Different "machines of trust" in science have been identified in the literature: research ethics, research integrity, science communication, benefit sharing and technology assessment. Previous EU funded projects have focused on particular actors of the trust in science ecosystem (e.g. scientists, research funding organisations, research ethics committees) to explore the impact of particular "machines" (e.g. science communication, research ethics). VERITY goes beyond the state of the art by conceptualising "stewards of trust" as the actors of the ecosystem that are responsible for upholding societal trust in science and facilitating science-society co-creation, either this refers to formally responsible organisations like research funding organisations and higher education institutions, or it refers to de facto responsible organisations like social media companies and video streaming platforms which influence societal perceptions of science and innovation. VERITY combines multidisciplinary expertise, both from the social sciences and engineering, to synthesise existing knowledge to evaluate tools and methods for enhancing trust in science through original research and small-scale participatory activities, before producing the VERITY Protocol of Recommendations for "stewards of trust". VERITY brings forward interdisciplinary expertise to perform network analysis and execute interventions on social media, to validate the VERITY Protocol and alleviate practical barriers for its uptake in practice by different stakeholders. VERITY findings will be widely disseminated to different "stewards of trust", such as policymakers, research funding and performing organisations, higher education institutions and other research and innovation actors, to enhance societal trust in science and facilitate science-society co-creation.

Being the 1st edition of Science Comes To Town (SCTT), UNITES will offer an inspiring and entertaining programme with more than 1,000 activities, bringing together over 70 partners in the cities of Kiel, Brest and Split and their regions by connecting scientific institutions, innovation ecosystems and citizens across Europe. More than 20,000 scientists are available to the partners for the implementation of UNITES. The cities share a similar geographic position as the largest coastal cities of their countries, yet still only medium-sized, peripheral and distant from any large urban agglomerations. They are all vibrant and renowned university cities with excellent town-and-gown relations, enthusiastic about hosting large science outreach events, including national and international science competitions, and experienced in organising large public festivals attracting several millions of visitors. The common profile results in shared local societal challenges and in a distinctly European approach to finding solutions. They have long participated in EU’s biggest flagship initiatives like the EU Missions and the European Researchers’ Nights. However, what truly UNITES the cities is the European University Alliance SEA-EU, where they have built a transnational network of nine universities and their city administrations. Together with the SEA-EU satellite events, UNITES' sphere of activity stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean and will attract over 1.5 Mio visitors and raise awareness of SCTT among more than 25 Mio people. A well-planned marketing strategy will promote SCTT across Europe, supported by the international visibility of EUCYS and EU TalentOn. UNITES will carefully select locally relevant topics and incorporate existing and newly developed interactive formats to make the year engaging for all participants. Along with its train-the-trainer workshops and a participatory approach, this will guarantee the quality and long-term impact of the project.