WOJEWODZTWO MALOPOLSKIE

Their core work

Małopolska Voivodship is the regional government authority for the Kraków metropolitan area in southern Poland. In H2020, they have exclusively organized the European Researchers' Night — large-scale public engagement events that bring scientists, laboratories, and interactive demonstrations to the general public across the Małopolska region. They coordinate these annual science festivals, managing logistics, partnerships with local universities and research institutions, and public communication campaigns to promote scientific careers and research culture.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2014-2015, the focus was broadly on science communication, technology demonstration, and public recognition of research — a general-purpose science festival approach. From 2018 onward, the events shifted toward connecting researchers with society, emphasizing scientific careers, and adding a clear European dimension. By 2020-2021, ecology and climate became central themes, signaling a pivot from generic science promotion to environmentally-focused public engagement.

Moving toward environment and climate-themed public engagement, likely to continue integrating Green Deal messaging into future science outreach activities.

How they like to work

Małopolska Voivodship operates exclusively as a project coordinator — they led all four of their H2020 projects. Their consortia are small (12 unique partners across 4 projects, averaging 3 partners each), which is typical for Coordination and Support Actions focused on regional events. They appear to work with a local network of Kraków-area research institutions and universities rather than building wide international consortia.

Their network of 12 partners is concentrated in a single country (Poland), reflecting the regional nature of the Researchers' Night events they organize in the Małopolska area around Kraków.

What sets them apart

As a regional government body, Małopolska Voivodship brings institutional credibility, local infrastructure, and access to public venues that universities and research institutes typically cannot provide on their own. Their seven-year track record of organizing European Researchers' Night events in one of Poland's strongest academic cities (Kraków has multiple major universities) makes them a reliable partner for any science-society engagement initiative in southern Poland. They are particularly valuable for projects needing a public authority to anchor citizen engagement or dissemination activities.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Power2Nights
  Their largest project (EUR 94,568), establishing the Researchers' Night format in Małopolska for 2014-2015 and setting the template for subsequent editions.
• ECOResearchers4Earth
  Most recent project (2021) showing the evolution toward climate and environmental themes, representing their current strategic direction.