Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - DREAMS (DREAMS European Researcher\'s Night)

Teaser

Sustainability means creating value by using resources in a responsible way to not jeopardize the needs of future generations. Society, sometimes, has a partial perception of this definition, too often limited to environmental problems, as well as underestimates the importance...

Summary

Sustainability means creating value by using resources in a responsible way to not jeopardize the needs of future generations. Society, sometimes, has a partial perception of this definition, too often limited to environmental problems, as well as underestimates the importance and responsibility of researchers, essential to pursue sustainable solutions. People usually think about achieving sustainability as too big a problem to be solved by common citizens, a solution too far from them! A sort of DREAM!
DREAMS was a national level project: a network of Italian cities.
DREAMS presented researchers as common citizens directly involved in the making of a new sustainable future: highlighting the European dimension of research, enhancing researchers’ integration, reinforcing the link between researchers and citizens, furthermore helping the youth to understand the attractiveness on pursuing a scientific career. DREAMS was articulated in several appealing activities finely tuned in spectacular and rigorous scientific ways.
DREAMS was coordinated by Frascati Scienza Association (Frascati Scienza) and was hosted in many research areas in Italy where over 5.000 international researchers operate and live.
The events in Trieste, Bologna, Milano, Ferrara, Catania, Pisa, Bari, Cagliari, Pavia and Frascati/Rome, as epicentre of the events, showed the researchers\' activities done by the Italian excellence of research institutions - ASI, CNR, ENEA, ESA-ESRIN, INAF, INFN and Rome Universities - the role of Italian researchers in a society and their involvement in making a new sustainable future.
Frascati Scienza was supported in the project by many local, regional and national institutions; the coordinator already had a long experience in managing successfully the Researchers’ Night, since 2006.

Work performed

\"AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

Tasks undertaken

Target audiences

o Public at large regardless of age and scientific background;
o Special attention to be paid on kids and young people;

Messages conveyed

o Researchers are amongst us;
o Research is an amazing career;
o Europe cares for tis researchers;
o Research is eco and sustainable;
o Responsible research and innovation for answering societal challenges;
o For 2015 only: Tenth anniversary of the European Researchers’ night

Main communication tools to rely on:

Off line

o Setting up of media partnerships (national newspapers, national radio stations);
o Setting up and implementation of media plan (radio spots, main regional page press advertising, advertising on events periodical (TrovaRoma, Roma c’è), free press;
o Display of spots in metro and bus TV circuit;
o Poster campaign in metro stations, and in the main streets of participating cities,;
o Display of written promotional material-posters, brochures;
o Setting up of a dedicated press office (press releases, coordination of national/international press offices, promotion of ERN message throughout the contacts networks, promotion of European research projects, coordination of web content and newsletters..);
o Specific promotional activities addressing schools (prior to summer break), university conferences, guided tours at science museums…;
o A launching event in a main square in Rome celebrating the 10th anniversary of the ERN (2015);

On line

o Posting of articles, news, interview on Frascati Scienza website;
o Links with cooperating bodies’, institutional and popular websites;
o Revamping of social networks profiles (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube); Publication of advertising and ads;
o Publications (articles interviews, adverts) in on-line press;
o Organisation of a photo context: #humans of ERN (addressing public at large, make a photo and tweet about your involvement with the research worlds and feedback on the DREAMS project). Setting up and animation of sponsored posts blog(calling upon 20 influential bloggers for writing on science and European Researchers ‘night);

Promotional material

o Posters, leaflets, programmes;
o Inserts, banners, ads;
o Mention of \"\"This European Researchers\' Night project is funded by the European Commission under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions\"\" on all promotional material displayed;
o Promotional gadgets (displayed through the European corner notably), complying with the general guidelines available at http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/communication/services/visual_identity/index.en.htm

Patronage of Italian Republic Presidency and of the Research and Foreign affairs Ministry in favour of all Italian funded projects to be obtained via DREAMS’ coordinator.

Cooperation with other funded Italian projects

Setting up of common awareness tools such as common website, results dissemination etc.

