Following the major success with the public of the Vienna Science Festival 2008 held at Vienna’s City Hall Square and the Vienna Science Festival Festival 2010 held at the Prater, each attracting more than 20,000 visitors, the Vienna Science Festival is going on tour again in the fall, visiting Viennese shopping centers. On the first three Saturdays in September, Vienna universities, private research institutes and companies gave people a close-look and first-hand impression of their innovations and research results – and thus a glimpse of everyday life in the future. The Vienna Science Festival On Tour was officially opened in the Millenium City on September 3, 2011 by Renate Brauner, Vice-Mayor and City Councilwoman for Finance and Economic Affairs.
“With this fourth Vienna Research Festival, we are consistently following the path of giving people a close-up experience of research and development. The acceptance of society and the curiosity for research from Vienna are absolutely essential for the internationally outstanding business location of Vienna”, Brauner says. “It is particularly important to me that children and youth discover their passion for research and get to know the manifold and promising job perspectives in this area. We will also need these highly qualified employees in the future”, she adds.
For example, children could launch rockets on the testing grounds of the WIFFZACK missile base, build their own particle accelerator or develop and test the cable railway of the future. Young researchers were supported by employees of the ScienceCenter-Network and HEPHY, the Institute for High Energy Physics of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Multilingual information and consulting on location
Within the framework of the Vienna Science Festival On Tour, particular importance was attached to people in Vienna whose mother tongue is not German. The supervisors of the exhibition were able to provide information about the research projects on the spot in several different languages. In addition, as was the case during the last Vienna Science Festival, consulting on future educational opportunities was carried out by the Wiener Volkshochschulen (Vienna Adult Education Centers) and the Wiener Stadtschulrates (Vienna Board of Education). The consultants at the Board of Education provided information in German, Turkish, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian and Albanian.
From the transparent human being to the digital advertising column
The exhibition covered all the core strengths of Vienna’s research landscape, from innovations in medical engineering from large companies such as Siemens and Otto Bock to the latest research findings of Viennese universities such as the University of Veterinary Medicine or the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences as well as world firsts developed by Viennese companies, such as the digital advertising column from phoenics or outer space furniture for daily office use produced by Liquifer. The racing cars of the Vienna University of Technology racing team were admired on all three Saturdays. A special program for children including experiments and a make-it-yourself mini particle accelerator opened up the world of research and innovation to the youngest visitors.
Inspire enthusiasm among the younger generation for research and innovation
The Vienna Science Festival On Tour 2011 was part of numerous initiatives launched by the City of Vienna to entertainingly and informatively convey information about research and development to an interested public. Since the beginning of 2010, the Ideas Attack! ZIT Research Hour, an innovation workshop for 3rd and 4th grade school pupils, has been offered at ZIT – Die Technologieagentur der Stadt Wien GmbH. In particular, it is important to arouse interest on the part of pupils for scientific disciplines and technical developments, due to the fact that there are still too few up-and-coming young scientists and researchers in these future-oriented areas.
Stage set for companies, universities and private research institutions
At this year’s Science Festival On Tour, companies, public and private research institutions made their latest research findings experienceable in an exciting and entertaining manner. In addition to the Vienna University of Technology, the Graz University of Technology, the University of Vienna, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences and the University of Veterinary Medicine, private research institutes such as VRVis as well as the Austrian Academy of Sciences and in particular companies in Vienna carrying out research were also represented. Alongside well-known large companies such as Otto Bock, Siemens and Wien Energie, smaller innovative companies promoted by ZIT - Die Technologieagentur der Stadt Wien GmbH or the creative agency departure were also presented, for example the Viennese companies Liquifer and phoenics.
The “Science Research Festival” is an initiative of Renate Brauner, Vice-Mayor and City Councilwoman for Finance and Economic Affairs, and was organized by ZIT in the year 2011 for the fourth time.
Take a look at the ZIT photo blog and view pictures of the Science Festival 2010 and the Science Festival On Tour 2009 in the Lugner City shopping center and the Rinderhalle Neu Marx (Neu Marx Cattle Hall).
