Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

UNIMORE to Host the National Finals of the Natural Sciences Championships and Experimental Sciences Games

From 8 to 10 May 2026, Modena will become a hub for the next generation of Italian scientists. The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) will host the national stage of the Natural Sciences Championships and the Experimental Sciences Games, bringing together the top students selected from schools across Italy.

The initiative is part of a three-year agreement between UNIMORE and the National Association of Natural Science Teachers (ANISN), aimed at strengthening collaboration in teaching, research, and science outreach.

Around 140 students will take part: 100 secondary school students competing in the Championships and 40 lower secondary school students participating in the Games. They will be joined by accompanying teachers and ANISN regional representatives in an event that will transform the University into a national centre for scientific learning and exchange.

The programme, organised by the Departments of Chemical and Geological Sciences and Life Sciences, will begin on the afternoon of Friday 8 May with registration and an information session. Saturday 9 May will be entirely dedicated to the competitions, running from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm in the classrooms and laboratories at Via Campi 103. On Sunday 10 May, the awards ceremony will take place at 10.00 am in Lecture Hall U.1.3, also at Via Campi 103.

“Hosting the national finals of the Natural Sciences Championships and the Experimental Sciences Games at UNIMORE,” says Professor Lorena Rebecchi, Director of the Department of Life Sciences, “is an important opportunity to encourage young people to engage with the biological sciences, a discipline that is fundamental to understanding the mechanisms governing living organisms.”

“The decision to award the Championships to UNIMORE,” explains Professor Mauro Soldati, Director of the Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, “is well-deserved recognition of the University’s longstanding commitment to the study and teaching of Natural Sciences, and a source of pride for both staff and students.”

This is not simply a competition: the national finals will also determine the members of the Italian teams that will represent the country at the 2026 International Biology Olympiad (IBO), scheduled to take place in Vilnius, Lithuania, from 12 to 19 July, and at the 2026 International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO), to be held in Turin from 20 to 27 August. The latter marks an important return for Italy, which will host the event for the second time following the 2011 edition, also organised in Modena.

The event forms part of a broader collaboration between universities and schools, with initiatives ranging from teacher training and educational research to guiding students towards STEM disciplines. Particular emphasis is placed on promoting degree programmes in Biological Sciences, Geological Sciences, and Natural Sciences.

“With this initiative,” says Professor Maurizio Mazzucchelli of UNIMORE, “UNIMORE and ANISN are renewing their shared commitment to fostering scientific talent, bringing young people closer to research, and building an ever-stronger bridge between schools and universities.”

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng