36 projects taking place as part of Science Week are receiving nearly €850,000 in funding.
The annual Science Week will be taking place across the country between 9 and 16 November this year, with hundreds of events on the cards, ranging science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
“For 30 years, Science Week has been sparking curiosity and bringing people together through science,” said Dr Ruth Freeman, the director of research for society at Research Ireland.
“Our anniversary theme of ‘Then. Today. Tomorrow’ is a chance to both celebrate the endeavours of yesteryear that have brought us to where we are today, and to consider what may lie ahead for individuals, families, communities, Ireland and the entire planet,” she added.
This year, 36 projects taking place in Science Week are being supported with nearly €850,000 in funding by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless, TD, said, “Science Week is now a key event across Ireland, connecting people with science through engaging activities. I encourage everyone to get involved and attend one of the many events happening around the country this Science Week.”
Some of the funding recipients include the 10-day Sligo Science Festival, which received €50,000 to deliver a science fair day at Atlantic Technological University, host science shows, workshops, demonstrations and displays, as well as talks, road shows, exhibitions and debates for all ages and backgrounds.
The Midlands Science Festival, comprising of events in Co Offaly, Co Laois, Co Longford and Co Westmeath also received €50,000 to host a music concert, an event exploring the science of nature and a teddy bears hospital, among others.
Meanwhile, the Limerick Festival of Science and Wexford Science Festival are each receiving €50,000 and Kerry Science Festival is getting €36,000 to host their own set of events for the upcoming week. Other regions, as well as specific events are hosting their own activities and are also receiving tens of thousands in funding to do so.
SiliconRepublic.com has compiled some of the many events taking place across the country over the coming week.
Science meets art
Internationally acclaimed artist Luke Jerram will be presenting his installation ‘Museum of the Moon’, a seven-metre illuminated sphere featuring detailed imagery of the lunar surface from NASA, at Dublin’s Merrion Square from 13 to 15 November.
“There’s something truly special about bringing it [the installation] to Dublin to mark such a milestone for Science Week,” said Jerram. “It’s about inspiring wonder – and seeing our shared world from a new perspective.”
Spectacle theatre company Macnas will be making its Cork premiere at Marina Market this Sunday (9 November), bringing its troupe of drummers, stilt walkers and puppets to tell a story about biodiversity loss and the gradual disappearance of the corncrake across Ireland.
While Belfast-born European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Rosemary Coogan will be in Dundalk’s An Táin Arts Centre on Sunday (9 November) to take part in ‘Baking in Space’, an event that explores cooking in zero gravity, sharing her story of becoming an astronaut, her day-to-day work at the ESA Astronaut Centre and her participation in future space missions.
‘Let’s Talk Science Festival 2025’, organised by the Rediscovery Centre, will give the general public the opportunity to explore and engage with science and STEM in a hands-on, fun way. On Saturday (8 November), it will host an in-person, all-day event in Dublin which will consist of science shows and exhibits, and which will be open to members of the public.
Across the country, Cork is having a dedicated SpaceFest as part of the Science Week with exhibitions, performances, tours and workshops in the city and beyond. Some of these events include a private tour of University College Cork’s Crawford Observatory on 11 November, and a panel discussion on queer identity and experience in STEM the day after.
Moreover, Iftikhar Umrani, a PhD scholar with South East Technological University’s (SETU) Walton Institute, will be presenting a talk titled ‘Drones in Everyday Life – Promise, Potential and Protection’ on 12 November at the Clonmel Library in Tipperary. The talk is a part of the South East Science Festival in Waterford receiving €50,000.
Umrani is designing AI-driven methods for secure and trustworthy drone operations. Drones are transforming how we live and work, from helping farmers monitor crops and improve harvests to enabling doorstep delivery of packages and medicines, he said ahead of the talk.
While an event titled ‘Light Laboratory: Optical Science past, present, future’ is taking place in Cork next weekend to showcase the principles of optical science from the past in a theatrical manner.
The Irish Astronomical Society is hosting a moongazing event on 12 November in Dublin, while an astronomy watch is also happening in Waterford on the same day.
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