BRIGHT-NIGHT, the European Researchers' Night, returns on Friday, September 25. Promoted annually by the European Commission, this initiative brings research out of the laboratories and into public squares, museums, schools, and everyday places, fostering opportunities for engagement and dialogue between science and society.
The 2026 edition will focus on the theme of "caring," understood as a shared responsibility toward individuals, communities, relationships, and the environment. Set against a backdrop of profound social, environmental, and technological transformations, research is called upon to make a tangible contribution to collective well-being by advancing attentive, ethical, and accessible knowledge.
BRIGHT-NIGHT 2026 invites the public to discover how science can serve as an instrument of care across multiple dimensions: from human health and well-being to environmental sustainability, community engagement, and the open dissemination of knowledge. It will also address the responsible development of emerging technologies, with a dedicated focus on the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence.
Tuscan cities will host interactive workshops, live experiments, demonstrations, talks, exhibitions, performances, and guided tours of laboratories and museums. Researchers will meet directly with the public to share their work and demonstrate how scientific research actively addresses the major challenges of our time.
The initiative is organized by Tuscany’s universities (University of Florence, University of Pisa, University of Siena, University for Foreigners of Siena, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Scuola Normale Superiore, and IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca), alongside an extensive network of research institutions, including the Pisa Research Area of the National Research Council (CNR), the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), and the INAF Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, supported by the Region of Tuscany within the framework of the Giovanisì project.
As in previous editions, special emphasis will be placed on children, families, and schools, featuring tailored activities designed to inspire younger generations and connect them with the world of research and science.
BRIGHT-NIGHT combines within its acronym—Brilliant Researchers Impact on Growth Health and Trust in Research—the vision of research driving growth, health, and trust. In the 2026 edition, these values converge around the core theme of caring. The primary objective is to promote science as a common good—one capable of responding to societal needs and shaping a more equitable and sustainable future.
The BRIGHT-NIGHT project is an event funded by the European Commission under the HORIZON-MSCA-2023-CITIZENS-01 program.
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