EU-LIFE blog: Science is Wonderful! – More than outreach, a platform for research and policy dialogue

By Marko Košiček, science communication coordinator at the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI), EU-LIFE main representative of RBI, and member of the EU-LIFE Science Communication Working Group.

From my early days as a chemistry undergraduate, I discovered my passion for science communication. Over the years, this took many forms: interactive talks, public debates, workshops, hands-on activities, and even games. The settings were just as varied – lecture halls, classrooms, festivals, and improvised spaces. The audience could be hundreds, or just one person. But the principle never changed: focus on the audience and share my amazement at how nature works.

That principle stayed with me as my career evolved. Transitioning from researcher to science communicator at Ruđer Bošković Institute, Croatia’s largest research institute, opened a new chapter, one where I was no longer the only storyteller. Instead, I began working alongside researchers, helping them translate their work into experiences that resonate beyond academia. Together, we built a culture of communication that is now widely recognised in Croatia.

Then came Science is Wonderful!

At first glance, it seems like many other outreach events: a large-scale science fair, thousands of pupils, interactive stands, enthusiastic explanations. Indeed, every year, more than 4,000 young visitors walk through the event, encountering research funded by European programmes such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and the European Research Council (ERC). Since its launch in 2015, the initiative has aimed to bring cutting-edge science closer to schools and inspire future careers.

But after participating for two consecutive years, I realised something unexpected: the audience is no longer the only reason to be there. For our team, being selected for Science is Wonderful! was both recognition and opportunity – recognition of the long-term effort invested in supporting researchers and advancing science communication, and an opportunity to engage in a different kind of exchange – not only with pupils, but with fellow researchers from across Europe.

Two years, two groups of insects and an unexpected journey

“Marko is slowly becoming an entomologist!”, that was a comment on one of our LinkedIn posts. How does someone trained in chemistry, with a PhD in biochemistry and a research background in neuroscience, end up working with ants one year and beetles the next?

The story begins in 2022, when I saw a call for Science is Wonderful! classroom activities. The idea was simple: connect MSCA researchers with schools to co-create educational materials that could travel across Europe. I helped match one of our MSCA grantees with a local school, and together we developed an activity. We were not selected.

Two years later, in 2024, a new call appeared, this time for ERC grantees. Jelena Bujan was just about to start her ERC project, and we had already collaborated on outreach activities. Applying felt like a natural step. We prepared the proposal carefully, and eventually we were accepted [see BOX 1].

That experience changed our perspective and reinforced our ambition to internationalise our science communication efforts through the Ruđer Fermentor programme, which we were developing in parallel and expanding through Horizon projects and collaborations initiated at the Zagreb Science Communication Forum. So, when the next opportunity arose, we were ready.

This time, it was Barbara Milutinović, nearing the completion of her MSCA project, who agreed to join. Her research brought a new organism to our focus – that is how beetles entered my life [see BOX 2].

The policy dimension – when storytelling meets decision-making

I did not expect that explaining ants on a carpet would turn into a conversation about research policy. Yet that is exactly what happened. I spent hours sitting on the anthill carpet, surrounded by 3D-printed ants and custom-made plush beetles. Each of these objects carried a piece of real research. The carpet became a colony. The beetles came to life through costumes and movement. Fungal infections became something you could see, follow, and understand. Around us were microscopes and thermal cameras, the same tools used in the lab, quietly reminding everyone that this playfulness was grounded in rigorous science.

At some point, the audience shifted. Among the visitors were policymakers and high-level representatives from Brussels, including Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation. The dynamic changed, but the message did not. Whether you are speaking to a child or a commissioner, the core challenge remains the same: making research understandable without simplifying it beyond recognition.

We were not just presenting ants and beetles; we were advocating for curiosity-driven, fundamental research. The kind of research that does not promise immediate applications and often struggles to justify itself in a world focused on rapid results.

In that sense, a plush beetle can sometimes do what a policy brief cannot – it can open the door. That is why visibility matters, not as self-promotion, but as a responsibility. If we want fundamental research to be supported, we cannot afford to remain quiet or invisible.

We need to show up. We need to engage. And yes, we need to be louder. Especially at the European level, where networks like EU-LIFE have both the credibility and the reach to make a difference. Because the conversation about the future of research is already happening. The question is: are we in the room?