Czech Academy of Sciences Week begins today with more than 300 events

What is in our clothing, why does artificial intelligence struggle with formal and informal forms of address, and how do researchers track the movement of water through the landscape? Czech Academy of Sciences Week makes research accessible to a broad audience through open laboratories, lectures and face-to-face encounters.

Today, Monday 2 November, marks the start of the sixth edition of ‘Týden Akademie věd ČR’. More than 300 events are scheduled across the Czech Republic until Sunday 8 November. Admission is free. Some activities require advance booking due to limited capacity.

For the first time, the official opening will take place on a science campus. Instead of the Academy’s main building on Národní in Prague, the festival will begin at the shared premises of three research institutes in the Spořilov district.

Photo: Týden Akademie věd ČR

The campus will open to the public at 4pm. The Institute of Geophysics (Geofyzikální ústav AV ČR), the Astronomical Institute (Astronomický ústav AV ČR) and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (Ústav fyziky atmosféry AV ČR) will present their research through exhibits, conversations and lectures.

Experience research where it happens

Under this year’s motto, ‘S vědou v srdci’ (With Science in Our Hearts), the festival puts the people behind research centre stage. At Academy sites across the country, visitors can watch scientists at work and get to know their working environment.

Behind every research project are people with ideas, questions and enthusiasm for their work, emphasises Soňa Ehlerová, a member of the Academy Council and chair of the Council for Academic Media and Science Communication. The festival offers an opportunity to meet them in person and discover science from their perspective.

Photo: Týden Akademie věd ČR

The programme includes visits to the laboratories of the Institute of Geology. During the ‘Geologists on All Continents’ tour, visitors can learn where researchers collect samples and how these are subsequently examined in the laboratory.

The Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry addresses a topic of social relevance with the discussion ‘The HIV Epidemic: How Close Are We to Its End?’ It will focus on developments over recent decades, current treatment and prevention options, and the obstacles to bringing the epidemic under control.

At the Institute of Philosophy, meanwhile, attention turns back to the Middle Ages. A lecture on chess explores how the rules have changed over time and what the pieces and moves reveal about society at the time, as well as moral ideas about noble rulers and powerful women.

Research sites in Brno, Olomouc and Ostrava will also offer further activities.

Photo: Týden Akademie věd ČR

Lectures and debates on Národní

Alongside the opening in Spořilov, visitors can also enjoy a varied programme at the Academy’s main building at Národní 3 in Prague. Traditional lectures will be complemented by science talks, debates, panel discussions, a round-table discussion and a live podcast recording.

The full programme for Czech Academy of Sciences Week, along with information on required bookings, is available at tydenavcr.cz (ENG).



Týden Akademie věd ČR
2 to 8 November 2026
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