ERNEST - European Researchers Night Escape Science Team

Scientists are often seen as eccentric individuals, lost in their own world and working on extremely complex topics. As a result, students often approach scientific subjects with little enthusiasm, and fewer pursue STEM studies compared to other disciplines, particularly girls. Recent efforts have aimed to counteract these misconceptions and show that “science is also fun.” Game-based learning has proven effective in engaging and motivating young people. Escape rooms, in particular, have been successfully used as tools for science outreach, offering inquiry-based structures and immersive environments to involve participants with scientific topics. The time is ripe to structure the successful efforts on escape rooms created by many research teams in Europe, make them accessible to a wider public, and share scientists’ enthusiasm in an enjoyable way.The ERNEST (European Researchers Night Escape Science Team) project seeks to create a European network of institutions and scientists using educational escape rooms to engage citizens with science, share scientific outcomes, and spark curiosity about STEM careers and research.For the European Researchers Night (ERN), we plan an Escape Room Marathon with rooms on diverse scientific topics, deployed in multiple urban locations across Europe, beyond traditional ERN venues. The escape rooms will be produced in portable kits for schools and other locations, targeting not only large cities but also smaller towns and remote areas. As part of the Researchers at Schools activities, ERNEST will offer hands-on formats such as digital design contests, behind-the-scenes sessions, and science investigations, where teachers and students explore game-based learning, storytelling, and science engagement. In line with Horizon Europe priorities, ERNEST will promote gender balance in STEM, ensuring women and men researchers are equally represented and encouraging girls to actively engage in science.