European Researchers’ Night in Sweden – ForskarFredag

European Researchers’ Night is an annual European initiative that brings research and researchers closer to the public through events, hands-on activities and opportunities to meet researchers. It was first organised in 2005 and is supported through the EU’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

In Sweden, the initiative has been organised under the name ForskarFredag since 2006, coordinated by Public & Science Sweden in collaboration with universities, science centres, museums, research institutes, municipalities and other organisations across the country.

ForskarFredag aims to create opportunities for people of all ages to meet researchers, discover current research and gain a better understanding of what research is, how it is carried out and the role it plays in society.

Activities

ForskarFredag includes a wide range of activities organised locally throughout Sweden, from experiments, workshops and exhibitions to researcher talks, school activities and public events.

Public & Science Sweden also coordinates several national activities as part of ForskarFredag:

• Researchers’ Grand Prix – a competition in which researchers present their work in an engaging and accessible way.
• Annual citizen science projects – nationwide research projects that enable school pupils and members of the public to contribute to real research.
• Borrow a Researcher – a programme connecting researchers with schools, workplaces and non-profit organisations for in-person or online visits. Researchers talk about their work, their path into research and the wider societal context of their research.

These activities complement the many events organised by local ForskarFredag partners and help create opportunities for dialogue between researchers and people across Sweden.

For more information and current activities, visit the ForskarFredag website.