Opening up science
While 2020 can be defined using the word ""Lockdown"", we hope to define 2021 with the words ""Opening Up"". If the world is about to return to normality, the key contributor to this achievement is Research. Thus, the 2021 European Researchers? Night aims to celebrate science, as the hero that made it possible for the world to open up.
Designed around the concept of ""Opening Up Science"", our event will highlight the impact that science and researchers have had in the process of opening up the world again. Never before in the history of humanity has the impact of science on our lives been clearer and faster. The concept will be extended to underline the key role that research will play in a post-Covid green recovery, a process that will allow societies to move forward to a cleaner, more sustainable, carbon-neutral and resilient future. 
Public trust in science comes with a higher responsibility for researchers in society: Opening Up Science will also carry a key message to the research community that needs to open up to the public. Using our event as a best practice example, we will highlight the importance of public engagement and science education as vital elements in making science truly more open in the society.
The event will be organised by a national consortium, based in large Romanian university cities (Iasi, Timisoara, Craiova, Constanta and Sibiu), in collaboration with their traditional partners and local authorities, as well as joining goals with local science festivals or science associations. Flexibility will be key principle in organizing of the 2021 - whether returning to face-to-face interaction or remaining in an online format, focused on minds-on experiments, the event will capitalise on the newly gained experience of 2020, that allowed for better reach in underserved communities and even across Europe, through the collaboration between various projects coordinated from different countries.