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Pints & Politics with WUNC's Colin Campbell in Pittsboro
To celebrate WUNC's 50th anniversary this year, we're hosting 50 events across North Carolina! Please join us on August 19 at BMC Brewing at The Plant in Pittsboro for Pints & Politics with WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Colin Campbell! The event kicks off at 6 p.m.We'll chat about all things North Carolina politics, and your first pint will be on BMC Brewing in a special WUNC 50th anniversary pint glass! This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is encouraged as space is limited. Please RSVP at the link below to let us know if you are planning to join us. You can also submit a question for Colin in advance when you sign up to attend. We hope to see you soon!> RSVP Here
New exhibit housing Endeavour Space Shuttle set to open at California Science Center in November
The Endeavour Space Shuttle will be housed in the newly built Samuel Oschin Shuttle Gallery.
Aon Center owner seeks another loan extension as tower’s value plummets
The debt trouble at Chicago’s second-tallest office tower is one of the largest cases of imminent distress downtown amid weakened demand for workspace.
‘Incuhub’ for small businesses opens location in Newport News
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – A flexible workspace and business incubator has now opened a new location. Incuhub has locations in Portsmouth, Hampton and now Newport News. Incuhub is a modern wo…
CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER TO OPEN THE SAMUEL OSCHIN AIR AND SPACE CENTER ON NOVEMBER 13, 2026
/PRNewswire/ -- The California Science Center announced today that the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, the permanent home of Space Shuttle Endeavour, will...
California Science Center visitors will see space shuttle Endeavour in launch position this fall
The Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will be free to visit, just in time for the 2028 Olympics.
China's Einstein Probe detected a mysterious cosmic explosion — and scientists have no idea what caused it
The explosion, consisting of two mysterious double flares, matches no known space eruption.
First look at the Endeavor Space Shuttle at the California Science Center
Science fans will soon get the chance to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor in its ready-to-launch position at the California Science Center in Exposition Park this November.
Scientists catch classical space-time crystals moving like Majorana quasiparticles
A research team from Hiroshima University, the University of Colorado, and other collaborators have demonstrated that space-time crystals—exotic structures that, under external drive, loop endlessly through ...
Ebola outbreak is still outpacing response, WHO's Tedros says
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda is continuing to outpace response efforts, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
Google’s New $100 Speaker Makes a Weak Case for Gemini in the Home
The Google Home Speaker is the first new device of its kind to come from Alphabet Inc. in six years. In that time, Google has reshaped itself as an industry leader in artificial intelligence, with its Gemini platform now ubiquitous across consumer hardware like smartphones and web services like Search, Workspace and YouTube.
Venetian exec talks luxury meeting space and the future of conventions
Venetian Chief Sales Officer Tony Yousfi shares what drove renovations at the Convention and Expo Center and the innovations he believes will define the next era of conventions at the Strip resort.
California Science Center sets Space Shuttle Endeavour opening date
On Nov. 13, the California Science Center's Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will open to visitors as the final phase of its 33-year-long master plan.
Elon Musk’s trillionaire status at risk after drops in SpaceX and Tesla’s shares
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Report: Pacers Targeting Guard in Second Round of NBA Draft
The Indiana Pacers are reportedly targeting an intriguing guard in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
AMC Entertainment (AMC): Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q1 Earnings?
AMC Entertainment’s 24.1% return over the past six months has outpaced the S&P 500 by 16.3%, and its stock price has climbed to $2.09 per share. This was par...
