28th September 2007

Every year in late September, a night is chosen to celebrate the work of Researchers in Europe, through a pan-European event involving a wide range of scientific and research organisations including museums, laboratories and academic institutions. All over Europe, a variety of entertaining and fun events are planned to run late into the night, with the chosen day of 2007 being the 28th September. The aim of these activities is to give the public, and in particular young people, the opportunity to meet researchers within the context of festive and ‘fun’ activities and to highlight the appeal of pursuing a research career

In Malta, Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit (FTZ) is organizing several activities to improve the perception by the general public of Researchers in such a way that it is closer to reality. These activities will culminate on the 28th of September, when all over Europe similar activities will be taking place.

The theme "Art thou Researching?" has been chosen for these activities because it allows these activities to bring to the fore the value of research for society by highlighting the technologies which make the very events possible. Research leads to new technologies which can also be used very effectively in art. Art can place the spotlight on research activities, while research may be essential for one to appreciate works of art.

These events are part financed by the European Commission through the 7th Framework Programme (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-5-1-1-NIGHT)

To this end, FTZ has obtained letters of commitment from several stakeholders and the entities responsible for the venues where the events will be held supporting the event, including St. James Cavalier Center for Creativity, the Malta Council for Science and Technology and the Valletta Local Council. This series of activities are in line with government policy to improve the R&D scenario of Malta. Malta is moving towards a knowledge based economy where the ICT and the Hi- Tech, and Information-Based service industry lead the economy. To achieve this, the workforce needs to be familiar with Technology and Science, and appreciate the value of research and innovation. Our project aims also to highlight the attractiveness of a research career to our youth.