Communities for
Sciences (C4S)
Promoting high-quality formal and non-formal education in the spirit of equal opportunity.
The research project Communities for Sciences – Towards promoting an inclusive approach in science education (C4S) launched on 1 October 2020 and is funded through the Horizon 2020 programme.
The project's starting point is the promotion of high-quality formal and non-formal education. Regardless of social, cultural, religious, sexual, or geographical backgrounds, the aim is to strengthen the local and regional delivery of educational activities in the spirit of equal opportunity.
In the twenty-first century, amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution and within the context of a globalised digital world awash with information and misinformation, scientific and post-industrial knowledge and skills have become essential across many areas of life and work. Scientific and technological literacy, knowledge, and critical thinking are crucial capabilities — both for personal development and for shaping just, well-informed societies.
Existing social realities in Europe — including social segregation, poverty, racism, sexist practices, visible and invisible barriers faced by people with disabilities, and other forms of discrimination — continue to limit access to professional careers in science and research.
It is vital that children are well informed about broader societal issues and can participate fully in current and future social and political questions. The goal is to foster responsible research and innovation.
Providing access to science education for and with children in vulnerable situations is one pathway towards this.
Project Consortium
The project consortium comprises eleven partners from eight European countries, led by the Fundació Universitària del Bages (Manresa campus of the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia):
University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy)
Giocheria Laboratori Service (Italy)
Erasmus Brussel University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Belgium)
Fundació Universitària del Bages Manresa (Spain)
Vic campus of Uvic-UCC (Spain)
Board of Education for Vienna, European Office Vienna (Austria)
Vienna University of Economics and Business (Austria)
Galileo Progetti (Hungary)
New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria)
Lund University (Sweden)
HIU (Germany)
The European Commission is funding the three-year collaborative project between universities, regional educational institutions, and non-profit organisations with a total of 1.1 million euros.
For more information about the project, please visit: https://www.communities-for-sciences.eu
Delivering formal and non-formal science education programmes for children and young people aged 0 to 16, and their families, in vulnerable situations
Raising awareness at the institutional level (policymakers, museum representatives, schools, associations, etc.) regarding access to science education and the provision of learning materials
Participatory development and implementation of 'Community Living Labs'
Sarah Scheer