by Andrea Troncoso
Do you remember that one way of spreading the word about RRI and engaging wider audiences was via Mobile Nuclei? Mobile Nuclei undertake one-off events organised by one of our Nucleus partners. Each organisation was invited to undertake an event within the context of what they currently do. Our invitation to run these events had a positive response and since 2017, 12 Mobile Nuclei events have been undertaken in Europe, involving 9 countries and engaging more than a 1,000 people.
The topics have ranged from artificial intelligence, smart cities, GMOs, pollution and design thinking. Key to the NUCLEUS approach is that the topics are chosen by the local host team, that they have local relevance, and that they spark societal interest and concern.
In 2018 the year finished with a training of young researchers at Ciencia Viva Science Centre. With the facilitation of Carlos Catalao and Amilton Moreira, researchers were informed on the state of the art of the European Commision´s framework for research and innovation. This was followed by a practical exercise focused on discovering whom they work with and who else could be involved based on how they may be impacted by the research. This generated lively conversations making the discussion extremely interesting and practical. After the session, all participants agreed on the usefulness of the workshop and that it opened some “reflective windows”.
That´s the aim of Mobile Nuclei: in a short time, with few resources, bringing people together to discuss subjects of interest, that leaves with ideas, expanding their awareness of why research is important and why it must be shared beyond the research community.
More Mobile Nuclei are planned for April, in Waterford, Ireland; Aberdeen, Scotland and Kamp-Linfort, Germany; in May in Beijing, China, and in Bielefeld, Germany and in June in the Border Sessions Festival, in the Hague, Netherlands. We will keep you informed via our social media.
