The Fête de la Science is a major annual event that has been bringing together the public and the scientific community for over 30 years. This year, the theme is"Intelligence(s)", and hundreds of events, exhibitions and festivals open to all are on offer free of charge, from October 3 to 13, 2025.
The main aim of this major scientific event is to showcase the work of researchers and scientists. But it's also about raising public awareness of issues that affect them. By organizing numerous activities adapted to children, the participating institutions also hope to interest young people in complex but fascinating subjects, and - who knows - perhaps inspire vocations!
In Paris and the Ile-de-France region, during these October days, you can take advantage of a wide range of events at museums, schools, scientific laboratories and cultural centers in the region.
Are you more into mineral exhibitions, science festivals or escape games? In Palaiseau, the whole town is in the mood for science. From the École Polytechnique to the Maison de quartier Jacques Audiberti, there's something for every age and every passion. Find out what's waiting for you.
Agroparistech
Come and observe field plants and insects to understand how agriculture and biodiversity are linked, and discover the various forms of biodiversity in the cultivated plot and its role in helping food production.
This workshop (re)introduces you to the principles of photosynthesis and plant respiration.
Using your sense of observation and smell, you'll discover what fermentation is, which foods are fermented and which micro-organisms are associated with fermentations.
Play to recreate the feeding of cows at Grignon farm, and learn more about energy production from dung.
Here, scientists have devised a collaborative game for you to discover the interactions between sheep farming and crop production on a local scale.
...research greenhouses on the roof of the Agro Paris-Saclay campus!
Using a thermal camera, discover how vegetation, bare soil or a city influences heat flows and air pollutants.
The Food'InnLab opens its doors to you: discover innovative food projects, visit its experimental areas and take part in interactive, fun activities to better understand how food innovation is built. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the transition to sustainable food systems and the issues involved!
Meet Camille Zany, PhD student in neurobiology, and Manuela Njiki, PhD student in ecology. A time of convivial exchange to discover their career paths and ask your questions.
It's hard to count them on the fingers of one hand. And yet, in ecology, researchers often need to know the size of animal populations. So we invite you to come and try out a method for counting them!
Quality and digestibility: are all protein sources equal? How do they influence our eating habits? A two-stage journey to a better understanding of proteins in the diet.
Come and discover the many facets of livestock farming and how climate change is impacting on livestock production in this fun, participatory workshop.
That the color of cheese varies according to their diet? That researchers use accelerometers to study animal behavior?
Through participatory mini-conferences and fun workshops, we invite you and your family to go behind the scenes of animal science research.
The escape game, an enigma game accessible to players aged 14 and over, will lead the player in the footsteps of a scientist through the main stages of the scientific process.
Don't forget to book a slot!
Packaging!
Here are some fun activities to help you understand what packaging is used for and how to be more environmentally friendly.
C2N Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies
From solar panels to quantum computers and microchips, nanosciences and nanotechnologies are present in many of our everyday applications, but remain little-known. Thanks to a variety of on-site activities (exhibition, lectures, scientific demonstrations) and meetings with our experts, you can discover with amazement and fascination how scientific research is responding to the challenges of today and tomorrow. On this exceptional day, our scientific speakers and presenters will take you on a journey into the mysteries of the infinitely small beyond what the eye can see.
School program Friday October 3
To register: http://www.sciencesociete.universite-paris-saclay.fr/participer/fete-de-la-science-2025-scolaires/
Our activities take place on two sites: the MISS and the C2N site, depending on the school levels of the students attending Workshops organized at the MISS (Mission s'Initiation et de Sensibilisation aux Sciences, Bat 204, UFR Sciences, Université Paris saclay
"Ateliers de science Amusante"
Come and discover science through hands-on experience, and carry out small physics and chemistry experiments around magnetism, electricity, optics, pressure, the physics and chemistry of gases, nanoscience and much more, all under the guidance of scientists. It's up to you to experiment!
