On September 27, the last Friday of September, the 19th European Researchers’ Night took place. A total of 35 universities, innovation centers, and research institutions in various cities of Latvia were opened to the public, attracting around 21,200 visitors. The Ministry of Education and Science notes that the number of attendees increases each year, demonstrating society's growing interest in science and its importance for shaping the future.
During this large-scale European-level event, visitors of all generations participated with genuine interest in various experiments, scientific shows, technology demonstrations, discussions, as well as in other research activities, thus learning more about the latest scientific achievements both locally and internationally, where Latvian researchers have made significant contributions.
According to statistics, the highest number of visitors was at the universities of sciences. In 2024, the Top5 most visited venues were the Academic Centre of the University of Latvia (around 4,400 visitors), the Medical Education Technology Center of Riga Stradiņš University (around 3,000 visitors), Daugavpils University (around 2,500 visitors), Riga Technical University (around 2,100 visitors), and the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (around 1,800 visitors).
This year's event theme was "Get to Know Your Researcher!" emphasizing the accessibility and importance of science in our daily lives. During the free activities, visitors had the opportunity to meet with Latvia's leading researchers and learn more about their work and the role of science.
The European Researchers' Night has become an annual tradition that continues to grow, attracting more and more curious minds eager to explore science and its endless possibilities.
Latvian Researchers' Night is part of the European Union initiative, within which diverse events also took place in other European countries. The main goal of the event is to promote public interest in science, especially among young people, as well as to encourage engagement in research by choosing a career in science.
More up-to-date information about science, research, and discoveries in Latvia can be found on researchLatvia, a science communication platform created by the Ministry of Education and Science. It facilitates interaction between various scientific fields and institutions, society and academia, business, and culture,
The campaign for the promotion of communication and science awareness of the Ministry of Education and Science is implemented within the project No. 1.1.1.1/1/24/I/001 within the framework of " More Efficient Implementation and Management of Latvia's Science Policy".
