BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – European citizens are directly influencing the European Union research agenda for the first time through a ground-breaking consultation series financed by the European Commission and conducted by science centres and museums in 27 EU member states.

A new Eurobarometer survey launched today (http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-1075_en.htm and http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb_special_419_400_en.htm#401) shows public support for the European Commission’s latest strategy to engage the public in science, known as responsible research and innovation (RRI). The survey comes on the day Ecsite launches the outcomes of the VOICES project, a year-long, Europe-wide citizen consultation exploring the concept of waste as a resource.

Get the toolkit! Thanks to surveys and online discussion events, the DESIRE project partners have built the “REACH OUT” toolkit: it is aimed at managers and coordinators of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) formal and informal education projects. It will help them awaken the stakeholders’ interest in their STEM project results and facilitate their use.

The twenty-eight partners of the SYNENERGENE project gathered in Karlsruhe on 24-25 September for the Kick-Off Meeting! A marathon general assembly of twelve hours enabled to set the foundations for the four platforms and two core dimensions of this ambitious Mobilisation and Mutual Learning Action Plan, fostering Responsible Research and Innovation in the area of Synthetic Biology.