On September 25, 2026, research left the laboratories and reached the general public directly during the 2026 European Researchers’ Night, held simultaneously in Chișinău and Bălți. For one evening, the two locations became spaces for curiosity, experimentation, and direct dialogue with researchers. 

In Chișinău, hundreds of students, young people, and families gathered in the park of the Technical University of Moldova, where the public could explore over 35 booths and approximately 150 interactive exhibits. The program included demonstrations and experiments, RoboBattle and LEGO Robot SUMO, drone activities, virtual and augmented reality, creative workshops, a planetarium and astronomical observations, a fashion show, first-aid activities, and the interactive children’s contest “Expedition into Science!”

Visitors got an up-close look at research, spoke directly with researchers, and learned how science and technology are used in a wide variety of fields - from microbiology, nanotechnology, and medicine to robotics, precision agriculture, and the exploration of the universe.

In Bălți, the square in front of “Alecu Russo” Balti State University also became a space for experimentation and discovery. The program brought together researchers, faculty, college students, high school students, children, and families around exhibitions, demonstrations, and interactive workshops.

Participants were able to experience robotics, virtual and augmented reality, activities with FPV goggles, STEAM and eco-workshops, a mobile forensic lab, the Open Science Café, tours of USARB laboratories, first-aid activities, interdisciplinary exhibitions, and experiences that connected science with art, economics, engineering, and food technologies.

We thank everyone who came to European Researchers’ Night with questions, curiosity, and a desire to discover. The enthusiasm of the audience - children, young people, families, teachers, and visitors of all ages, energized the evening and transformed every experiment and demonstration into an opportunity for dialogue and learning.

A special thank you goes to the researchers, faculty members, students, and everyone involved in preparing the activities, who brought science out of the lab and made it accessible, visible, and engaging for the public. Through experiments, explanations, and direct conversations, they showed that research is part of our lives and that science often begins with a simple question.

European Researchers’ Night 2026 was organized in the framework of the Sci-TRUST project “Building Trust in Science: European Researchers’ Night”, funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe program, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions & Citizens, grant agreement No. 101305415.
 

Sci-TRUST consortium is coordinated by the Technical University of Moldova and includes the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, “Alecu Russo” State University in Bălți, “Nicolae Testemițanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the InfoGroup NGO.