Roku May Help Fox Avoid Aggregeddon
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Scrolling through links over the last week, I stumbled across this fun headline: Wow. Formula 1 (the sport, not the docu-series) is the perfect “dog not barking”. As a reminder, each week in my Streaming Ratings Report, I call out the shows that miss every viewership chart. I dub them “dogs not barking”—like the Sherlock Holmes mystery—because without any data, we forget they even exist. This is in contrast to something like, say, a film flop—cough The Mandalorian and Grogu cough—where even underperforming at the box office is widely discussed here, there and everywhere. In the US, Formula 1 is now in “no public viewership data, so not discussed” territory. After moving to Apple TV from its former home of ESPN, basically no one talks about it. Apple did publish an initial, unsourced, unsubstantiated, (dare I say unserious) datecdote claiming more folks are watching Formula 1 on Apple than ESPN, but we haven’t gotten any updates since. This stands in contrast to when the sport streamed on ESPN, and ESPN PR provided weekly viewership figures. Formula 1 was, at best, a niche sport in America—averaging 1.3 million viewers in the Big Data Plus era—but now it’s basically anonymous. (And yeah, after moving to Apple, I very, very, very much doubt its ratings increased.) Unfortunately, that story isn’t quite big enough to warrant a section in today’s “Most Important Story of the Week” column, but I wanted to call it out, because otherwise, no one else will! Certainly, no one will write articles about the silence/ratings decline, unlike when they wrote breathless articles connecting the rise in viewership to Netflix’s Drive to Survive, including Reuters just last month. (This is a topic I’ve tried to provide a moderate/nuanced/non-hyped take since 2022.) Anyway, on to this week’s issue. I was a bit worried I didn’t have a juicy topic, then the Murdochs went out and did their Murdoch thing: buying Roku. So that’s the story of the week, and it happens to touch on quite a few themes of the streaming wars and the disruption therein. I’ll cover that, plus why more consolidation in Hollywood media looks likely, more good news on the Hollywood labor front, whether we’ll see an uptick in production in Los Angeles, some Broadway and theme park news, cellphone prices going up in the third world (and possibly everywhere), and more. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Another Big Media & Entertainment Merger The story of the week is clearly Fox is buying Roku for $22 billion. I read a lot of good strategy takes on why Fox bought this streaming TV device maker—and I’ll have mine below—but what fascinates me more is how this deal connects to quite a few themes of the streaming wars, linking to everything from the pace of M&A to “aggregeddon” to Netflix’s recent M&A actions/inactions to the shift to advertising from pure play streaming and more. The only topic I can’t really connect it to is my old theory, “never bet against Rupert Murdoch” because he isn’t the one who did this deal; his son Lachlan inked it. (Do I think he provided advice, even at his 95 years of age? Sure.) That plus I have one additional piece of strategy for all entertainment players, inspired by this deal. So let’s dive into all those topics, starting with why I like this deal. Roku is a Great M&A Buy
VA’s top health official pushes IT overhaul to cut bureaucracy, boost veteran care
As VHA balances cost, disruption and rollout pace across its modernization portfolio, John Bartrum said he's tracking success on two fronts.
Virtual reality adventures arrive at Cleveland's Great Lakes Science Center
The Mission Flight VR Experience lets visitors spacewalk outside the International Space Station, ride a Saturn V rocket, and stand on a biplane wing without leaving Cleveland.
SoftBank CEO questions Musk's space data centers vision
Top SoftBank boss Masayoshi Son challenged the economic case for putting AI data centers in space, an idea championed by Elon Musk.
Offworld Space Biology: Setting Up The Life Science Glovebox
Bioengineering cartilage tissues and manufacturing advanced materials kicked off the week aboard the International Space Station
Something in space may be changing alien signals before they can reach Earth. Scientists have a solution.
New research suggests that alien radio signals may be transformed by plasma from their home stars — and scientists on Earth could be overlooking prime evidence of alien intelligence.
2026 World Cup: England, Scotland and Europe
The late-June rhythm of a World Cup is unlike anything else in the football calendar. With the group phase building towards its climax, fixtures are stacking up at a pace that leaves barely a moment t...
Smart drones, safe skies: Student’s system tests, coordinates drone fleets
Doctoral student’s project devises an autonomous airspace coordination system built around a real-time simulation and validation technology.
US Business Activity Picks Up on Manufacturing Strength
US business activity expanded at the fastest pace in five months, bolstered by a surge in demand for manufactured goods.
One Pitt student team will get the opportunity to send their experiment to the ISS
The University is looking for undergraduates and faculty advisors with big cosmic questions — that fit in tiny packages — as part of the national Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.
The Tech Sell-off Goes Global
Investors are bracing for rough trading after stocks in Asia and Europe were clobbered on Tuesday. A.I. companies like SpaceX are getting hit hard.
AI and Funding Cuts Worsen Crisis for Child Abuse Investigators
The unrelenting pace of AI-generated child abuse material is pushing law enforcement to the brink.
