The Research Forum Conference 2020 will focus on public’s participation in science and the public’s trust in science. Citizens need to understand the major questions of science and technology in the contemporary world, because it is in the present that decisions are made, for shaping impact in the future. Solidarity, between present and future, is therefore critically dependent on the full exercise of citizenship, and ensuring that science is trusted. Therefore we have to go beyond the deficit model and engage in meaningful dialogue, not a monologue from science to society to ensure solidarity.