of the Marshal’s Office of the Malopolska Region (the Coordinator) and researchers from partner institutions.

The impact of the event was assessed to analyse possible evolutions of the public perception of researchers and their work (in comparison with the previous years) and identify the types of activities that proved the most effective towards the achievement of the objectives. The tools used in the impact assessment methodology: paper surveys (for children and adults) distibuted by volunteers during the Night, on-line surveys, mainly via Facebook, developed through Google free tools, face to face interviews with selected researchers, internet survey (use of tools such as Google Analytics), as well as desk research (based on a detailed analysis of secondary data), and analysis of opinions sent electroni\"

Final results

Quantitative indicators of the ERN in Małopolska 2018:
- Offer of about 1 000 activities;
- Active involvement of 3 000 researchers, students and technical staff;
- 8 cities (one more in comparison with the Annex 1 do the grant agreement), 70 locations and more than 30 institutions where the event was held;
- Over 73 000 visitors attended the various activities offered during the Night.

Quantitative indicators of the ERN in Małopolska 2019:
- Offer of about 2 200 activities;
- Active involvement of 2 800 researchers, students and technical staff;
- 9 cities (two more in comparison with the Annex 1 do the grant agreement), 80 locations and more than 50 institutions where the event was held;
- Over 70 000 visitors attended the various activities offered during the Night.

Qualiitative indicators of the ERN in Małopolska 2018-2019:
Overall feedback about the event is very positive: according to most of participants the Researchers’ Night brings the scientists’ work closer to public and encourages to choose the scientific career, RN is considered as more interesting than other mass events, the most attractive activities are workshops, demonstrations and experiments, organisational aspects were positively assessed (mainly info points on site). ERN in Małopolska annually attracts the most numerous people from the younger generation – 90% of respondents are individuals under the age of 16 years. Among the respondents dominated by people between 13 and 16 years (junior high school students account for approx. half of respondents). Among adults responders people with higher education constitute as much as 72% of respondents. 40% of all students participated for the second and the third time in 2019 edition of ERN, among adults this proportion of such people is even higher 50%, The largest percentage of respondents are individuals who first appeared on ERN – 50% of adults and 60% of students.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.nocnaukowcow.malopolska.pl.