ERN 2021 SVK · Science Festival European Researchers? Night 2021 in Slovakia

European Researchers Night is the biggest science festival for broad public organised in Slovakia. Every year, it gathers researchers from all over the country who meet with people and science enthusiasts in unusual places outside of laboratories and universities. The whole-day program of the ERN is organised in shopping malls and in an Old Market Hall that is accessible and available for free to all citizens. Festival attracts visitors of all age categories and provides varied program from different fields of science and innovation. Science and the work of researchers is presented through interactive formats, activities, competitions, quizzes, discussions, and presentations. Thousands of visitors attend the ERN in Slovakia every year including the whole classes of students that engage in various program activities. Thanks to informal atmosphere and interactive formats, visitors have a unique opportunity to approach scientists, ask them questions and experience science. The ERN also brings science to schools via Scientific Courier that will consist of scientific kits for teachers and pupils. The science festival aims to be inclusive, providing equal opportunities to citizens and students all over the country to participate in the program. The main motto - Try it! It is science! - calls visitors and students to action aiming to engage them in hands-on science and experiments. It will instigate their interest in exploring and further knowledge seeking. Experience based on demonstrations and direct interaction is crucial in the dominant world of online information and digital communication. The ERN traditionally reflects the current topics so the 2021 edition will include topic of post-COVID society and recovery and the importance of science and innovation in this process. Environmental topics and climate-related challenges will also be important part of the science festival and they will also be present in the eco-friendly organisation of the science festival.