MEDNIGHT · MEDITERRANEAN RESEARCHERS' NIGHT (2022 AND 2023 EDITIONS)

MEDITERRANEAN RESEARCHERS' NIGHT (2022 AND 2023 EDITIONS)

The Mediterranean Sea connects more than 500 million people across three continents, creating a shared history and identity with common challenges. The goal of Mediterranean Researchers' Night - MEDNIGHT is to promote unity across the Mediterranean region by raising awareness about common issues, promoting scientific careers, and highlighting the importance of science and scientists. MEDNIGHT offers a range of activities under the umbrella of "Mediterranean Science," which focuses on 4 pillars relevant to sea pollution, climate change, diet and nutrition, and health. The program also emphasizes the potential of R&D as a source of progress and well-being, particularly for female researchers and young people. The consortium organizes a variety of online and in-person activities in cities across the Mediterranean region, as well as in satellite cities. Mednight falls under the European Researchers' Night, which aims to display the diversity of science and its impact on citizens' daily lives in fun, inspiring ways on the last Friday of September every year. Mednight has received funding for 2 consecutive years under this grant agreement (2022 and 2023) and is unique both in the way that it unites research centres, universities, researchers, scientists, cities, schools and citizens across the Mediterranean (Spain-Italy-Greece-Turkey-Cyprus) through a common consortium and in the way that it implements a wide range of activities at a transnational level, not only during the Night itself (September 30th 2022 and September 29th 2023) but also during the months leading to the Night in order to motivate, prepare and engage all target audiences in multiple ways. Mednight's main objectives that the consortium is working against can be summarised as follows: ● Showcase science, scientific activity and its actors as a source of progress and well-being. ● Highlight the impact of scientific activity in our daily life. ● Emphasize the science developed by women. ● Empower and engage students in STEM areas. ● Show how rewarding it can be as a scientist to participate in research projects. ● Identify the diversity of existing options at the end of the scientific studies while reducing taboos and prejudices about people who develop scientific careers. ● Acknowledge the different skills acquired through a scientific career. ● Strengthen the open character of our scientific research. ● Increase the awareness of the collaborative and European nature of science.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union