The city of Glasgow has given the world a remarkable series of breakthroughs in science, engineering, and medicine.

James Watt famously kickstarted the industrial revolution with the improved condensing steam engine he developed in the city, for example. Ian Donald pioneered the use of diagnostic ultrasound in Glasgow hospitals; Jocelyn Bell Burnell was an astrophysics postgraduate at the University of Glasgow when she discovered the first radio pulsars.

I’m the product of Glasgow’s science expertise myself – a proud graduate of the University of Glasgow’s marine biology programme – and with the university’s help, I established the Glasgow Science Festival in 2006.

Over the last 17 years, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for the city’s history of scientific inquiry and an even deeper respect for the remarkable research and development that’s being done here today.

I’ve worked closely with researchers from Glasgow’s universities and others across the UK to help them present their research to more than a million visitors at venues across the city.

In the process, I’ve learned a lot about the vital work of Glasgow-based scientists. They’ve supported the development of Covid vaccines, helped make the first detection of gravitational waves a century after Einstein predicted their existence and harnessed quantum technologies to create new ways of sensing the world around us. I’ve also learned a lot about how fascinated the people of Glasgow are about the research going on around them when they’re given the chance to learn about it.

It’s vitally important that science is accessible to everyone. Children should have the chance to be inspired by speaking to scientists, teenagers should be able to find out about careers in science, and adults should be able to explore how science is progressing around them.

With that in mind, almost every event we’ve ever run at the Glasgow Science Festival has been free to visit, and it’s an approach that works.

Every year, tens of thousands of people from a wide range of backgrounds come out to learn more about the work of the city’s scientists, and tens of thousands more visit our website for Science on the Sofa, our programme of online content.

To help deliver our programme for free, we’ve enlisted the help of Glasgow’s museums, libraries and community spaces, who have helped us stage thousands of events. Hosting activities, workshops and discussions in places people are already familiar with, in locations close to home, goes a long way to breaking down barriers and encouraging engagement with science. We’ve also worked closely with schools to bring STEM activities like our Creating Engineers competition to pupils across the west of Scotland.

This year, we’re running our biggest-ever programme, with more than 100 events at a wider range of venues than ever before under the theme of Glasgow’s Looking Forward. It’s been a privilege to build the networks that have made the scope of this year’s programme possible, and I’m looking forward to welcoming visitors to engage with the fantastic research going on across this wonderful city.

Dr Deborah McNeill is director of the Glasgow Science Festival. This year’s event runs from June 1-11 at venues across the city.