European Researchers' Night Kicks Off Tonight in Serbia
The seventeenth European Researchers' Night opens the doors of science today from 5 PM to 10 PM in more than 20 Serbian cities, free for all ages, with a program built around animals.
The seventeenth European Researchers’ Night takes place today, Friday, September 25, from 5 PM to 10 PM, in more than 20 towns across Serbia. This year’s edition runs under the slogan “One Heart for Science” and is built around the bond between people and animals, spanning veterinary medicine, biology, ecology and astronomy. The program in Belgrade, Novi Sad and other cities is organized by a network of scientific institutions gathered around the HEART project, and every activity is free for visitors of all ages.
Sources differ on the exact number of participating towns. The daily newspaper Danas reports that the program covers 25 locations across Serbia, while the outlet EUpravo zato (Mondo) puts the number at 24.
The press conference presenting this year’s program was held today at the European House in Belgrade, where the event also officially opens, with support from the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia. This year’s Researchers’ Night is led by Diana Lupulovic, a veterinarian and researcher at the Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy (INEP) at the University of Belgrade. She announced that this edition would also put a spotlight on homeless animals:
This Researchers’ Night will also be devoted to promoting responsible pet ownership and animal adoption, and maybe something special will happen at one of the encounters with science: a child will see a dog or a cat that needs a home and find their best friend for life.
Lupulovic said ahead of the program’s start. Darije Janosevic, deputy director of the Centre for the Promotion of Science, also spoke at the conference. “It’s an immense pleasure to be part of organizing Researchers’ Night, which has become a real brand,” Janosevic said, adding that this year they are especially proud of opening two new science clubs, in Pirot and in Zubin Potok.
What’s on the program in Belgrade and Novi Sad?
In Belgrade, activities are spread across several venues: the European House, where the official opening takes place, the Museum of Science and Technology, the Centre for the Promotion of Science, the Belgrade People’s Observatory at Kalemegdan, the Natural History Museum, the square in front of the Faculty of Mathematics on Studentski Trg, the Botanical Garden, the French Institute, the Czech House, the children’s department of the Belgrade City Library, Tinker Lab and the BIG Fashion mall.
In Novi Sad, the program is split between the BIG mall and the Svilara Cultural Station, where the Science Club and the square in front of it will also be active.
The rest of Serbia is taking part as well. Cities with a program include:
- Zubin Potok, Vranje, Leskovac and Nis
- Kragujevac, Krusevac and Cacak
- Pirot, Zajecar and Kladovo
- Svilajnac, Smederevo and Ranovac
- Sabac, Sremska Mitrovica, Indjija and Nova Pazova
- Sombor, Backa Palanka, Subotica, Kikinda, Vrsac and Pancevo
Visitors can look forward to workshops, experiments, quizzes and stargazing tonight, along with a Danube river cruise and a demonstration of work with bacteria. One standout activity is a workshop on ticks called “Tick? No Panic!,” alongside ecological escape rooms and tours of the Vinca Institute. Part of the program is dedicated to promoting animal adoption, in line with this year’s focus. Well-behaved pets are welcome at every location.
Who’s behind the event?
European Researchers’ Night is carried out under the HEART project, funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe program, specifically its Marie Skłodowska-Curie sub-program. The project is coordinated by the Institute for the Application of Nuclear Energy (INEP) at the University of Belgrade, together with the Centre for the Promotion of Science, the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Novi Sad, the Institute for Medical Research at the University of Belgrade, and the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Petrovaradin.
Turnout has grown year after year. The fifteenth edition, held in 2024 in 16 cities, drew around 70,000 people, with more than 1,000 researchers and 294 free workshops. The sixteenth edition, last year, brought together more than 100,000 visitors across 53 locations, still within the same 16 cities. This year’s seventeenth edition reaches towns such as Zubin Potok and Pirot for the first time, both of which are opening their first science clubs.