Overview of the results

o Conception, realisation of promotional material: posters of various formats, flyers, brochures, leaflets, displayed in main streets of the cities involved;
o Sending of invitations to the general public, students, and directors of research centres;
o Sending of newsletters to contacts mailing lists and through Banzai website;
o Publication of articles, announcements, advertising in national and regional written press
o Airing of announcements, advertising, programmes, interviews on regional radio stations;
o Organisation of a press conference in Italian Parliament premises in Rome (15 September);
o Organisation of pre-events:
o Science Pursuit in Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome;
o Launching event in Piazza di Spagna in Rome (January 2015);
o “Occhi su Saturno” organised by Università di Roma Tre;
o “Incontri di Scienza” organised by the Cultural Association ATA in September 2015;
o WIRE15 in Frascati (May 2015) allowing meetings between researchers and potential investors;
o BookiNeri (Piazza del Mercato, Frascati): teaser for the main event;
o Reva\"

Final results

o Collection and processing of 927 questionnaires (n. 304 Ex-ante and n. 623 ex-post)
o Conception, realisation of promotional material: 600 posters 70x100 cm, 1000 flyers 30x50 cm, 22.000 brochures, 40.000 leaflets
o Advertising in public places: poster campaign in the main streets of participating cities, display of written promotional material, posters and brochures
o Arising of annoucements/advertising /programmes/interviews on radio and Tv stations : 4 ads per day for 5 days by RADIO GLOBO (Rome and Province of Rome), plus interviews to representatives of DREAMS,
o Invitations sent to the general public, students and Directors of Research Centers. We have sent also 8 newsletters to 10.000 contacts and 1 newsletter to 100.000 contacts through “Banzai” website
o Pre events: “The Science Pursuit” launching events in Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina in Roma on the 20th of September 2015 celebrating also the 10th Anniversary of the Night, launching event organised by INFN Frascati in Piazza di Spagna in Rome on January 2015, another two pre-events: “Occhi su Saturno” organised by Università di Roma Tre and “Incontri di Scienza” organised by the Cultural Association ATA in September 2015. WIRE15 was organised in Frascati on May 2015 in order to enable researchers to meet the general public and potential investors for their ideas and pilots. Bookineri event was also organised the week before the ERN 2015 in Piazza del Mercato in Frascati in order to attract people for the ERN 2015.
o Press conference: 15 September 2015, Sede Italiana Parlamento Europeo in Rome
o Advertising on papers: Repubblica Roma (reach 455.000), Messaggero Roma (reach 800.000), Leggo Roma (reach 700.000), Metro Roma (reach 847.000), Trovaroma (reach 90.000)
o Advertising on media papers: web banners on roma.repubblica.it, studenti.it, 7 Article on Today
o Revamping, constant updating and maintenance of project website: www.frascatiscienza.it This website includes information about the activities developed within the DREAMS project, integrate a web system allowing visitors to book events but provides also information about science through interviews with researchers, news and articles on specific topic of every scientific field
o Number of hits and unique visitors on website: during the month of September 2015 we reached 31,763 unique visitors through our website, 46,265 sessions and 215,500 page visitors. With reference to the activities developed during ERN of 2014, we increased the number of visitors of 25%.
o Only during September 2015 we achieved the following results on social networks: Facebook: 2.571 likes, 375,000. Twitter: 1.674 followers, 100,000. Blogs: the project has involved 17 scientific blogs. They written 34 article about Frascati Scienza’s ERN
o 17 influent bloggers of science communication have collaborated with Frascati Scienza and spread the news about the ERN 2015 organised by the DREAMS project in more than 30 blog articles.
o The overall number of people likely to have been aware of the Researchers\'Night and its objectives : 8.000.000 of people
o Active involvement of 2000 researchers of whom 8 having benefitted from Marie Curie schemes and 33 from other EU support;
o Over 60.000 attendees having taken part in the activities offered
o 300 events throughout Italy with 60.000 total attendees engaged in hands-on experiments, science shows, workshops, kids programmes, guided visits, world cafés.
o Collection, analysis and processing of 927 feedbacks (both ex ante and ex post);
o Main conclusions:
o Typology of visitors: balanced gender representation with a slight majority of female responders, 4-7 % aged 30-39, majority of visitors aged 40-49 and 20-29, with an increase in youth representation (by 22 % for female responders and 11 % for male responders), 32 % from Milan, 24 % from Rome and 15 % from Tuscolana area, 36 % having an university degree, 26 % a high school diploma, 25 % employees and 19 % university

Website & more info

More info: http://www.frascatiscienza.it.