On October 25 and 26, 2025, the National Science on Stage Festival 2025 took place at the Instituto Superior Técnico – Oeiras Campus in Porto Salvo, Oeiras. This festival was the selection event for the European Science on Stage Festival 2026, which will take place from May 28 to 31, 2026, in Klaipėda, Lithuania. The National Science on Stage Festival was organized by NUCLIO and Science on Stage Portugal and supported by IST – Oeiras Campus, INESC-ID, the Engineering for All project, the Municipality of Oeiras, and Science on Stage Europe.
The opening session was led by Isabel Borges (Coordinator of Science on Stage Portugal) and Priscila Doran (Vice-president of NUCLIO), and included the participation of Maria João Verdasca (Manager of the Engineering for All project and Science Manager at IST – Oeiras Campus and INESC-ID), Pedro Patacho (Councillor of the Municipality of Oeiras) and Liliana Fernandes (member of the Board of Science on Stage Europe).
Twenty-five projects by teachers from various regions of our country were presented at the festival. The projects showcased the commitment and dedication of the participating teachers, who used innovative methodologies supported by an inquiry-based approach.
✻ Photos of the project stands are available on the Science on Stage Portugal website
After visiting all the fair booths in detail to learn about each project, the Festival jury members (Ana Costa, David Sousa, Isabel Borges, Leonor Cabral, Liliana Fernandes, Nuno Charneca, Rute Oliveira, and Teresa Loureiro) met to select the seven projects that will represent our country in Lithuania.
Before the jury’s decision was announced, and on the morning of Sunday, October 26th, the fair was open to teachers, students, and families.
The Portuguese delegation that will represent our country at the European Science on Stage Festival 2026 was finally revealed at the Closing Ceremony, late Sunday morning, after the distribution of participation diplomas.
The seven selected projects are:
➢ Between Sound and Shadow – Art, Light, Sound, and Science in Preschool Education — by Cátia Sousa and Nuno Guimarães – Colégio Novo da Maia, Maia, Porto
➢ Home Weather Kit — by Sérgio Bastos – Freixo School Group, Ponte de Lima
➢ Prairies Aren’t Just in Land — by Isadora Girio, Maria Teresa Ribeiro, Sandra Lima, and Lívia Marques – Dom Manuel Martins Secondary School, Setúbal
➢ Scientific Visit to the Garden — by Paulo Torcato – Professor Agostinho da Silva School Group, Casal de Cambra
➢ Seeds of Memory, Seeds4Future — by Maria Celestina Henriques – Bartolomeu de Gusmão School Group, Lisbon; Mônica Maia-Mendes – Ermesinde School Group; Ilda Moreira – Valongo School Group
➢ STEAM on the Move — by Elisabete Marques – Dona Filipa de Lencastre School Group, Lisbon
➢ Teach English with Science. Why? — by Sandra Vasconcelos – Pedro Eanes Lobato School Group, Amora, Seixal
Congratulations to the entire delegation representing Portugal in Klaipėda, Lithuania, in May 2026, as well as to all other participants in the National Festival!
Stands of selected projects:
NUCLIO Accredited Training Course and Workshops
Concurrent with the festival, the Accredited Training Course Inspiring Practices in Science Teaching 2025 took place, aiming to discuss best practices and promote the sharing of teacher experiences. The course, led by NUCLIO, included sessions from the national Science on Stage event, workshops related to the European projects EXPLORE, Open Teach C-HUB, and Exo4Edu, and will soon include a synchronous online session.
Over 40 teachers participated in the full course.
Each workshop, which acted as a multiplier event for the respective project, registered the following number of participants:
- EXPLORE – 53 teachers
- Open Teach C-HUB – 48 teachers
- Exo4Edu – 47 teachers
Photos of the Workshops:
On behalf of NUCLIO and Science on Stage Portugal, we express our sincere gratitude to the Instituto Superior Técnico – Oeiras Campus for making its facilities available for this festival and for all its support. We also extend our sincere gratitude to Maria João Verdasca for her collaboration and dedication.
We would also like to thank the Municipality of Oeiras for the support granted to this event, for the publicity provided, and for the generous offer of lunch and coffee breaks to the participants. A very special thank you to Councillor Pedro Patacho for his kindness in participating in the opening ceremony and for visiting the fair.
Our gratitude extends to all the members of the jury, who accepted the challenge of selecting the seven projects that will represent Portugal at the European Festival from among so many inspiring ideas.
Finally, a very special thanks to all the teachers who participated in both the Festival and the workshops held by NUCLIO, as well as to everyone who visited us and contributed to the success of this event!
The European Science on Stage Festival will take place from May 28 to 31, 2026, in Klaipėda, Lithuania.
The SonS 2026 website is now live.
See you at the next festival!