Science comes to town 2027

One ambition of the European Research Area (ERA) is to increase societal responsibility and trust in science and innovation by engaging stakeholders, local communities and citizens in the design and implementation of R&I policies and by enhancing communication of science to the public. This action provides an opportunity for cities in Member States and Associated Countries to take centre stage in implementing this vision. It invites a small group of cities to design and implement jointly a vibrant and engaging year-long programme of activities under the label “Science comes to town 2027”. It thus allows cities to bring together their citizens and R&I communities to showcase how science improves the wellbeing of people, economy and planet.

The successful proposal will deliver on the following impacts: “Increased engagement of citizens with research and innovation", "Increased alignment of research with society’s needs, expectations and values", and "More people are aware of diverse career opportunities in R&I".

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Strengthened capacity, networks and involvement of the participating cities in science communication and citizen engagement in science by showcasing the latest R&I developments, their societal impact, and their benefits to citizens and by experimenting with innovative approaches to engage diverse age and social groups in R&I activities and policies at local, regional, and European levels;
• Enhanced discussion and debate on the future of science and R&I policy in Europe, with emphasis on inclusive and participatory approaches, involving all relevant stakeholders (e.g., researchers, research funders, policy-makers, publishers, citizens, civil society organisations, business) within and outside the EU;
• Improved attractiveness of careers in R&I for younger generations (in academia, industry or starting own business) through organising European-wide science competitions, including the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), the European Union Contest for early-career researchers (EU TalentOn), and other initiatives.

The engagement of citizens, local communities and civil society are at the centre of the European Research Area (ERA), seeking greater societal impact and increased trust in science, in line with the ERA Policy Agenda (2022-2024) Action 14 – ‘Bring science closer to citizens’^[1].

The action supports a small group of cities to co-organise and host a joint 1-year programme “Science comes to town 2027”, with a robust concept and brand, that focuses on connecting citizens and scientists in the participating cities and beyond. Various events and activities should be organised, such as lectures, workshops, exhibitions, competitions or prizes, in the spirit of the European Capital of Culture or the European Green Capital, highlighting the contribution of science to society and the results of R&I projects supported by national/regional/EU funds, including the Horizon Europe programme.

In addition, the programme of activities should include the following two components:

• EUCYS (European Union Contest for Young Scientists) 2027 will be a science competition, awarding prizes and awards, for 14- to 20-year-olds who are first prize winners of national science contests for school science projects. The objective is to highlight student achievements in science and attract young people to careers in innovation, science, research and technology.
• EU TalentOn (European Union Contest for Early Career Researchers) 2027 will be a science competition, awarding prizes and awards, bringing together at least 100 early-career researchers, 21-35 of age, to work on scientific solutions to societal challenges. The objective is to promote entrepreneurship and research careers in academia and industry, and facilitate cross-border and cross-sectoral collaboration.

EUCYS and EU TalentOn will take place in the third quarter of 2027, customarily in September. More information can be found on the contest websites (see also specific organisational aspects in the respective background notes)^[2].

Proposals should experiment with novel and engaging formats across the programmed activities. Special emphasis should be placed on exploring and supporting citizen science to promote both science education and multiple forms of public engagement with science.

Applicants are encouraged to establish synergies with the European Researchers’ Night (Europe's largest science communication and promotion event which brings together over 1.5 million visitors across Europe every year) and with the Researchers at School initiative, funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions^[3].

Programmed activities should create a link with the preceding^[4] and subsequent edition of “Science comes to town”, fostering cohesion and growth of the concept and brand of the initiative.

The programme should take place in a small group of cities (minimum 3 and maximum 6) located in at least 3 different Members States and/or Associated Countries, with the majority being in Member States. Participating cities do not need to be geographically close. The consortium can comprise different types of legal entities that can represent the host cities and/or join them in designing and implementing the activities. Local partners that provide the link to science, research and innovation should be included.

Applicants should provide commitment letters from the public authorities of each participating city, signed by the highest authorities (mayor or equivalent city governance representative), demonstrating a strong commitment for the activities included in the proposal. The proposal should provide a clear explanation of how the city will contribute to the initiative and outline its specific roles, resources, and support.

The proposal should demonstrate the ability of the consortium to mobilise substantial resources beyond the Union contribution, including monetary or in-kind sponsorships, to support and broaden the programmed activities. Proposers may choose to further increase the impact and added value by incorporating additional events and activities, financed by other resources, by engaging ‘satellite’ cities to reach further communities. The consortium will report on the implementation of the programmed activities and events not covered by the grant, but will not report/declare the related costs to limit the administrative effort.

Proposals should include the overall concept for the programmed activities, including the focus and scope of activities, outreach strategy, and contribution to long-term vision for the cities, specifying clearly:

a) events (including EUCYS and EU TalentOn) and activities (e.g., overall coordination and communication activities) that will be funded partially or fully by the Union contribution;

b) activities and events that will be financed by the participating cities, ‘satellite’ cities, sponsorship and other resources (activities not funded by the Union contribution).

Proposals should present a breakdown of all additional resources. Annexes should only be used for commitment letters, not for extra budget related details.

Priority activity for the successful applicants will be to prepare the detailed draft programme of activities. This will be a deliverable, due not later than 3 months before the formal launch of the “Science comes to town 2027”, subject to the approval of the Granting Authority.

The financial support to third parties can only be provided in the form of prizes to the total amount of:

EUCYS: €70 000

EU TalentOn: €100 000

The expected duration of the project is between 24 and 30 months.

[1] https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2021-11/ec_rtd_era-policy-agenda-2021.pdf.

[2] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/eucys_en;https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/eu-talenton_en.

[3] https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/msca-citizens.

[4] See “Science comes to town 2026” in WIDERA work programme 2023-2025, https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2023-2024/wp-11-widening-participation-and-strengthening-the-european-research-area_horizon-2023-2024_en.pdf.