Centre de Culture Scientifique et Technique d'Angers Terre des Sciences Association

Their core work

Terre des Sciences is a French science communication association based in Angers that organizes public engagement events connecting researchers with general audiences. Their core activity under H2020 has been delivering the European Researchers' Night in France — large-scale, interactive public events designed to make science accessible and entertaining. They specialize in creating participatory, immersive experiences that bring scientific research out of the lab and into public spaces through dialogue, experiments, and creative formats.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2014-2017), Terre des Sciences focused on broad participatory science events with themes around creativity and open dialogue (EXPERIM, CREATIVITY). From 2018 onward, there is a visible shift toward more narrative and immersive approaches — STORIES introduced storytelling and experiential formats, while VOYAGES and LINCS leaned into imagination, interactivity, and theatrical framing ("Little Nocturnal Secrets," "Voyages"). The evolution suggests a move from standard public engagement toward more ambitious, experience-design-driven science communication.

They are moving toward creative, experience-based science communication formats — future partners should expect imaginative event concepts rather than traditional lecture-style outreach.

How they like to work

Terre des Sciences participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — they join consortia rather than lead them. With 15 unique partners across just 5 projects, they work in moderately sized teams. Since all collaboration is within a single country (France), they function as a regional delivery node within French Researchers' Night consortia, likely handling the Angers/Loire Valley component of nationally coordinated events.

Their network of 15 partners is entirely France-based, reflecting their role as one node in the national French Researchers' Night consortium. They likely collaborate with other regional science centers, universities, and cultural institutions across France.

What sets them apart

Terre des Sciences brings deep continuity — five consecutive Researchers' Night cycles from 2014 to 2021 — which means proven reliability in public science event delivery in western France. Their shift toward narrative and immersive formats (stories, voyages, imagination) distinguishes them from more conventional science communication actors. For anyone building a consortium that needs a French regional partner for public engagement or responsible research and innovation activities, they offer a tested track record with creative ambition.

Highlights from their portfolio

• STORIES
  Marks the pivot toward narrative-driven science communication, introducing storytelling and experiential formats to the Researchers' Night model.
• VOYAGES
  Their most recent project, showcasing the full evolution toward imagination-driven, interactive science engagement formats.
• CREATIVITY
  Best-documented project with the richest keyword set, revealing their core approach: participatory dialogue, creative ideas, and an inclusive atmosphere.