This year, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Festival of Social Science in Northern Ireland will run from 1-30 November and will feature 21 free events organised by social science academics from both universities.

The UK-wide Festival aims to open up social science research to new audiences by showing how such research has an influence on our everyday lives.

Now in its 19th year, the Festival includes a mixture of virtual and in-person talks, screenings workshops and walking tours offering the public the chance to see first-hand how social science shapes both our working and our everyday lives. Coinciding with COP26, the UN Climate Change conference, there will be several events looking at the impact of climate change and calling for greater climate action.

Highlights of the Festival this year include:

• A walking tour of Belfast City Centre telling the story of its streets
• Epidemic Belfast: Looking at how Belfast experienced infection, illness and sickness in the past
• #CookingUpHappiness: a social media campaign highlighting the enjoyment and wellbeing aspects of cooking
• A discussion on domestic violence education in Northern Ireland.

The ESRC is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by the UK government and is the UK's largest funder of research on the social and economic questions facing us today.

ESRC-funded research informs policymakers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective.

You can find the Festival programme here and register for events here. For details on the full UK-wide programme, please click here.

Media

For further information, please contact the Queen's University Communications Office comms.office@qub.ac.uk