Rice in 'good space' after 'mentally tough' season
Declan Rice has said that last season's title win with Arsenal was "mentally tough", but he is in a "very good space" before England's World Cup match against Ghana. Rice has made 63 appearances for Arsenal and England this season, and was withdrawn as a precaution in England's 4-2 win over Croatia last week.
Businesses In Europe, Asia See Costs Cooling On Peace Hopes
Eurozone businesses reported that their input costs rose at the slowest pace since the outbreak of the conflict, and they in turn increased their prices at a slower pace.
German business activity hits 18-month low in June, PMI shows
Germany's private sector activity contracted at its fastest pace in 18 months in June as the services downturn deepened, a survey showed on Tuesday.
German Business Activity Unexpectedly Worsens on Services Slump
Germany’s private sector shrank for a third month as sagging confidence over the Iran war sent services activity sinking at its fastest pace since 2022.
Biz Buzz: Health and wellness business opens event space in Dubuque
Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. In addition to this update from Dubuque, other developments will appear in Wednesday’s edition.
Two marsupial species once known to science only from fossils, and thought lost for more than 6,000 years, have been confirmed alive in the rainforests of New Guinea’s Vogelkop Peninsula — a discovery made possible by old museum specimens, rare field photographs, fossil fragments and the knowledge of Indigenous Tambrauw and Maybrat elders.
Two marsupials known to science only from fossils, and presumed gone for more than 6,000 years, have turned out to be alive in the rainforests of the Vogelkop Peninsula in Indonesian Papua. The finding was published in March in the Records of the Australian Museum, and it leaned less on a lucky expedition than on […]
NASA’s Cold Atom Lab is creating one of the weirdest forms of matter in space
NASA’s upgraded Cold Atom Lab is turning the International Space Station into a frontier for quantum research, creating ultra-cold matter that behaves in astonishing ways. The experiments could unlock new discoveries about the universe while paving the way for powerful future technologies in space and on Earth.
The Carriage House at Paper Mill Playhouse Launches Summer 2026 Entertainment Series
(MILLBURN, NJ) -- The F.M. Kirby Carriage House at Paper Mill Playhouse announces its inaugural Summer Entertainment Series, introducing acclaimed Broadway and cabaret artists Evan Tyrone Martin (New York City Center's The Wild Party) and Annie Hägg (Giant) to lead an expanded lineup of live entertainment throughout July and August at the newly refurbished restaurant and event space.
Reflection deal suggests SpaceX's Colossus could become its own business line
CNBC's Deirdre Bosa reports on news regarding SpaceX.
Chinese spaceplane releases object into orbit, according to commercial space surveillance
Chinese spaceplane releases object into orbit, according to commercial space surveillance China’s secretive spaceplane has released an object into orbit during its ongoing fourth mission, according to space surveillance firm LeoLabs.
Grape seeds from Texas are going to space
Your next bottle of red could come from seeds that orbited Planet Earth.
Can Canadian Organizations Deliver in the Next Era of Business AI? IBM Finds Many May Not Be Ready
As Canadian CEOs accelerate AI adoption to drive productivity and growth, C-suite leaders across Canada warn that governance, oversight and workforce readiness are struggling to keep pace, creating a widening 'control gap.'
Maltby Cafe, known for giant cinnamon rolls, to get new home
The iconic Maltby Cafe, which is known for its massive cinnamon rolls made from scratch, will expand into a designed community of retail space called "Maltby Village."
Women set pace for bringing the fruits of WSU research to market
The gender gap in research commercialization persists around the globe, but WSU's highest-impact discoveries stemmed from the scientific work of women.
SpaceX launches notes offering, discloses $100.8 billion cash balance
SpaceX said on Monday it launched an offering of senior unsecured notes and disclosed that it held about $100.8 billion in cash and cash equivalents as of June 19.
James Webb telescope detects 'galaxy-killing wind' near the dawn of time — and it could preview the death of the Milky Way
New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope show that ancient galaxies lived fast and died young because of intense, collision-driven winds.
Detroit Pistons salary cap space heading into 2026 free agency
The Detroit Pistons have financial flexibility to sign key players during the NBA's free agency period.
T-Beeney Solutions is this week's Aces of Trade
T-Beeney Solutions specializes in landscaping and creating outdoor living spaces.
