What is European Science Week?

The European Science Week is an initiative of the European Commission, which is organized every year.

Science Week mission - a quest for knowledge

Through thought-provoking activities and a pan-European approach, the European Science and Technology Week's mission is to create a totally new perspective on science. The emphasis is on showing, rather than telling, Europeans how science and technology affects them, from the simplest gadgets to the most sophisticated satellite technology. Science is above all a quest for knowledge and how it can be used to improve our lives, lifestyles, and our living world.

Having fun with science

But Science Week is more than a 'quest for knowledge', it is also about having fun. What has happened to the thrill of discovery? Do we take technology for granted? These are some of the questions we need to ask in order to shape future science education and, ultimately, policy. Science is all around us - in our mobile phones, in our homes, in the engines that drive our cars - and yet we seem to be no longer amazed, hardly interested and sometimes not even aware of it.

Where's the 'wow' factor?

Science Week wants to put the 'wow' factor back into science and technology, stimulating interest in scientific research, no matter how simple (or complex) it may be. And young people are the perfect place to begin. If young minds can't be stimulated by the wonders going on around them, what hope is there? Where are tomorrow's scientists and inventors? Science Week wants to bring the challenges and excitement of the world of science to young people - and the young at heart - around Europe. In so doing, it hopes to rekindle scientific education, and to provide a beacon for the future of science and technology in Europe and beyond.

What are its aim and objectives?

European Science Week aim is to promote lively projects and activities to capture the imagination and show how science - its impacts, uses and applications - is relevant to all Europeans regardless of age, background and education. The activities supported by Science Week aim:

• To promote increased public scientific culture, especially among the young, of the impact and benefits of science and its uses on the daily lives of European citizens
• To promote young people's interest in science

Messages to be communicated through the Science Week

• Science is above all a quest for knowledge and it can be used to improve our lives, lifestyles, and our living world
• But Science Week is more than a 'quest for knowledge', it is also about having fun

Science Week 2004

• Science Week 2004 is planned on November 8-14.
• 8 projects are funded by the European Commission (find out more about these projects). Several more will be supported at national level throughout Europe.