Discover WiseNight
driven by curiosity, passion and teamwork — and that it is for everyone.
WiseNight is part of the European Researchers’ Night, taking place simultaneously across Europe. Join us on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September 2026 to experience science in a different way: build a LEGO city and discover how to cool it down, launch your own water rocket, explore mathematics through origami, test the forces of wind, or discover the food of the future. It is a chance to experiment, get hands-on, ask questions, meet researchers — and discover up close what it really means to be a scientist.
WiseNight is a free, inclusive and interactive science event that brings researchers and the public together. Through workshops, talks, performances, exhibitions and encounters with scientists, we want to show that science is
Women in Science are at the heart of WiseNight. Through encounters with today’s female researchers, inspiring portraits and the stories of women scientists who have too often been forgotten, we want to make women in science more visible, offer new role models and encourage girls and young people to imagine their own place in science.
This third edition of WiseNight builds on the legacy of Belgian Women in Science (BeWiSe), which coordinated the previous editions in 2021 and 2024–2025. The name WiseNight reflects those roots: “Wise” refers to Women in Science and to BeWiSe’s mission to make science more inclusive, visible and accessible.
Since its first edition, WiseNight has continued to grow, welcoming new partners and ideas while staying true to its original ambition: connecting researchers with wider audiences, challenging stereotypes about who belongs in science, and inspiring the next generation of scientists — especially girls.
Partners
WiseNight is a collaboration between five consortium partners (VUB, ULB, BeWise, VKI, GoodPlanet) and four associated partners: Atomium, TADA, GC De Kriekelaar and Fablab’ke. Together, we bring expertise in research, science outreach, education and gender equality in scientific careers.
Our collaboration goes beyond the WiseNight science festival. Throughout the WiseNight programme, we also work with schools to bring young people into contact with science, researchers and inspiring role models. More information about our school programme beyond the festival will follow soon.
Together, we aim for a society where the contribution of science to the well-being of our planet is valued, and where researchers of all genders and backgrounds inspire young people to discover science and see a place for themselves in it.
BeWiSe
The coordinator BeWiSe (Belgian Women in Science) is a non-profit organisation established in 2009 to support the position of women in science, both in public and private sectors and to improve communication among women in the Belgian and European scientific communities. It counts over 300 members and is based in Brussels. www.bewise.be.
Jeunesses Scientifiques de Belgique
The mission of Jeunesses Scientifiques en Belgique, NPO, is to awaken the interest of young people in science, with the aim of helping to make them responsible citizens and capable of understanding the world in which they are surrounded. To this end, they organize training courses, internships, camps, holiday plains, weekly workshops, change of scenery classes, intended for young people who want to have fun doing science or simply do science themselves. In that way, young people can discover the world using the scientific process and discover the scientific process by observing the world. www.jsb.be.
GoodPlanet
For over 20 years, GoodPlanet has been an NGO that inspires and encourages all generations to live sustainably. For a healthy planet, for everyone, for today and tomorrow, for a GoodPlanet. Through their projects, campaigns and animations, they spread knowledge and plant seeds of change. GoodPlanet stimulates, concretises and realises ideas that make sustainable development real and tangible. All this while always maintaining a positive and hopeful attitude. Based on this conviction, they develop activities and services for the three target groups: young people, the general public and companies. https://www.goodplanet.be/nl/.
VUB
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is an Urban Engaged University in the heart of Europe. Through high-quality research, education and societal engagement, VUB contributes to a better and more sustainable society.
VUB is a leader in science communication and research outreach. Its Research Outreach & Communication team connects research with society through public events, media, workshops and citizen science. The team also coordinates the VUB Children’s University, where children discover science through playful, hands-on activities led by researchers. https://www.vub.be/en & https://vubkinderuniversiteit.be/
ULB
The Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) enjoys international recognition for the excellence of its teaching and research activities. With nearly 40,000 students and around 2,000 doctoral researchers, the university conducts cutting-edge research across a wide range of fields and actively participates in major European research funding programmes. Committed to the values of academic freedom and openness, ULB also works to make scientific knowledge accessible to the general public through science communication initiatives, public engagement events, and activities that foster dialogue between science and society. https://www.ulb.be/en
BOS+
BOS+ Vlaanderen vzw is an organization that is committed to more and better forests in Flanders and in the world, with a strong focus on education. They develop workshops, teaching materials, trajectories and guidance during actions for teachers, (grand)parents, young people and youth workers. Sustainability and the link with trees and forests are always central in this material. Thanks to skilled communication staff and a strong relationship with the Forest & Nature Lab (UGent), they make research about forests and forest management accessible to the general public. https://www.bosplus.be/en/
VKI
The VKI (von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics) is a non-profit international educational and scientific organisation, hosting three departments (aeronautics and aerospace, environmental and applied fluid dynamics, and turbomachinery & propulsion). It provides post-graduate education in fluid dynamics and encourages “training in research through research”. The von Karman Institute undertakes and promotes research in the field of fluid dynamics. Extensive research on experimental, computational and theoretical aspects of gas and liquid flows is carried out at the VKI under the direction of the faculty and research engineers, sponsored mainly by governmental and international agencies as well as industries. https://www.vki.ac.be/
Associated partners
Atomium
Fablab’ke:
De Kriekelaar
ToekomstAtelierDelAvenir
Funding
Will you be there too?
Join us for free at WiseNight on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26 at the Atomium.