How employer-education partnerships are closing Chicago’s behavioral health workforce gap
Chicago’s behavioral health systems are under sustained pressure. The demand for services continues to rise, while the number of licensed clinicians entering the field has not kept the same pace.
Can a Community Move Beyond the Systemic Fractures of Mental Health Care? "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia" Explores the Coordinated Response in Kansas
The educational segment, filming on June 23, 2026, features Mental Health America of South Central Kansas as it challenges the traditional boundaries of regional behavioral healthcare. Filmed on location across outpatient counseling spaces, children and family programs, adult support services, and residential environments supporting recovery, stability, and independence in Wichita, the feature captures how connected programs, community partnerships, and compassionate care create a functional saf
ESPN Fan House Opening As Engagement Hub For College Sports Fanatics
ESPN is bringing the fans home. The Disney-owned sports network has launched ESPN Fan House, a “fan-centric engagement hub” that will “connect fans more deeply with ESPN’s coverage of college sports, brands and moments” ahead of the 2026 season. The hub, powered by Flowcode, is being framed as an interactive space existing across live and …
PEDESTRIANIZE NOW! Financial District Businesses Want Space for People Not Cars
Financial District businesses want more space for pedestrians to boost their revenues.
NASA’s Next Generation Telescope Arrives in Florida Ahead of Launch
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrived June 21, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the start of final prelaunch preparations
Bob on Business: Rosedale retail? Texas Wesleyan names real estate firm to market spaces
Also, private equity gets wasted; acquisitions; Texas twister real estate deals; real estate group uses the force; and deals in Alliance.
ESA Exploration Science Workshop 2026 – Early Career Researchers Abstract Submissions
The European Space Agency is pleased to announce a Call for Abstracts for Early Career Researchers to submit abstracts to the ESA Exploration Science Workshop 2026
Solar storms don't shock people directly — they induce electric currents in long metal, meaning power lines, pipelines and undersea internet cables become the very antennas that channel the damage into modern life
Solar storms do not electrocute people. They induce slow electric currents in long conductors — power lines, pipelines and undersea internet cables — which then channel the damage into substations and shore stations. The 1989 Quebec blackout took down a continent's grid in 90 seconds without a single direct strike from the Sun.
Why Is There No Money In Star Trek? The Economics Of The Federation Explained
Star Trek operates in a post-capitalist space, and money is no longer used. Here's how the economics of the Federation work in the franchise.
James Webb telescope finds a cosmic cloud of creation buried in the Sword of Orion — Space photo of the week
A new James Webb telescope snap shows off the glowing gas, sculpted jets and newborn stars lurking within the giant cosmic cloud OMC-2, located in the Sword of Orion.
Arrakihs, a Spanish mission to illuminate the mystery of dark matter: ‘We have broken molds’
Four-telescope astronomical observatory is at the heart of the first space exploration to be led by the country
6-woman team celebrates opening of expanded Tazewell County business
A design shop opened an expanded storefront in Morton on Saturday, hosting an open house to showcase the new space and its six-woman team.
Sunday Preview – Battleforces, MkIV Space Marines, and a Hero of the Imperium
See what’s coming up next week for Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, and Black Library.
Scientists discover neurons must break their DNA to build the brain
As newborn neurons make their way through the developing brain, they must squeeze through incredibly tight spaces to reach their final destinations. Researchers discovered that this physical journey routinely causes some of the most severe forms of DNA damage—double-strand breaks—yet the young brain has evolved an impressive ability to repair the damage almost immediately.
I installed 10 Android Auto apps for a long road trip, but only 4 were genuinely useful
Not every app deserved space
Why the space in ‘health care’ matters
When STAT polled our readers on ‘health care’ vs. ‘healthcare,’ about 60% of our readers voted for one word.
Madison’s new Forge Sports Center gives growing futsal community a home
Friday’s event brought together soccer fans watching the World Cup and players taking part in futsal, a fast-paced indoor version of soccer played on a hard court.
Astros vs Guardians Game Discussion: 6/19/2026
Game Info Game Date/Time: Friday, June 19, 7:10 p.m. CT Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX TV: Space City Home Network Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)
Mu-g Technologies enters the parabolic flight business
A startup has acquired an aircraft to offer commercial parabolic flight services even as NASA seeks to acquire its own aircraft for reduced-gravity flights.
