The European Robotics Week (ERW) was conceived at the European Robotics Forum (ERF) 2011 by the desire of the European Robotics community to bring robotics research and development closer to the public and to build the future Robotics Society. Since then and every year, the ERW has offered one week of various robotics related activities across Europe for the general public, highlighting the growing importance of robotics in a wide variety of application areas and the growing importance of skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
STEM subjects are increasingly becoming an important part of basic literacy in today’s knowledge society, and we need to continue developing and growing Europe’s future scientists and researchers to close a skills gap, which by 2020 will require us to have an additional one million individuals! ERW therefore aims at inspiring technology education in students of all ages to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.
Science education can no longer be viewed as an exclusive endeavour for future scientists or engineers. It has to engage in dialogue on science-driven societal issues, since only science-conscious citizens can make informed decisions.
