SCIENCE COMES TO TOWN – UNITED TOWNS IN SCIENCE

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Being the 1st edition of Science Comes To Town (SCTT), UNITES will offer an inspiring and entertaining programme with more than 1,000 activities, bringing together over 70 partners in the cities of Kiel, Brest and Split and their regions by connecting scientific institutions, innovation ecosystems and citizens across Europe. More than 20,000 scientists are available to the partners for the implementation of UNITES. The cities share a similar geographic position as the largest coastal cities of their countries, yet still only medium-sized, peripheral and distant from any large urban agglomerations. They are all vibrant and renowned university cities with excellent town-and-gown relations, enthusiastic about hosting large science outreach events, including national and international science competitions, and experienced in organising large public festivals attracting several millions of visitors. The common profile results in shared local societal challenges and in a distinctly European approach to finding solutions. They have long participated in EU’s biggest flagship initiatives like the EU Missions and the European Researchers’ Nights. However, what truly UNITES the cities is the European University Alliance SEA-EU, where they have built a transnational network of nine universities and their city administrations. Together with the SEA-EU satellite events, UNITES' sphere of activity stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean and will attract over 1.5 Mio visitors and raise awareness of SCTT among more than 25 Mio people. A well-planned marketing strategy will promote SCTT across Europe, supported by the international visibility of EUCYS and EU TalentOn. UNITES will carefully select locally relevant topics and incorporate existing and newly developed interactive formats to make the year engaging for all participants. Along with its train-the-trainer workshops and a participatory approach, this will guarantee the quality and long-term impact of the project.