A brain-computer interface has, for the first time, restored fluent everyday speech to a person who had lost it — a man with ALS who had not spoken aloud in years until a small implant from the BrainGate clinical trial began translating his attempts to speak directly into computer-synthesised words, in a result researchers reported in June 2026
Casey Harrell can now talk for twelve hours at a stretch. Two years ago, he could not talk at all. The ALS he was diagnosed with several years earlier had progressively destroyed the motor neurons controlling the muscles of his face and throat, leaving him with the symptoms doctors call dysarthria and, eventually, anarthria — […]
The Chinese scientists hoping to use a space solar plant to power the world
The team at Xidian University can zap power 100 metres through the air. But their dream is to send their hardware into orbit.
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4920-4926: Surveying the Bands
Written by William Farrand, Senior Research Scientist, Space Science Institute
Einstein’s “biggest blunder” may finally have an explanation
Scientists have uncovered a surprising connection between quantum gravity and an exotic quantum state of matter that could explain why the universe isn’t expanding wildly fast. The study suggests that the very shape of space-time may protect the cosmological constant from disruptive quantum effects.
The Healthcare Leaders Shaping Tomorrow – and the Challenges Facing Them
Healthcare innovation is advancing at a pace few could have imagined decades ago, from gene-editing therapies and lifesaving vaccines to artificial intelligence systems that could transform how doctors diagnose and treat disease. But at a time of unprecedented scientific progress, industry leaders ...
San Diego begins installing parking meters in San Ysidro business district
The City of San Diego is beginning to install 286 metered parking spaces this week in downtown San Ysidro in an effort to increase parking turnover, it was announced Thursday.
NASA’s Lucy Reveals Wobbling, Peanut-Shaped Asteroid
Even small asteroids lead complex lives. During its flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson last year, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft revealed the asteroid to be a
Rockford Park District Sports Facilities Generate $14.1 Million Annually
New data highlights Rockford Park District sports facilities as powerful economic engines that attract visitors, generate tourism spending, and elevate the region's national profile.
Advanced Tech on Station Informing Space-Designed Health Treatments
The Expedition 74 crew explored how weightlessness affects cartilage growth and the digestive system on Thursday to protect crew health and improve patient care on Earth. The orbital residents are also gearing up for a robotics maintenance spacewalk at the end of the month on the International Space Station.
Advanced Tech on Station Informing Space-Designed Health Treatments
The Expedition 74 crew explored how weightlessness affects cartilage growth and the digestive system on Thursday to protect crew health and improve patient care on Earth. The orbital residents are also gearing up for a robotics maintenance spacewalk at the end of the month on the International Space Station.
Enjoying free entertainment at The Landing
(MASS APPEAL) – The Landing is Downtown Springfield’s newest outdoor event space, 2026 marks the first full summer of programming on The Landing. The space hosts dozens of community eve…
Inside High 5: Renderings of Estero’s upcoming entertainment complex
See new renderings of High 5 Entertainment in Estero, including bowling, arcade attractions, pickleball courts, miniature golf, dining areas and outdoor gathering spaces ahead of its planned 2027 opening.
Heathrow third runway likely to affect health of millions nearby, official report warns
Analysis says expansion could also harm access to housing, education, healthcare, open spaces and transport
SpaceX's diverse business model and future as an AI infrastructure company
Charles Payne and Dave Mazza discuss SpaceX's current revenue breakdown, with Starlink contributing 55%. Mazza highlights SpaceX's future as an AI infrastructure company, mentioning Grok and XAI, and its impact on its valuation.
Clean-Tech Innovator Relocates to Northeast Science and Technology Center
The Northeast Science and Technology (NEST) Center will now be the home to Still Bright, Inc, a copper-extraction company developing a cleaner, low-cost alternative to traditional processing. Still Bright will occupy 15,000 square feet of laboratory space at 15 NEST, which will serve as the company's global headquarters.
SpaceX wants to build AI data centers in space. Will it work?
The race to build data centers in space is gaining momentum as AI drives unprecedented demand for computing power. Orbital facilities could tap into abundant solar energy and avoid many of the environmental challenges faced on Earth. Yet space remains a harsh and expensive place to operate, with major hurdles including cooling, maintenance, radiation exposure, and orbital debris.
