Science Comes to Town, the new flagship European initiative to strengthen citizens’ trust and engagement in science, was officially inaugurated today in Split, Croatia, in the presence of European, national and local representatives, scientists and innovators.
The launch marks an important step in bringing science closer to citizens and local communities, highlighting the role of cities as key actors to make science, society and policy meet. Science Comes to Town promotes new ways of engaging citizens directly with research and innovation in their everyday environments, demonstrating the importance of collaboration between the European Union, member states and local authorities.
The opening event brought together the Minister of Science, Education and Youth of Croatia, Radovan Fuchs, representatives of the European Commission, and local authorities and university representatives from the three partner cities: Split, Kiel (Germany) and Brest (France).
In a video message, Startups, Research and Innovation Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva (pictured) reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to investing in initiatives that promote dialogue between science and citizens, particularly young people.
At a time when public trust in science and evidence-based policymaking is increasingly important, Science Comes to Town aims to bring science out of laboratories and into public spaces and local communities. By encouraging direct interaction between researchers, policymakers and citizens, the initiative seeks to strengthen trust in science as a driver of societal progress.
By fostering cooperation between the European Commission, national authorities and cities, Science Comes to Town aims to make science more tangible and meaningful for citizens, contributing to the development of a truly functioning fifth freedom of research, innovation and technology and to the objectives of the European Research Area.
The inauguration in Split marks the beginning of a one-year programme of activities across Kiel, Brest and Split, as well as six additional satellite cities across Europe. These activities will run until the end of 2026, bringing science closer to citizens and embedding it more strongly in everyday life across Europe.
Background information
Science comes to town is a call under the WIDERA Work Programme of Horizon Europe, awarding €6 million to a small group of cities to host a year-long programme of science engagement. The initiative aims to transform urban spaces into interactive science hubs, enabling citizens to connect with researchers and explore how science impacts daily life. The topic has been included also in Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 for the editions scheduled to take place in 2028 and in 2029.
