Dublin, 27 October 2022: Minster for further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, joined Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) to launch Science Week, a national celebration of science, with hundreds of both in person and hybrid events taking place nationwide. Running from the 13th until 20th November, Science Week will engage the Irish public on the theme of Infinite Possibilities. 

Launching Science Week, Minister Harris said: “I am delighted to launch Science Week 2022. It is fantastic to see the conversations we had during Creating Our Future continue and to see them inform further conversations during events such as Science Week. As we consider the role that science plays in all of our lives, and how it affects our future, Science Week provides us with an opportunity to engage with science in informative and creative ways. I would encourage everyone to get involved, attending Science Week events and use your voice to help us overcome the challenges our country and our world faces.”

Science Week aims to encourage people to discuss and explore the possibilities that science offers. Science is an important part of a shared better future – helping us to understand our world, inspiring new opportunities, and providing potential solutions. From the infinite variety of our amazing planet and the adaptability of nature to our ability to face the unexpected, the possibilities are endless.

The Infinite Possibilities theme was developed as a result of the findings of the Government’s Creating Our Future public consultation campaign. Creating Our Future sought submissions from the public on what they would like researchers to explore.

Commenting on Science Week, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland, Professor Philip Nolan, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming people back in-person to Science Week events for the first time since 2019 as well as running virtual events for a truly hybrid experience. We would encourage everyone to take part in Science Week this year and to explore the Infinite Possibilities of science at in-person events or online. We are focussing on key themes that we know the public is concerned about such as sustainable living, mental health, and digital technologies. Science Week is a fantastic opportunity for people all over Ireland to discover and engage with science.”

Hundreds of events are taking place across the country, there is something for all ages and interests. Events taking place include:

  • 19 regional Science Week Festivals will be taking place across the country including the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland’s ‘BIAS: Inequality in Women’s Health and Research’, Teagasc’s ‘Festival of Farming’ and a day- long festival on Achill, ‘The Food and Science Circus by the Sea’.
  • Inspired by anatomical science, BODY is an outdoor immersive journey through six different zones, mixing human biology with light, special effects, sound, and fire. BODY is set to open in Merrion Square Dublin from Wednesday 16th to Saturday 19th November.
  • Back for the Future Escape Room: Navan, Dundalk, Portlaoise, Shannon, Kilkenny. Back to the Future is an exciting, immersive escape room experience run with a live actor. The year is 2050 and the world has been devastated by the impacts of overconsumption and climate change.
  • Shakespeare in ISL for people and machines- Deaf Village Ireland 16th November ‘Shakespeare in ISL (for people and machines)’ is an innovative in-person Science Week event, combining technology and theatre, developed with the Deaf community for adult Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences.
  • Voyage to the heart of the cell 2.0- Multiple Locations in Dublin. Together with LCD and two professional actors have built an engaging, interactive drama with an amusing dialogue bringing to life the function of cell organelles, and cell fate such as cell division and differentiation.

The full list of thrilling science events, workshops and talks across the country, will be available on the Science Week website in the coming weeks: www.scienceweek.ie. Most Science Week events are free to join, but registration may be required.