Night Science Expanded – Workshops to strategically enhance creativity
Night Science Expanded – Workshops to strategically enhance creativity supports researchers through workshops that build creative thinking skills and prepare them to share these methods within their institutions.
Funder: Volkswagen Foundation
Due Dates: February 11, 2027 (One-day workshop) | May 4, 2027 (One-day workshop) | September 2–3, 2027 (Train-the-trainer) | November 8–9, 2027 (Train-the-trainer) | Registration first come, first served
Funding Amounts: Free workshop participation; travel and accommodation reimbursed for researchers working on ongoing Foundation-funded projects
Summary: English-language workshops develop researchers’ scientific creativity and prepare participants to share Night Science methods within their institutions.
Key Information: You may register for only one workshop.
Description
Night Science Expanded is a Volkswagen Foundation workshop programme for researchers in the natural, life and engineering sciences at all career stages. Run by the Night Science Institute, it teaches practical mental tools for developing innovative ideas, reframing difficult problems, formulating meaningful research questions and fostering interdisciplinary exchange. The programme makes the Night Science concept accessible to researchers both within and outside the Foundation’s funding network.
Workshops take place in person, in English, at Herrenhausen Palace Conference Centre in Hanover. One-day introductory workshops explore creative research approaches. Two-day train-the-trainer workshops add preparation for teaching these methods and leading workshops or courses at participants’ own institutions. Both formats address the gap between creativity’s central role in scientific discovery and the limited explicit training researchers receive in creative working methods.
