CentroScienza is a non-profit cultural association, founded in 1996. The goal of its founding members (university professors, journalists, and science museum professionals) was to promote the development and dissemination of scientific and technological culture among the general public, through the creation of events that contribute to:
- the development and dissemination of scientific, technological, and artistic culture
- the search of a common language useful for scientific dissemination and the realization of scientific and artistic events aimed at the general public
- science and technology education and training
- the promotion of multidisciplinary activities
- the development of dissemination and educational tools aimed at disadvantaged and marginal groups.
The association pursues its foundational goals through an ample variety of activities, which are capable of promoting the widespread dissemination of a solid, critical technical-scientific culture, and of stimulating the curiosity of the public by proposing new languages and formats suitable for communicating complex concepts in a simple way. The aim is to create a bridge between the world of science and research, and citizens at large.
The Association’s activities are linked to many of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in many ways. Keywords such as training, skills development, and awareness emerge as fundamental elements suited to contribute to social cohesion and sustainable growth of local communities.
In pursuit of its goals, the Association offers a wide variety of initiatives, such as conferences, exhibitions, workshops, artistic and theatrical dissemination events, festivals, and projects aimed at specific audiences, such as schools and younger generations. A well-established presence in the community, CentroScienza is the organizer of well-known formats such as GiovedìScienza (“Science on Thursdays”), the Science Weeks, and the GiovedìScienza national award for young researchers. In 2024 we organized the second edition of Un Grado e Mezzo. Festival on climate and environment, an initiative aimed at sensitizing the general public and the younger generations to environmental issues, especially to the climate crisis and what is to be done to respond to its challenges. Since 2021 CentroScienza has organized workshops and events aimed at supporting educational activities during extracurricular activities and summer camps. Since 2022, CentroScienza has contributed to the program of the Culture around the corner project, co-designing and implementing scientific dissemination social activities.