European Science Week
20 - 26 November 2006

Science Week mission - a quest for knowledge

Through thought-provoking activities and a pan-European approach, the European Science and Technology Week's mission is to create a totally new perspective on science. The emphasis is on showing, rather than telling, Europeans how science and technology affects them, from the simplest gadgets to the most sophisticated satellite technology. Science is above all a quest for knowledge and how it can be used to improve our lives, lifestyles, and our living world.

Having fun with science

But Science Week is more than a 'quest for knowledge', it is also about having fun. What has happened to the thrill of discovery? Do we take technology for granted? These are some of the questions we need to ask in order to shape future science education and, ultimately, policy. Science is all around us - in our mobile phones, in our homes, in the engines that drive our cars - and yet we seem to be no longer amazed, hardly interested and sometimes not even aware of it.

Where's the 'wow' factor?

Science Week wants to put the 'wow' factor back into science and technology, stimulating interest in scientific research, no matter how simple (or complex) it may be. And young people are the perfect place to begin. If young minds can't be stimulated by the wonders going on around them, what hope is there? Where are tomorrow's scientists and inventors? Science Week wants to bring the challenges and excitement of the world of science to young people - and the young at heart - around Europe. In so doing, it hopes to rekindle scientific education, and to provide a beacon for the future of science and technology in Europe and beyond.