Researchers’ Night hits 70+ cities. In Pilsen, the hub will be the University of West Bohemia

Next Friday, the whole Czech Republic will see that science isn’t just for labs and researchers. The popular Researchers’ Night – the country’s biggest science outreach event – will bring free activities for children and adults across many venues in a single evening.

Nearly 140 institutions and one common theme. On 26 September this year, Researchers’ Night will spotlight science under the banner Wealth. The organisers chose the theme to mark the 700th anniversary of the first Czech gold coins, which brought the country extraordinary growth and prosperity. “Every year we work to make Researchers’ Night diverse, playful and open to all generations. This year we’ve embraced wealth in its broadest sense – from the historical legacy of Czech coins to the wealth of ideas, new discoveries, creativity and cooperation. We believe that once again thousands of people will find inspiration in science. After all, Researchers’ Night is about them and for them,” said Ondřej Martínek of Palacký University in Olomouc, one of the event’s national coordinators.

At UWB, laboratories ordinarily closed to visitors will open their doors

The theme of wealth will also connect science and research demonstrations on the UWB campus in Pilsen–Bory. “On Friday 26 September from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. we will open five university buildings, giving visitors the chance to see and try the best of our research across all nine faculties. We’ll showcase the wealth of materials, the wealth of sound and silence, and even treasures from castles and fortresses. At our multi-disciplinary university, the wealth of mind and knowledge takes many forms,” said Markéta Balíková, main organiser of Researchers’ Night at UWB.

Faculties have prepared topics such as Movement as a priceless luxury, Lasers – jewels of Czech science and The power of the atom as wealth for future generations. The full programme in Pilsen is available online. This year’s visitors to the UWB campus will also meet Eurocentrum Plzeň, the West Bohemian Museum in Pilsen and other partners. The project is supported financially by both the City of Pilsen and the Pilsen Region.

20 years of Researchers’ Night – a commemorative token and a new name

The first Researchers’ Night was held in 2005. “We agreed the best way to celebrate this milestone is the event itself – and the tens of thousands of visitors who discover something new or develop a passion for science. Still, we’ve given ourselves a symbolic keepsake of the anniversary in the form of a commemorative tourist token,” said Ondřej Martínek.

Another change is on the horizon: from 2026 the event will take on a new name, Night of Science. “The new title reflects both the demand for a gender-neutral name and our belief that it doesn’t alter the character or long-term mission of the event – to promote science and research in all their forms,” added Dana Kardová.

The Czech Researchers’ Night is once again part of the European Researchers’ Night, a Europe-wide initiative supported by the European Union that connects science with society and inspires young people to pursue it. The European event takes place in 23 countries, with the Czech edition ranking as the largest. The full programme, as always free of charge, is available at nocvedcu.cz/en.