Science and Technology Week 2026 – SAS institutes opened for general public

From 16th to 22th November 2026, Science and Technology Week will take place once again, and the institutes and centers of the Slovak Academy of Sciences are participating as well. They have prepared a programme for primary and secondary school pupils, university students, and the general public. Visitors will be able to look inside laboratories, try out scientific experiments, attend lectures, and get to know the research of SAS scientists “live” at their workplaces. Events will be held in Bratislava, Nitra, Banská Bystrica, Košice, and Stará Lesná, and some activities will also be available online. The motto of the 23rd edition of Science and Technology Week in Slovakia is Science Is Art. With this motto, the organisers want to show science not only as a collection of data, formulas, and technical procedures, but also as a creative human activity that can inspire, surprise, and change the way we see the world.

Details of the individual events, including dates, times, venues, and registration contacts, can be found in the table in the attachment.

Stará Lesná

Astronomical Institute SAS will offer lectures on various astronomical topics during Science and Technology Week. For organized groups, it prepares lectures on topics of their choice, while individuals and smaller groups can choose from a continuously updated schedule. In case of good weather, evening sky observations using astronomical equipment will also take place at the Starolesnianske lúky.

Banská Bystrica

The Banská Bystrica branch of the Earth Science Institute SAS will also take part. For primary and secondary school pupils, it has prepared presentations and practical demonstrations in four thematic areas. Participants will learn about the work of geologists in the field, get to know fossils, take a look into the microworld, and visit laboratories.

Košice

Institute of Experimental Physics SAS invites visitors to an open day presenting its research and state-of-the-art laboratories. Participants will learn more about the physics of magnetic phenomena, liquid crystals, and superconducting materials. Excursions and interactive experiments are planned, where visitors will see, for example, a magnetic fluid, a model of a superconducting train, and experiments with liquid nitrogen.

Institute of Materials Research SAS will also open its premises to the public. The programme will include a short lecture, tours of selected laboratories, and the announcement of the results of a creative competition for schools, in which 50 classes from eastern Slovakia took part.

In the laboratories of the Institute of Parasitology SAS, visitors will discover the world of parasites through practical demonstrations of living and preserved ectoparasites, as well as 3D models. The programme will also include a laboratory tour and information on infection risks, prevention, health protection, and diagnostic options.

Institute of Animal Physiology of the Biosciences Centre SAS is preparing an open day as well. It will present selected laboratories of both of the institute’s sites, laboratory tools and instruments, and the methods used in scientific research.

Nitra

Institute of Archaeology SAS has prepared an open day with a series of lectures that will take visitors to various periods of the past. They will learn about new discoveries from research in Slovak caves and about the life of Neanderthals, about Neolithic farmers in Vráble, and about the research of a Roman military camp in Šurany. They will also find out something about underwater archaeology.

Institute of Landscape Ecology SAS in Nitra has prepared an event for the public called Science Is Also Art. In Bratislava, it will hold a lecture on nature and landscape conservation in practice and a popularisation event, The Slovak Landscape from an Ecologist’s Perspective.

Bratislava

Several SAS institutes will hold open days and laboratory visits in Bratislava. The Biomedical Research Center SAS invites visitors to the event Let Science Guide You. In addition to a programme for school groups, it has prepared family tours, A Trip into the Microworld of Cells, which will explain in a playful way how cells work and why they matter in health research. Adult visitors will also be able to look into a high-biosafety laboratory and learn about research on dangerous viruses transmitted by ticks and rodents.

Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology of the Centre of Experimental Medicine SAS will introduce visitors to research on blood vessels, the brain, and the senses. They will try working with a microscope, learn about methods for analyzing genes and proteins, and find out how scientists study vascular function and the maintenance of balance and postural stability. The programme will also include a lecture and a laboratory tour. Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology of the CEM SAS is preparing an open day. Institute for Heart Research of the CEM SAS will also take part. Its staff will welcome pupils from the Dvorníky Primary and Nursery School, who will learn more about how the heart works during an excursion and get a glimpse into the world of scientific research.

Polymer Institute SAS will also open its premises and introduce visitors to the world of polymers and their research. Institute of Chemistry SAS invites visitors to an open day, during which they can tour the laboratories and try interactive experiments. An open day is also planned at the Institute of Botany of the Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre SAS.

Institute of Molecular Biology SAS is preparing lectures on immunity and DNA, followed by laboratory tours and practical presentations. Visitors will learn, for example, about communication among microorganisms, antioxidant enzymes, and research on bees.

Institute of Construction and Architecture SAS will offer visitors lectures, interactive models, and real experiments. It will present research on building structures, geopolymers, metamaterials, and smart structures, as well as optical phenomena in the atmosphere, light pollution, and transport structures. The tours will also include a demonstration of a wind tunnel.

Institute of Informatics SAS will take part in the conference The SAS Contribution to Artificial Intelligence Research as part of the event Extrapolations 2026. The programme will also include a tour of the Computer Museum and the Devana and PERUN supercomputers.

Institute of Physics SAS is preparing lectures on popular physics topics, laboratory visits, and an open day. Visitors can look forward to popular-science lectures and discussions, as well as laboratory tours combined with expert explanations and demonstrations of physical phenomena.

Online and other events

Some institutes have prepared programmes available online or outside their premises. Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS will offer an online lecture in English by Kutlay Ustu, Stereotypes, Surprises and Secret Plots. It will focus on psychological factors that may influence the emergence of conspiratorial thinking.

Due to the renovation of its premises, the Ľudovít Štúr Institute of Linguistics SAS is preparing online activities dedicated to the Slovak National Corpus. One new video will be released each day, and the programme will also include a comic competition on the theme Linguists in the Digital World.

Institute of Economic Research SAS invites visitors to an empirical seminar by Tihana Škrinjarić titled Developing a house price-at-risk framework for the UK, which deals with the risk of real estate prices.

Central Library SAS will also take part. On working days, it will offer registration of new members and free membership renewal for registered readers.

Programme

Original text HERE