JUGS @ MALTA LIMITED

Their core work

JUGS @ MALTA LIMITED is a Malta-based private company specialising in public science engagement and science communication events. Their work centres on producing interactive, entertainment-driven experiences — blending comedy, arts, and hands-on experiments — that bring researchers face-to-face with general audiences including families, teenagers, and students. They have served as the local Maltese organiser for "Science in the City," the EU-funded European Researchers' Night held annually in Valletta, delivering edutainment programming across culture, heritage, and media formats. Their core value is translating complex scientific careers and research into accessible, fun public experiences for non-specialist audiences.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first project (2016–2017), JUGS focused tightly on the event experience itself — comedy, experiments, edutainment, and interactive family programming. By their second project (2018–2019), the scope widened considerably: culture, heritage, careers, media, students, and societal impact entered the picture, suggesting the organisation matured from pure entertainment production toward a broader science-in-society framing. The addition of "careers" and "media" in the later project hints at a shift from one-day spectacle toward sustained engagement with research as a social and professional reality.

JUGS appears to be evolving from event production into a fuller science communication agency, broadening from one-off public spectacles toward programming that addresses researcher visibility, cultural identity, and societal relevance of science — a trajectory suited to future MSCA or Horizon Europe public engagement mandates.

How they like to work

JUGS has participated exclusively as a partner, never leading a consortium, which is typical for local science communication operators embedded in EU-wide event networks like the European Researchers' Night. Their consortia are very small (4 unique partners across 2 projects, all within one country), suggesting they operate as a local delivery node within a broader national or European event structure. Working with them means engaging a tight, Malta-specific team rather than a large multinational network.

JUGS has collaborated with just 4 unique partners, all based in Malta, reflecting a deliberately local footprint tied to the Researchers' Night format. Their network is narrow but purposeful — the right contacts for anyone needing Maltese science communication capacity.

What sets them apart

JUGS occupies a rare niche as a private company in Malta with demonstrated EU project experience specifically in science-public engagement — a role usually filled by universities or public authorities. Their use of comedy, arts, and edutainment formats sets them apart from conventional academic outreach; they approach science communication as professional event production. For any consortium needing a credible, experienced Maltese partner for public engagement, researcher night, or citizen science activities, they are one of very few options with an actual H2020 track record.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SitC (2018–2019)
  The larger of the two participations (EUR 50,000), this edition expanded science communication scope to include careers, heritage, and media — the most complete version of their public engagement model.
• SitC (2016–2017)
  Their debut H2020 project, establishing the comedy-and-experiments format that defines their approach to making science accessible to families and teenagers.