The brightest night of the year is nearly here! Mark your calendar for Friday, 26 September: the European Researchers’ Night is returning, an event launched in 2005 at the initiative of the European Commission. As always, researchers will take centre stage, bringing science into the heart of cities through experiments and demonstrations that connect the public with the world of research.
Tuscany will host a rich programme of initiatives under the name BRIGHT-NIGHT, which combines the acronym “Brilliant Researchers Impact on Growth Health and Trust in Research” with the word “night”.
The event is promoted by Tuscan universities — the University of Florence, University of Pisa, University of Siena, University for Foreigners of Siena, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Scuola Normale Superiore, and Scuola IMT Alti Studi Lucca — in collaboration with a wide network of research institutions, including the Research Area of Pisa (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. The event is supported by Regione Toscana as part of the Giovanisì project.
BRIGHT-NIGHT will transform city squares into spaces of discovery and engagement, with workshops, experiments, demonstrations, talks and performances. Visitors will also be welcomed into museums and laboratories, which will open their doors to the public for guided tours. As in previous years, special attention will be devoted to children and schools, with many events and tailored activities designed especially for younger audiences.
The 2025 edition of BRIGHT – The European Researchers’ Night will centre on the theme of inclusion: a core value of science that cares for people, relationships, communities and the environment. It is a science that embraces listening, dialogue and cooperation, and that places knowledge at the heart of society, with research as a tool to build a fairer, more sustainable and participatory future.
The BRIGHT-NIGHT project is an event associated to the European Commission’s HORIZON-MSCA-2023-CITIZENS-01 programme.