Why Elon Musk might want to merge Tesla and SpaceX
SpaceX is worth more than Tesla, adding to chatter that the two could merge in the future. Here's why it could make sense, and the hurdles it faces.
Here are the music, entertainment lineups for this year’s ArtBlaze beach parties
“ArtBlaze brings accessible, immersive art to public spaces, infusing joy and wonder into places that already belong to the community.”
Garden Grove businesses continue to deal with fallout from GKN Aerospace chemical leak
Health leaders urged to curb aggressive AI spending
This HIMSS26 APAC speaker advises leaders to pace their AI investments despite the technology's rapid development.
A 2025 study of over 600 people found a correlation between leaning on AI tools and weaker critical thinking, sharpest among the young
A study I read recently has stuck with me. It found that the people who lean hardest on AI tools tend to score lowest on critical thinking, with the steepest gap among the young. I use AI tools every day for parts of my own writing work, so this is not a doom blog about […]
Warriors of Armageddon – Painted by the Warhammer community
See community painters tackle new Orks and Space Marines miniatures for Warhammer 40,000.
Advanced Health Research on Station Using Augmented, Virtual Reality Tools
Biomedical tests using augmented and virtual reality tools to advance space health dominated the research schedule aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday. The Expedition 74 crew is also turning its attention to a spacewalk at the end of the month following the departure of a U.S. cargo spacecraft.
Earth Might Have Been Sprinkling Europa With Life Since Before Animals Existed
Hundreds of sextillions of dust grains may have escaped Earth and reached Europa, raising intriguing questions about the possible transfer of life through space.
Elon Musk’s Next Move May Be a Mega-Merger of SpaceX and Tesla
Some shareholders might object, but there is little they could do, legal experts say.
Guardian Resilience Teams promote holistic health, culture of fitness
Central to U.S. Space efforts are a transition from traditional fitness models to Holistic Health Approach, an integrated and preventative approach that prioritizes the enduring health, performance and resilience of Guardians.
Record volume in SpaceX options shows stock casino open for business
A record-setting options debut suggests investors will trade SpaceX like other retail favorites Tesla and Nvidia.
These are the best things to do in Brevard this weekend, June 19 to 25
Find your weekend adventure: Butterflies, Sinatra and the Space Shuttle top our list of Brevard's best things to do.
2 ways SpaceX can further justify sky-high valuation: Morningstar
The firm argues investors are pricing in "moonshot" scenarios for the company's business lines.
PLA’s plan on US carriers; world’s largest whale graveyard: 7 science highlights
From a Chinese firm releasing images of Nvidia and Apple HQs to SpaceX’s IPO, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.
University of Arizona named top public school in the nation for space science
TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) — The University of Arizona has been named the top public school in the nation for space science by U.S. News and World Report.
Proposed Mills 50 parking garage sparks debate over parking needs and business displacement
A proposed parking garage in Orlando’s Mills 50 district could bring hundreds of new spaces to an area known for crowded streets and limited parking.
Latvia pilots citizen engagement in research grant evaluations
Latvia has introduced an element of citizen engagement to the evaluation of nationally funded research grants. The aim is to both create more connections between science and society, and to improve the quality of its evaluations. The move comes as research funders across Europe are experimenting with ways to improve evaluation processes in the face of a sharpened focus on science’s impact on society. Evaluators of grant applications submitted to Latvia’s Fundamental and Applied Research Programme (FLPP), the country’s main research funder, will this year have the option of consulting citizen feedback on challenges the public thinks science should focus on to inform their decisions. “In recent years, both public discussions and policy-level debates in Latvia have highlighted the importance of demonstrating how publicly funded research contributes to society, the economy and the resolution of real-world challenges,” said a source at the Latvian Council of Science (LCS), which manages the FLPP. “At the same time, research institutions themselves expressed interest in improving the project evaluation framework while continuing to ensure that funding is awarded to the highest-quality projects,” the source added. The citizen input comes from a survey that was conducted between 25 February and 16 March 2025, to which 1,737 people responded. It gathered information on what the public views as problem areas for Latvia, and the role of science and technology in providing solutions to these problems. A summary of these responses has been included as an annex to the FLPP 2026 call for proposals that evaluators can refer to, purely in an advisory manner, when judging proposals. Results from the survey show that the main problem areas identified by the public were in healthcare and public health, followed by the development of new treatment methods and medicines, and then digital technology, data security and cyber security. At the bottom of the list was research aimed at acquiring