Science Festival 2026 explores the flavours of science
The theme of the 2026 edition of the science festival is “Scientific flavours”, an opportunity to celebrate all the scientific aspects of cooking, taste and food.
The year 2026 marks the centenary of the creation of the Michelin star, the international symbol of gastronomy, as well as the bicentenary of the publication of the pioneering book on the subject: Physiologie du goût (Physiology of taste), by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. By linking the sense of taste to the biological functioning of the human body and its cognitive perceptions, the book brings together science, everyday practices and philosophy, and is one of the seminal texts of French gastronomy.
Today, food is a crucial focus of major public health issues and raises significant environmental questions, from the resilience of agricultural systems to the preservation of biodiversity. It was against this backdrop that, on 11 February 2026, the Government presented the National Strategy for Food, Nutrition and Climate (SNANC - Stratégie nationale pour l’alimentation, la nutrition et le climat), with the aim of achieving healthier, more sustainable and locally produced food for all citizens by 2030.
These issues were also of particular interest at the international One Health summit held in Lyon in April 2026. The “One Health” approach is based on a consensus that human health, animal health and the health of ecosystems are closely interdependent. Sustainable food systems will be a major focus of the forum.
The 2026 Fête de la science could take the form of a major culinary laboratory, inviting the public to discover the many scientific facets of food through a programme of interactive, entertaining events.
This universal and festive theme is also an invitation to inculcate a taste for science for as many people as possible.
Science festival 2017 in Orléans.
© BRGM – Aurore Lhomme
BRGM open-house event in Orléans
Two days of workshops, hands-on activities and visits to laboratories – to sharpen your appetite for all the sciences.
Each year, the Science Village takes place at a key venue in the Loiret region, and it is now BRGM's turn, alternating with its partners on the Orléans campus, to open its doors to you on 10 and 11 October 2026.
To mark the occasion, the French institution specialised in ground and subsurface issues is opening its doors in style!
The programme for this 35th edition includes inviting the public to visit numerous BRGM laboratories and hosting all the research players in the département: research institutions (CNRS, INRAE, INRAP, etc.), laboratories at the University of Orléans, associations and learned societies. All of them will be on hand to offer workshops, scientific experiments and demonstrations for the whole family. For teenagers and their parents, it will also be an opportunity to meet the teams and researchers and, why not, to get a taste of what it's like to work in research.
BRGM teams will also be involved in the Science Festival in Paris and across the different regions. The programme will be announced soon.