Classes: Ce1 to Cm2, duration 1h
Presenters: David Bouville (C2N, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay) accompanied by C2N doctoral students and Rémi Franco from UFR Pharma (Université Paris-Saclay)
Times: 9:30am - 10:30am / 11:00am - 12:00pm / 1:00pm - 2:00pm / 2:30pm - 3:30pm Workshops organized at C2N: Demo conferences and adapted workshops
CONF DEMO / 9h30 10h45: "Le photovoltaïque: le soleil comme source d'énergie électrique" by Elise Salmon and Matthieu Dubernard
Level: Lycée (up to 3 classes), Duration: 1h15 Amphithéâtre du C2N
CONF DEMO / 11h00 12h30: "Nanosciences et nanotechnologies: pourquoi? How?" by Aristide Lemaître
Level: High school (3 classes possible), Duration: 1h30 C2N amphitheater
CONF DEMO / 13h30 15h00 : "From organs on a chip to artificial organs - The microfluidic revolution to model diseases and develop new drugs" by Maeva Keubouy
Level: High school (3 classes possible), Duration : 1h30 C2N Amphitheater
WORKSHOP / Quantum mechanics workshop: "Around quantum applications and challenges" by Valérie Fortuna (MISS)
Which scientists and their experiments laid one of the foundations of Quantum Mechanics, wave-corpuscle or wave-particle duality. Come and carry out these experiments, analyze the results and draw conclusions the way T. Young, H. Hertz and A. Einstein did. Einstein. At the end of the workshop, we invite you to immerse yourself in the fascinating world of quantum physics, in the very heart of our experimental rooms dedicated to this cutting-edge science.
Level: 3rd to Terminale, Duration: 1h
WORKSHOP / "Energy recovery" Speakers: IUT Cachan students supervised by Fabien Parrain, Clément Bessouet, Noëlle Gogneau . (Educational project conducted with students from IUT Cachan)
How can we transform the energy of movements, forces or deformations into electrical energy to power electronic devices, without using batteries? We'll demonstrate two fascinating phenomena: piezoelectricity, which converts pressure into electricity, and triboelectricity, which generates energy through friction between two materials.
Level: 3rd to Terminale, Duration: 1h
WORKSHOP / "Introduction to different methods of observing and analyzing samples using optical and electron microscopies" by Laurence Ferlazzo, Christophe Dupuis, Sébastien Lavielle, Frédéric Mahut
This workshop is divided into two parts. First, students will be welcomed as a whole class for an introduction to the operating principles of cleanroom equipment. Following this introduction, the class will be divided into three groups. Each group will then have the privilege of entering the cleanroom and taking part in three activities led by our experts.
Level: High school, Duration: 2 hours
ESCAPE GAME: "C2N Code Impact: find the secret code to save the world from an astroid" (Educational project run with L1 students from the Institut Villebon Charpak, supported by the SFP section Paris Sud).
Registration on site at reception
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: session for 10-11 year-olds
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm: session for 12-14 year-olds
For all: "C2N's Unpublished Expeditions"
We are delighted to invite you to take part in "C2N's Unpublished Expeditions", an exclusive activity that will plunge you into an immersive adventure at the heart of our laboratory. Participants will enjoy privileged access to our facilities. Don't miss these unique opportunities!
On-site registration at reception for all 3 expeditions
Some of these tours are unsuitable for certain audiences - hearing impaired, visually impaired, mobility impaired, mentally handicapped, confined space, pacemaker - please ask at reception when registering Live my life as a researcher in the Salle Blanche
"At a time when the miniaturization of components is reaching the nanometer scale, every pattern must be designed with extreme precision. How can patterns invisible to the naked eye be sculpted with ultimate precision? How do we shape the electronic chips that power our phones, computers and connected objects? Come and discover how research makes this possible by slipping into the shoes of a scientist specializing in nano-fabrication. Thanks to our workshop, we offer you a unique immersion into the C2N cleanroom, an ultra-clean space dedicated to high technology, where you'll take part in the major stages of the nano-fabrication process. A rare experience combining science, cutting-edge technology and manipulation."
On-site registration at
Format: 45 min / Max 10 participants per session / Minimum age 15
Session 1: 2:00 pm
Session 2: 3:00 pm Quantum tour : Quantum applications and challenges
Dive into the fascinating world of quantum! Join us on an exceptional tour and go behind the scenes of cutting-edge research in our experimental rooms dedicated to the quantum sciences. It's a rare opportunity to see the invisible, explore a world of surprising laws, and talk to the scientists who are driving this technological revolution forward. Come and experience the incredible, at the heart of the infinitely small.
