Science Among Us: European Researchers’ Night Sparks Curiosity Across Bosnia and Herzegovina
Under the motto “Science Among Us,” children, young people, families, pupils, students and everyone curious about the world had the chance to meet scientists and researchers, take part in experiments and workshops, ask questions and discover firsthand just how much science is part of the world around us.
Questions, experiments, discoveries, laughter and countless curious faces marked this year’s European Researchers’ Night. Once again, the event showed that science belongs to everyone, not only to laboratories and classrooms.
From robotics, artificial intelligence and space to health, biodiversity, forensics, technology and engineering, science stepped into the spotlight for an evening—accessible, easy to understand and, above all, exciting.
This year’s edition took place in 13 cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina: Banja Luka, Bihać, Bijeljina, Goražde, Jajce, Konjic, Mostar, Neum, Sarajevo, Travnik, Trebinje, Tuzla and Zenica. It brought researchers and communities together around one idea: curiosity knows no borders, and every great discovery begins with a question.
“We are opening the door to science for children, right where they live. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, that matters especially. Science is a public good and belongs to everyone. If just one child in your city meets a scientist today, asks a question and thinks, ‘Maybe I could be a scientist one day too,’ then everything we have worked for has been worthwhile,” said Lejla Čamo, coordinator of European Researchers’ Night in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the opening.
The youngest visitors were at the heart of the evening. Rather than simply watching science happen, they could touch it, try it out, test it and talk about it with the people who work in research every day. The aim was to share knowledge, but also to spark what every investigation begins with: the desire to ask how, why and what if?
European Researchers’ Night is part of a Europe-wide initiative funded by the European Union through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) under the Horizon Europe programme. It brings research and science closer to the public and encourages children and young people to explore science and research careers.
At the same time as Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than 460 cities in 40 countries across Europe and beyond are celebrating science, making European Researchers’ Night one of the largest initiatives connecting science and society. Through experiments, workshops, exhibitions, conversations and encounters with researchers, science leaves the laboratory and joins people where they are—right where it belongs.