GREEN TALENT addresses gaps in knowledge, skills and competences in research and innovation (R&I) in 4 Widening Countries, supporting the green transition by contributing to halting biodiversity loss and advancing climate mitigation and adaptation through capacity-building, networking and knowledge exchange in four demonstration hubs. Academic and SME partners in each Widening Country provide expertise, support secondments, establish demonstration hubs, and connect to international R&I. Non-Widening partners catalyse GREEN TALENT by enhancing capacity-building, international cooperation, and joint R&I outcomes. GREEN TALENT develops 5 open-access (OA) training modules on R&I support, covering themes such as grant management, communication, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property rights. Additionally, 5 interdisciplinary OA modules focus on nature-based and integrative solutions that address the biodiversity-climate nexus. A programme of 45 secondments is established, providing R&I talents with hands-on learning through job shadowing, peer mentoring, workshops, and networking events. Personalised career plans and comprehensive reintegration strategies ensure secondees’ professional development, enabling them to apply their newly acquired skills within their home organisations. Ongoing follow-up and assessment guarantee the continued use and refinement of these competencies. The 4 Demonstration Pilots in Widening Countries deliver practical, scalable solutions to climate and biodiversity challenges, acting as collaboration hubs between academic and non-academic sectors. These hubs provide secondees with real-world experience and foster partnerships across sectors. All training materials are openly accessible via the GREEN TALENT Capacity-Building Platform, which also shares case-studies of best practices of cross-sectoral R&I, facilitates knowledge exchange and development, and includes an Exchange Forum furthering interdisciplinary dialogue and peer learning.

Science is the poetry of reality and 15 Bulgarian universities, research institutes and NGO partners join together in SEARCH to prove the statement that, combining Science + Environment + Art will bring Resilience for European Researchers Night in 2022-23. The experienced consortium led by Center for Research & Analysis and numerous associated partners bring longitudinal insight from their own 5 years’ partnership as well as EU and national findings in this 24-month project which aims to assert among the general public the crucial role of science in society and its relevance to everyday lives, and heighten young people’s interest in research careers, including of those from small towns and villages, and young people with disabilities. True to our approach, our country-wide, hybrid, multidisciplinary, hands-on programme of science and art events will focus on one central topic per year – the most versatile material in human history and its essential role in society, for technological, scientific and economic advancement – glass (UN International Year of Glass 2022), and the most urgent existential choices humanity needs to make – adapting to climate change, one of the new EU Missions supporting the European Green Deal. SEARCH for the popular formats of researchers’ public engagement like inspiring talks, spectacular shows and hands-on experiments, a range of sci-art collaborations, researchers at schools activities, and the innovative Young Voices podcasts and Instagram Looking Glass competitions. We will reach 3.6 mln, and engage with 30,000 direct participants online and offline, including teachers and school pupils, and along with boosting public engagement skills of researchers and teachers, we will demonstrate irrevocably how relevant, exciting and important the job of researchers is, and encourage young Bulgarians, especially girls and people with special needs to choose STEAM careers.

Twenty partners in Bulgaria come together for European Researchers Night ‘20 to present FRESHER (Find Research Everywhere, SHare and expERience) - a 12-month project led by the Centre for Research & Analysis, in a Consortium, now in its 5th year, with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, universities, research institutes, the only Bulgarian tech park, a chamber of industry and commerce, the local office of a pan-European organisation, education entrepreneurship, and associate partners. FRESHER offers a series of specially curated, coordinated, multi-day participatory events at over 50 venues and 30+ schools in 25 cities/towns/villages. The talks, shows, hands-on experiments, lab visits, citizen research, competitions will reach 3.6 mln, and engage directly with 30,000 in face-to-face events at schools, libraries, museums, academic and outdoor venues, public transport and online. Building on well researched, popular formats for researchers’ engagement with the public, FRESHER provides multidisciplinary content around the International Year of Plant Health. The topic will feature in the programmes of all partners to assert the relevance of research to everyday life. Building on the Consortium’s existing understanding developed through previous local initiatives including Researchers Night, and addressing findings of research (MASIS report, Education & Training Monitor 2019 for Bulgaria, Women in Digital Scoreboard 2019, Science, Research & Innovation Performance in EU 2018), FRESHER focuses on enhancing public engagement with research and shortening the gap in the decision of young people and girls in particular to choose STEAM careers. The activities will step on previous evaluation and generate fresh, aligned data. The project will strengthen the capacity of all partners to organise accessible events for the general public, and to tailor messages for underserved audiences, including girls, young people at risk of school drop-out, as well as people with special needs.

FRESH (Find Research Everywhere and SHare) is led by the Center for Research and Analysis with 13 partners and 5 associated partners. The Consortium includes Bulgaria’s first technological park, a chamber of industry and commerce, a pan-European organisation, leading research organisations, academia, and media. The aim is to create a series of participatory and media events to promote research careers, aimed in particular towards young people and their parents. Building on existing understanding developed through previous local initiatives including Researchers Night, and with reference to Europe-wide research like the Special Eurobarometer 401, as well as the MASIS report and the in-depth Education and Training Monitor 2015 for Bulgaria , the focus of this 20-month programme will be on enhancing the public understanding of and engagement with science. Core activities during the Night will include a digital participatory campaign to engage audiences across the country; international live streaming; science city quests and quizzes; science cafes; hands-on experiments; science shows; simulations; games and competitions. Thematic programmes will include, among other, food and nutrition, inspired by 2016 International Year of Pulses , engineering, oceanology, innovation and business incubators, technological transfer, medicine, and others. The on-the-ground activities will take place in the largest cities including several where Researchers Night has not been marked. Innovation will be an intricate part of the events through the use of online technology to enhance the physical activity, engage particularly young audiences and to guarantee sustainability outside the lifespan of the project. The activities of the first year will allow learning to accrue from a thorough evaluation. The project will strengthen the capabilities of the partners in organising events for a general audience, and for underserved audiences, including girls and people with hearing disabilities.