Format :45 min -1h / Max 10 participants per session / Minimum age 15
On-site registration at
Session: 2:30 pm The BIOTECH Platform: Dive behind the scenes of biomedical innovation at C2N
During this visit for the general public, discover the BIOTECH platform of the Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies, a place where science and health meet. This platform, which supports researchers and companies, develops miniature devices for the medical world, such as microfluidic chips and lab-on-a-chip. On this unique tour, we invite you to explore the three areas of expertise that make up our platform: Prototyping: where devices made of innovative, biocompatible materials are designed Characterization: where materials are analyzed to understand their physical and biochemical properties. Biomedical applications: with areas dedicated to the cultivation of human and bacterial cells.
This tour will give you a unique opportunity to discover high-tech equipment. Our team will explain how these cutting-edge tools and our expertise enable us to play an active role in major advances in medical research.
A captivating and unique journey to the heart of biomedical research!
Format: 45 min -1h / Max 12 participants per session / Minimum age 15
On-site registration at
Session: 2.15pm "1 scientist, 1 experiment"
During a special 30-minute session, you'll have the opportunity to meet our scientists, experts in nanoscience and nanotechnology. You'll be able to talk freely with our scientists about their work, their careers and their discoveries, and visit their experiment rooms to get a close-up view of the cutting-edge equipment and technologies we use. This is a unique opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of nanotechnology, and to talk directly with those who are shaping the future of this discipline.
No registration required, please ask at
Times: 1.30-6pm Visit our clean room
The smallest electronic components in cell phones are 10,000 times smaller than a human hair! But what do we need to make them? What does the place where they are produced look like? What tools and techniques are used to make these devices smaller than a speck of dust?
To answer all these questions, we invite you to visit our clean room. Our cleanroom, the largest in Europe, has a number of special features. Separated from the outside world by SAS barriers, it is compulsory to wear protective clothing (overalls, gloves, gowns). The room is equipped with a special ventilation and filtration system to prevent contamination. After a generic and educational presentation of the operating principles of a clean room with the help of " La fabrique du nano ", we offer you a unique immersion experience accompanied by our experts.
Registration on site at
Departure every 30 min - duration 45 min/ 1h (remember to hydrate before entering the room)
Une session en anglais/ 1 session in English Scientific demonstrations :
- Energy recovery, piezoelectric slab (Educational project conducted with students from Cachan IUT)
- Microscopy- SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) observation
- Solar photovoltaics
- The pacemaker of the future
No registration required
Times: 1:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Program for the general public Sunday October 5 1:30 pm - 6:00 pm
CNRS Unusual Visits Scheme (15 years and over)
Once again this year, to mark the Fête de la science, the CNRS is offering Unusual Visits, immersions in the heart of scientific research in small groups. These visits are designed to be intimate, interactive and exceptional. Accessible via a game-contest, visitors will be able to discover unusual and normally inaccessible places: participants will be drawn after completing a short online questionnaire.
The competition will be launched at the beginning of September on the dedicated website: https://visitesinsolites.cnrs.fr/
In this workshop, accompanied by explanations from our experts, you will plunge into the fascinating world of atoms and discover how the materials that make up a photovoltaic cell give it its astonishing ability to transform light into energy. You'll also learn that photovoltaic cells and LEDs, although used differently, are based on identical physical principles: in both cases, light and electricity interact thanks to the structural and electronic properties of semiconductor materials.
Observing, understanding and analyzing matter on a nanometric scale, i.e. one billionth of a meter, is part of the expertise deployed at C2N, thanks in particular to the human and technical resources deployed within our Plateforme d'ANAlyse des Matériaux (PANAM). During this unusual and exceptional visit, you'll be invited to "see the invisible", talk to our scientists about their day-to-day work, and get up close to state-of-the-art equipment for structural, chemical and optical analysis of materials... right down to the atomic scale.
For younger children (from age 7) and teenagers
- Fun and educational workshops
Discover science through hands-on experience and carry out small physics and chemistry experiments on magnetism, electricity, optics, pressure, gas physics and chemistry, nanoscience and much more. Learn computer programming with ARDUINO, all under the guidance of scientists. It's up to you!
