Last week the project RRI Tools has been launched in Brussels, a three year long project funded under the European Commission (EC) Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 2007-2013) to foster Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) in Europe with a view to a harmonious and efficient relationship between science and European society.

RRI is a process where all societal actors (researchers, citizens, policy makers, business) work together during the whole research and innovation (R&I) process in order to align its outcomes to the values, needs and expectations of European society.

On Monday 20 January, ESA’s comet-chasing spacecraft Rosetta will wake up from 31 months of deep space slumber. ESA will streaming live from ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany, with full coverage of the day’s historic events as they unfold, starting at 09:15 GMT (10:15 CET)

Rosetta’s computer is programmed to re-establish contact with Earth on 20 January, starting with an ‘alarm clock’ at 10:00 GMT. Immediately afterwards, the spacecraft’s startrackers will begin to warm up, taking around six hours. Rosetta will then send a signal to Earth to announce that it is awake.

The countdown to #Ecsite2014 is on! Many thanks to our 2014 conference host, Museon, for filming an Ecsite 25th Anniversary video-a-week series. Video for week one is online now! Get it in the anniversary video gallery .

Watch for a new video every week until the conference!

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – European citizens are directly influencing the European Union research agenda for the first time through a ground-breaking consultation series financed by the European Commission and conducted by science centres and museums in 27 EU member states.