new knowledge about the universe, matter and the laws of nature. Further analysis looked at the public view of the possible role of science in solving these problems. The survey charted 4,167 individual responses based on open-ended questions that were derived from the participants’ answers. The analysis again found that medical and health sciences topped the scoring, with 788 responses referring to the field. Humanities and the arts were bottom of the list, with 625. Digging further into the details, the survey suggests citizens are aware of and concerned about a number of research areas. This includes technologies and innovation to improve the environment or reduce pollution, the development of modern military technologies and cybersecurity tools, and the development and application of artificial intelligence, among others. “We hope this initiative will help strengthen public trust in science and create a more meaningful dialogue between researchers and society,” the LCS source said, adding that it offers benefits to researchers, evaluators and to the general public. More space for citizen engagement in evaluationsThere is a gradual but increasing use of citizen engagement in research evaluation processes around Europe, especially in healthcare, but it remains relatively rare, said Henry Sauermann, a professor at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin and an expert in citizen science.“Given that we are at a point where citizen involvement is extremely limited, there is presumably space for more, but it's not that we should do it just because we want to do it,” he told Science|Business. He said some research lends itself better to having citizen input, and this usually tends to be on the applied end of the science spectrum where the public can offer useful feedback based on their experiences. He added that advising scientists on certain topics to study is also a useful approach, in the way that Latvia is doing. “The public does fund a lot of science, there's a lot of tax money going into this. We of course do want to preserve academic freedom, but it's also not unreasonable to incorporate more feedback or input from citizens where possible,” he said. Related articlesCitizen science: where, when, and how to let the public contribute to researchHow can Europe cope with a flood of AI-assisted research grant proposals?Data Corner: Horizon Europe’s AI, digital and data call success rate is 5.2%There are several ways of involving citizens in science funding. The most minimal way is having a few representatives on a panel, such as members of a patient group or union. The most direct way is crowdsourcing funding for specific projects. There is an increasing number of online platforms that allow the public to chip in to support scientific proposals.Sauermann studied this in a recent paper and found that it can have its uses, but it still is not clear if there are benefits to it. There are various assumptions linked to citizen engagement, for example that it increases public trust in science, or that it provides a representative view of what the public thinks about science. These are not necessarily true, Sauermann found. People who participate in engagement activities tend to already be very trusting of science, and, on the whole, it is generally the well-off and well educated who contribute, giving a narrow view of public opinion. On whether citizen input can help manage the increasing number of proposals that are being submitted due to assistance from AI, Sauermann is more sceptical. “The obvious answer to the flood of AI-written proposals is AI-driven evaluation,” he said, adding that it doesn’t mean citizen engagement shouldn’t be a part of evaluations in a well thought-out manner. Southern Denmark’s successful approachOne successful example of citizen engagement in science evaluations was implemented in southern Denmark. Between 2019 and 2025, citizens in the region were invited to vote to fund one of five pre-selected projects in the field of healthcare. The project, called A Healthier Southern Denmark, was a collaboration between regional authorities, the University of Southern Denmark, and two media partners. Over the seven years, there were 75,000 votes and significant public engagement online and on social media. “It was a bit of a wild project, we’d never done something like that before and we were a bit nervous about what would be said in the media about it. But actually, people were very positive,” said Anne Kathrine Overgaard, one of the main organisers of the project from the University of Southern Denmark. The university and its researchers have learned a lot from the experience, particularly about engaging with society and shaping their research to match real-world needs. This is important with Europe’s increasing focus on competitiveness and bringing innovations to market faster, Overgaard said. She hopes to see more citizen engagement in evaluation processes and in science more broadly. “For many years, citizen engagement has been a bit of an add-on to proposals, just to check a box. But I think things are changing,” she said. It’s less about citizens just gathering data and more “about the dialogue between the public and the scientists,” she said. The initiative ended last year as the team wanted to regroup to find fresh momentum. The development of AI and AI-written proposals has made Overgaard reflect on how the project could be reworked to help evaluators. She hopes to bring it back in the future. “It could be a good idea to try this initiative again in a slightly re-worked format,” she said.