No registration required from 1.30pm to 6pm
- Arduino programming workshop
Registration on site at reception
- ESCAPE GAME: "C2N Code Impact: find the secret code to save the world from an astroid" (Educational project run with L1 students from the Institut Villebon Charpak, supported by the SFP section Paris Sud).
Registration on site at reception
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: session for 10-11 year-olds
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm: session for 12-14 year-olds
For all:
- "C2N's unpublished expeditions"
We are delighted to invite you to take part in "C2N's unpublished expeditions", an exclusive activity that will plunge you into an immersive adventure at the heart of our laboratory. Participants will enjoy privileged access to our facilities.
Don't miss these unique opportunities!
We look forward to welcoming you and sharing this unforgettable adventure with you.
On-site registration at reception for all 3 expeditions
Some of these tours are unsuitable for certain audiences - hearing impaired, visually impaired, mobility impaired, mentally handicapped, confined space, pacemaker - please enquire at reception when registering Vis ma vie de chercheur en salle Blanche:
Format: 45 min / Max 10 participants per session / Minimum age 15 years / Laboratory and Clean Room
"At a time when the miniaturization of components is reaching the nanometer scale, every pattern must be drawn with extreme precision. How can patterns invisible to the naked eye be sculpted with ultimate precision? How do we shape the electronic chips that power our phones, computers and connected objects? Come and discover how research makes this possible by slipping into the shoes of a scientist specializing in nano-fabrication. Thanks to our workshop, we offer you a unique immersion into the C2N cleanroom, an ultra-clean space dedicated to high technology, where you'll take part in the major stages of the nano-fabrication process. A rare experience combining science, cutting-edge technology and manipulation."
On-site registration at reception
Session 1: 2:00 pm
Session 2: 3:00 pm
Quantum tour: Quantum applications and challenges
Format :45 min -1h / Max 10 participants per session / Minimum age 15 years / Experiment rooms
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of quantum! Join us on an exceptional tour of our experimental rooms dedicated to quantum science, and go behind the scenes of cutting-edge research. It's a rare opportunity to see the invisible, explore a world of surprising laws, and talk to the scientists who are driving this technological revolution forward. Come and experience the incredible, at the heart of the infinitely small.
Registration on site at reception
Session: 2.30pm
The BIOTECH Platform: Go behind the scenes of biomedical innovation at C2N!
Format :45 min -1h / Max 12 participants per session / Minimum age 15 years / Cleanroom training room
During this visit for the general public, discover the BIOTECH platform of the Centre de Nanosciences et de Nanotechnologies, a place where science and health meet. This platform, which supports researchers and companies, develops miniature devices for the medical world, such as microfluidic chips and lab-on-a-chip. On this unique tour, we invite you to explore the three areas of expertise that make up our platform:
- Prototyping: where devices made from innovative, biocompatible materials are designed
- Characterization: where materials are analyzed to understand their physical and biochemical properties.
- Biomedical applications: with areas dedicated to the cultivation of human and bacterial cells.
This tour will give you a unique opportunity to discover high-tech equipment. Our team will explain how these cutting-edge tools and our expertise enable us to play an active role in major advances in medical research.
A captivating and unique journey to the heart of biomedical research!
Registration on site at reception
Session: 2.15pm
- "1 scientist, 1 experiment"
During a special 30-minute session, you'll have the opportunity to meet our scientists, experts in nanoscience and nanotechnology. You'll be able to talk freely with our scientists about their work, their careers and their discoveries, and visit their experiment rooms to get a close-up view of the cutting-edge equipment and technologies we use. This is a unique opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of nanotechnology, and to talk directly with those who are shaping the future of this discipline.
No registration required, please enquire at reception from 1.30pm-6pm
- Visit our clean room
The smallest electronic components in cell phones are 10,000 times smaller than a human hair! But what do we need to make them? What does the place where they are produced look like? What tools and techniques are used to make these devices smaller than a speck of dust?
