Brussels, 17 October 2019 – One month before the start of European Robotics Week 2019 (ERW2019), hundreds of interactive robotics events for the public have been announced. More than 1000 are expected to take place in Europe and beyond, to show how robots will impact the way we work, live, and learn.
With the opportunities arising from Europe’s digital transformation driven by new technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing and blockchain, the demand for ICT specialists is growing fast. In the future, 9 out of 10 jobs will require digital skills (source). Nevertheless, fewer women than men take up ICT-related jobs and education: for every 1000 women, only 24 graduate in digital fields (source). The European Robotics Week (ERW) promotes digital skills for everyone to be used everywhere, be it in school, at university or on the job, putting the emphasis on inspiring girls to follow STEM-related careers.
What is happening in Europe?
Since 2011, the European Robotics Week has been encouraging robotics researchers, universities and industry to open their doors to the public to raise awareness of impact that robots can have in our society. In 2019, hundreds of activities have been announced Europe-wide, and beyond:
- Spain is a leader in number of events, with over 240 activities announced, out of which 200 will be organised in schools and high schools in Catalonia. Hisparob announced an international collaboration with Universidad Abierta Interamericana from Argentina.
- In Germany, +70 events are taking place across the country. A large majority of the events are driven by the First Lego League which is a focal point also for events in the surrounding countries: Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland.
- Romania is launching the White Night for Robots on 23 November, hosting several activities for the public organised by E-Civis (the initiator of the initiative), the Faculty for Mathematics and Informatics at Bucharest University, Panait Istrati County Library in Braila and Qube.
- ERW2019 is seeing an internationalisation trend beyond Europe, with events organised in Tunisia, Kazakhstan, and the Russian Federation.
See the full list of activities: www.robotics-week.eu
The Central Opening event on 14-16 November, in Poznan, Poland
Every year the ERW chooses a location to host the Central Opening event, an eco-system of various engaging activities. This year's Central Opening event is hosted by the Poznan University of Technology conference & lecturing centre in Poland, between 14 and 16 of November.
The ERW2019 Central event in Poznan will evolve around Robotics and Artificial Intelligence and will put the spotlight on Poland, the biggest country in EU13. Situated in one of the most economically developed regions of Poland, Poznan was selected for its achieving success by supporting the most ambitious projects and the bravest visions.
Under the overarching theme Robotics & AI Odyssey, the ERW2019 Central event in Poznan will focus on themes such as boosting women’s role in the digital age or sharing best practices for robotics education in Europe. On Thursday, 14 November, the Official Opening Ceremony will see European, national, regional, local government representatives giving their view of the future of robotics and AI (this is an invitation-based event). Friday, 15 November, is dedicated to students and schools’ visits, hosting workshops on girls and women in robotics, STEM education in Europe and activities for pupils. On Saturday, 16 November, the event will be open to the general public proposing competitions and workshops. A robots’ exhibition will accompany the event over the three days.
Platinum Sponsor
Additional Information
Website: www.robotics-week.eu
European events: old.eu-robotics.net/robotics_week/events/
Social Media
Hashtag #ERW2019
Twitter: twitter.com/eu_Robotics twitter.com/SPARCrobotics
Facebook: www.facebook.com/euRobotics www.facebook.com/SPARCrobotics
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/eurobotics-aisbl
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/euRobotics
Photo credit: @SPECS_lab
Tweet: Over 1000 events expected during European Robotics Week 2019 #ERW2019. Find an event near you: https://goo.gl/jrGQyh
Contact: media@roboticsweek.eu
Background of the European Robotics Week
ERW was conceived with the desire of the European Robotics community to bring robotics research and development closer to the public and to build the future Robotics Society. Many more than 550,000 people across Europe have been part of ERW since its first edition in 2011. The European Robotics Week is organised under SPARC, the public-private partnership for robotics between euRobotics and the European Commission.
European Robotics Week 2019 (ERW2019) will take place around Europe on 14-24 November 2019.
For national coordinators and local events organisers
National coordinators actively promote the Week in their country among robotics organizations, research institutes/universities and encourage them to open their doors, and sponsor or organise various robotics events for the public.
Check your country page! euRobotics has an extended page on the website to promote the national coordinators and show gratitude for their involvement. We encourage national coordinators to send their own pictures, organisation's logo, and description of their local activities or a quote.
Register your event! Registration is easy. Make sure to pick a topic, describe your event and it will be accessible from the brand new heated map of events.
Spread the word! Forward this press release to your local media and add a short description about your regional events. You can translate and tailor your press release to give it a local touch.
We also welcome any pictures, blog posts, and videos during the week. Simply send them to media@roboticsweek.eu by email or tweet them using the hashtag #ERW2019. We’ll make sure it gets posted on social media and on our website.
About euRobotics and SPARC
SPARC is the public-private partnership between the European Commission and euRobotics to maintain and extend Europe’s leadership in civilian robotics. Its aim is to strategically position European robotics in the world, thereby securing major benefits for Europe’s economy and society at large.
SPARC leads the driving strategy behind the largest civilian robotics research and innovation programme in the world, with €700 million in funding from the European Commission from 2014 to 2020 and triple that from European industry, to yield a total investment of €2.8 billion. SPARC will stimulate a more vibrant and effective robotics community that collaborates in development and commercial exploitation in all regions.
euRobotics is a non-profit organisation based in Brussels with more than 250 members, representing the Robotics community in Europe.