ABOUT US
About Us
Science in the City (SitC) Festival has been building bridges between researchers, artists and the community for over a decade. The Festival is part of the European Researchers’ Night which takes place on the same night/s in over 300 cities across Europe.
With over 30,000 visitors every year (pre-covid), and 20,000 views in the online festival, it is a fantastic opportunity for scientists, artists and citizens to collaborate and get creative. The festival occurs in multiple forms but has the same goal, that of engaging the community with science and creativity, giving a platform to local people to share their perspective and advocate for positive change.
Each SitC is unique and every year the Festival develops novel and exciting ways to engage citizens. Dazzling art pieces, inspired by Malta’s most relevant research, have become synonymous with the festival’s magenta logo.
Changemakers theme
Changemakers’ is about using research-based knowledge and creativity to solve the political, social, environmental and technical challenges that confront us. The definition of a changemaker is someone who takes creative action to solve a problem. Researchers are at the forefront of this movement, however, a more coordinated team effort, involving researchers, artists and the community are required if we are to succeed.
A changemaker is taking creative action to solve a social problem. This sounds deceptively simple, but listing the three pillars of the definition of “changemaker” provides a roadmap for making transformative changes.
Changemakers must be:
Motivated to take action
Knowledgeable about a social problem that grows over time.
Personally invested
Although lasting change is a team effort, the vision for the ‘Everyone is a Changemaker’ world is rooted in urgency for a better way to solve social problems, especially given the increasing rate of change. This means we need to provide a world in which people have the societal support, freedom, and confidence to reach their full potential and make a difference in the lives of others. This requires nurturing the set of skills and experiences that are needed to be a changemaker, as well as cultivating the environment that allows change-making to flourish.
European Researchers' Night
Science in the City is part of the EU-wide event: ‘European Researchers’ Night’, which takes place in over 30 countries and 300 cities simultaneously. Malta’s proposal always ranks highly amongst over 100 applicants.
Science in the City is proudly funded by the European Commission’s Research and Innovation Framework Programme H2020 (2014-2020) by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions. Directorate-General for Education and Culture. European Commission.
E.F.F.E.
Science in the City is recognised as a festival by ‘Europe for Festivals and Festivals for Europe’ (EFFE). EFFE is a platform, set up by the European Festivals Association, which serves as a stamp of quality given to those festivals which meet certain criteria. Namely, they must show artistic dedication, be involved in the local scene, and their outlook must reflect a European and global approach.
We are proud to be considered one of those festivals.