Hundreds of activities for all ages at Swedish Researchers’ Night

In the last week of September, the Swedish science festival ForskarFredag, part of European Researchers’ Night, brought science to life in over half of the country’s municipalities. With more than 25,000 people taking part, the event offered opportunities to dive into the wonders of science and engage with hundreds of researchers in fun and interactive ways.

Our current activities

“A Secret Universe” – film highlights the wonders of soil
Produced by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, “A Secret Universe: A little film about soil” now features English subtitles thanks to the support of the EU LOESS project, making it accessible to a global audience. Launched on World Soil Day on 5 December, the film explores the vital role of soil in sustaining biodiversity and combating climate change. Read more.

Rock my Research: new EU project to foster art-science collaboration
Rock Your Research is a new Erasmus+-funded project that will create spaces for artists, researchers, and citizens to collaborate to make scientific knowledge more accessible and socially relevant. Through Rock It Cafés for dialogue and Rock It Labs for creative collaboration, the project aims to foster trust, engagement, and shared understanding, culminating in artworks that communicate science to wider audiences. Public & Science Sweden is one of five European partners in this three-year project. Read more.

Our recent activities

Diverse perspectives on mental health captured during Re-MEND’s science cafés
The mental health of older adults is frequently overlooked, despite this age group having the highest proportion of individuals using antidepressants. Discussions are often shaped by preconceived notions, while the voices of older adults are less often heard. To capture a range of perspectives, the EU Re-MEND project hosted three science cafés across Sweden in the autumn, focusing on the mental health of older adults. Read more. 

Digging deeper: soil as a carbon sink debated in Lund
What is soil, and how capable is it of storing carbon? These questions were at the heart of a panel discussion and workshop held at Lund University on 20 November, run as part of the EU LOESS project. Read more.

Advancing gender equality in the European Research Area
In the autumn, Public & Science organised two stakeholder engagement workshops for the EU GENDERACTIONplus project. The first, on 30 September, sought to gather feedback from national and European policy-makers and research performing and funding organisations on policy recommendations to promote a more inclusive approach to research careers across Europe. The second, on 1 October, gathered global perspectives from research funding organisations on the topic of inclusive gender analysis in research and innovation. Read more.

INSPIRING ERA supports EU-wide dialogue on research assessment and careers
Public & Science hosted two online events as part of the EU INSPIRING ERA project to advance the ERA Policy Agenda. In total, around 300 people from across Europe joined the events to hear about EU-level initiatives, ask questions and share their experiences. On 22 November, The Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment: Why sign it and what does it entail? introduced institutions to the commitments of the agreement and support provided by the CoARA coalition. On 4 December, Boost your career: new EU tools and support for attractive research careers highlighted European Commission initiatives for early-career researchers to enhance their mobility and career development. Recordings and materials from both events are now available. Read more.

Blog: Science communication in the interaction between researchers and the public
In a guest blog, science communicator and journalist Pernille Fløjstrup Andersen presents the results of two Danish surveys investigating how researchers from Danish universities communicate their research to the public, and how the public access scientific knowledge. Read more.

Blog: Discovering the broader role of researchers in society
At the end of a two-week internship with Public & Science, doctoral student Laurène Adam reflects on her experience and the new perspectives she has gained, particularly about the broader role of researchers in society. Read more.

Public & Science Sweden in social media