On 19 June 2026, the annual Science Picnic took place at the Nencki Institute.

As in previous years, the event began with the presentation of awards for science communication. Diplomas and special awards were presented to individuals particularly engaged in sharing knowledge and building dialogue between science and society.

Participants then attended a lecture entitled “Medical Research Translation and Commercialisation in Academia is Both Exciting & Highly Rewarding”, delivered by Prof. Michael Wallach from the University of Technology Sydney, Regional Director of SPARK Oceania.

An important part of the programme was the presentation of two artworks to the Nencki Art Collection, created by students of the Faculty of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. These were Pamela Puchalska’s painting “Aurora Interna”, made using oil paint as well as fluorescent and luminescent acrylic on canvas, and a series of solographs entitled “Sol z Instytutu” by Oskar Wiater. This unique initiative is part of the Art & Science programme developed at the Institute, which brings together the worlds of science and art and builds a collection of works inspired by research, nature, and scientific imagination. The young artists presented their works to the Director of the Institute, Prof. Agnieszka Dobrzyń.

A special moment of the Picnic was the official naming of the Institute Library after Prof. Leszek Kuźnicki, accompanied by the opening of an exhibition dedicated to him, prepared by Prof. Adam Szewczyk, Dr hab. Hanna Fabczak, and Dr hab. Dorota Dymkowska.

The event concluded with an informal gathering in the Institute courtyard. This year’s Picnic once again showed how important the community built around science, the memory of those who shaped the Institute’s history, and openness to new ideas and creative encounters are for the Nencki Institute.

See you next year!