MEDNIGHT

A different Summer

The Mediterranean Researchers’ Night, MEDNIGHT 2024, will be held on September 27, 2024. Several Mediterranean countries will come together in a science-related event under a common flag.

That night will mark the end of three months of activities for all audiences that will take place in different cities in Mediterranean countries.

This summer, gardens, streets, beaches and, for the first time, beach bars, will bring together scientists with audiences of all ages.

We will look at the stars over the sea together, we will solve challenges that will be a science game, we will visit boats whose mission is to study the fauna and denounce the attacks suffered by the Mediterranean… There will be many different activities throughout an unforgettable summer.

The European Women's Researchers' Night, MEDNIGH 2021,  will be held on September 24, 2021, and for the first time, various Mediterranean countries will come together in a science-related event under a common flag.  That night will mark the end of three months of activities for all audiences that will take place in different cities in Mediterranean countries.  This summer, gardens, streets, beaches and, for the first time, beach bars, will bring together scientists with audiences of all ages.  We will look at the stars over the sea together, we will solve challenges that will be a science game, we will visit boats whose mission is to study the fauna and denounce the attacks suffered by the Mediterranean... There will be more than 300 activities throughout an unforgettable summer.  .  The closing ceremony will take place in Alicante, at the Casa Mediterráneo, an organization under Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on September 24 and will coincide with the Researchers' Nights in another 370 cities throughout Europe.

This map indicates the cities in the Mediterranean basin in which activities will be carried out in the Mediterranean Researchers’ night

Why MEDNIGHT?

500 million people on three continents are united by the world’s largest sea. We are Mediterranean. The sea that brushes us, a strategic geographic location, and the shared trace of our history, gives us a common character, and common problems.

23 countries: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Slovenia, Spain, France, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Syria, Tunisia, Türkiye and the former Yugoslavia they bleed from the same wound: in all of them, male and female scientists are actively working for overcoming our major concerns.

Doing Mediterranean science gives us identity, integrates us, makes us a solid unique team, and gives us the necessary strength for thriving the future. MEDNIGHT seeks to show the importance of Mediterranean Science, especially among young people, to let them know that the problems they see on our beaches, in our land – that is deserting progressively –  and in their day to day without enough resources for researching, are also the concern of many other young people in Mediterranean Europe. The same gap extended from Algeciras to Istanbul, sang the poet.

We will place special emphasis on female researchers in the Mediterranean.

Historically, the science carried out by men has been shown, which makes it difficult for a large part of the population, women, to identify themselves with the achievements. Therefore, in addition to making visible the figure of women in research, we will call our event in Spanish, Italian, Greek… in a feminine way: like in Spanish “La Noche Mediterránea de las Investigadoras” (‘La Noche Mediterránea de las Investigadoras’), together with its original English title “Mediterranean Researchers’ Night”. 

So, let’s go for it! MEDNIGHT will be a party. Because Science is the best party you can be invited to.

Why The Mediterranean

Researchers’ 

Night 

We will place special emphasis on women researchers from the Mediterranean. Historically, the science carried out by men has been shown, which makes it difficult for a large part of the population, women, to identify with the achievements made. Therefore, in addition to making the figure of women visible in research, we call our event in Spanish, Italian, Greek, etc., in feminine: as in Spanish “La Noche Mediterránea de las Investigadoras”, together with its original title in English ” Mediterranean Researchers’ Night “.

Our ultimate goal is that young people and society in general are attracted to the research career and science. To do this, we will define and value Mediterranean science, with the aim of creating a feeling of identity and belonging to it and recognizing it as something of which we can be proud. First of all, we ourselves, the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, but also because of the recognition towards it that there may be on the part of external agents, such as tourists and visitors from all over the world and especially from our fellow European citizens.

It is also about showing the convenience of the exchange of knowledge and experiences between European countries and more specifically the Mediterranean ones.

MEDNIGHT is held within the framework of the European Research Night, a scientific dissemination project promoted and funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101162227