Les visites insolites du CNRS en Provence et Corse, édition 2026

What if, for a few hours, you could step into the shoes of a scientist? That is possible with the CNRS Unusual Visits! From Wednesday, October 7 to Monday, October 19, 2026, children and adults alike are invited to enter the doors of CNRS laboratories and experimental platforms to enjoy immersive, unusual and unforgettable experiences alongside passionate researchers. In Provence and Corsica, the CNRS is inviting the general public to discover 13 of its laboratories. Try your luck now and until midnight on Sunday, September 20 by entering the prize draw. Free event open to everyone. As part of the Fête de la Science from Friday, October 2 to Monday, October 12, 2026, and following the success of the previous five editions, CNRS Provence and Corsica is once again organizing the “CNRS Unusual Visits” of its laboratories. These events are intended to be intimate, interactive and exceptional. How can trees survive heat and lack of water? What happens in a clean room before an instrument sets off to explore space? What does it feel like to enter a room where sound almost completely disappears? What happens in a baby’s brain when they learn to walk and talk? How did a former military site become an underground laboratory for detecting gravitational waves? These are just some of the questions that the CNRS invites you to explore during an unusual visit. This year, 13 laboratories are opening their doors for 18 unusual visits, offering the opportunity to explore the mysteries, techniques and innovations of numerous scientific disciplines, including ecology, biology, astrophysics, particle physics, neuroscience, photonics, acoustics, oceanography and economics. How can you take part? Internet users can try their luck from Tuesday, August 25 to Sunday, September 20, 2026 by answering 3 questions related to the theme of their chosen visit. The successful participants will be selected at random from among those who answer correctly, to form groups of 6 to 12 people depending on the visit. Find the list of visits near you and registerhttps://visitesinsolites.cnrs.fr