To answer all these questions, we invite you to visit our clean room. Our cleanroom, the largest in Europe, has a number of special features. Separated from the outside world by SAS barriers, it is compulsory to wear protective clothing (overalls, gloves, gowns). The room is equipped with a special ventilation and filtration system to prevent contamination. After a generic and educational presentation of the operating principles of a clean room with the help of"La fabrique du nano", we offer you a unique immersion experience accompanied by our experts.
On-site registration at
1 departure every 30 min - duration 45 min/ 1h (remember to hydrate before entering the room)
1 session in English/ 1 session in English ( schedule not yet defined)
- Scientific demonstrations Energy recovery, piezoelectric slab (Pedagogical project conducted with students from the Cachan IUT) Microscopy- SEM observation (Scanning Electron Microscope) Solar photovoltaics The pacemaker of the future ..........
No registration required from 1.30 pm to 6 pm
Other surprises await you on site.
We look forward to seeing many of you
On arrival, please introduce yourself to the reception team
During the event, photographs and films may be taken
If you do not wish to be photographed, please let us know on arrival
Contact C2N: amanda.trepagny@cnrs.fr
Ecole Polytechnique
Welcome to École Polytechnique!
On October 4, 2025, join the researchers and staff of the École Polytechnique laboratories for the Fête de la Science.
In partnership with CNRS, Inria and Telecom SudParis, and with the support of the Fondation de l'École Polytechnique, we welcome you to share a moment of curiosity, reflection and wonder.
In keeping with the national theme of the Fête de la Science, "Intelligence(s)", discover several activities based on this concept, in particular that of artificial intelligence. But there's much more to explore, from particle gas pedals to rockets! Chemistry, atmospheric and energy sciences and mathematics are also on the agenda.
Fun activities, laboratory tours, lectures and even an escape-game: there's plenty on offer to encourage discussion.
Enjoy your visit!
EDF Lab Paris Saclay
EDF Lab les Renardières, EDF Lab Chatou and EDF Lab Paris-Saclay are opening their doors to the general public on Friday, October 10 for the Fête de la Science!
Come and discover the EDF Group's research themes at the heart of its R&D teams.
Accompanied by a lecturer, you'll get to the heart of research by visiting test facilities on the themes of energy savings and comfort in the home, the networks of today and tomorrow, electricity storage, electric mobility, renewable energies, nuclear power and much more.
As part of the Fête de la Science, come and discover the day-to-day work of EDF R&D researchers as they strive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
A speaker will take you on a tour of some of the laboratories at EDF Lab Paris-Saclay, EDF's R&D showcase.
You'll discover the history of the site, as well as the Showroom, an area of over 300m² dedicated to the expertise and innovations of EDF R&D, serving the Group's businesses. The visit continues with a tour of the test hall, which houses a complete set of test facilities for industrial research (in the fields of electrical engineering and structural mechanics).
Institut d'optique graduate school
Open House at the Institut d'Optique
Come and visit the Charles Fabry Laboratory (Institut d'Optique / CNRS / Université Paris-Saclay), find out more about our Experimental Teaching Laboratory (LEnsE) and take part in a series of unique lectures. You'll have the chance to talk to our students and research staff, to understand how a laser, the eye or a thermal camera works, and to ask all your questions about the transport of information by light or quantum physics...
On the program:
Visits to the Charles Fabry Laboratory in small groups (please register on site)
Open workshops based on LEnsE tricks for you to try out with our students and teachers
Original, accessible lectures
Games related to the science of light: Bing'Optique, laser "pong"...
Saturday October 04 and Sunday October 05, 2 - 6 pm
Open to all, free admission and on-site registration
Institut d'Optique Graduate School
2 avenue Augustin Fresnel - 91120 PALAISEAU
www.institutoptique.fr
Maison de quartier Jacques Audiberti
A workshop to discover all the tricks of the plant trade and why not become an experienced botanist.
Intelligence is not limited to human beings. Animals, too, can astonish us. This is what Sébastien Moro, a specialist in animal cognition and host of the Cervelle d'oiseau YouTube channel, will tell us.
Médiathèque du Pileu
Through experiments proposed by the Savants fous, children will discover that the secrets of superhero powers are hidden in nature, and that reality is often close to fiction.
Dates and Opening Time
From October 3, 2025 to October 13, 2025
Location
Palaiseau
Mairie
91120 Palaiseau
Prices
Free
