Photo credit Thor Balkhed
In the end of September every year, Linköping University offer several activities where the public can interact with researchers in a relaxed environment. Researchers are ordinary people with extraordinary jobs!
European Researcher's Night
European Researchers’ Night (ForskarFredag) is a science festival where you can learn more about research and what it’s like to be a researcher. During the last week of September, school classes can borrow a researcher who visits their classroom, and there will be opportunities to listen to and participate in research talks of various kinds. A new feature for 2026 is that LiU will host a qualifying heat of the Researchers’ Grand Prix and bring two researchers into a shop window for a live public conversation.
Researchers’ Grand Prix 2026 at Norrköping’s Visualization Center C
Check out Researchers’ Grand Prix here
A new feature for 2026 is that LiU will host a Researchers’ Grand Prix qualifying heat, the winner of which will go on to the national final in Stockholm. The competition has more to do with presentation skills than the actual research topic. It comes down to presenting your research in an inspiring and exciting way in four minutes in front of an audience and a jury – a bit like Idol for researchers.
The competition were held in the dome theatre at Norrköping’s Visualization Center C on 25 September 2026, in front of an audience consisting mainly of upper secondary school students, who voted for their favourites. A three-member jury, representing academia, the media and the performing arts, also awarded points to the contestants.
The contestants were:
Anan Ashrabi Ananno - Linköping University
Johanna Aringer - Linköping University
Anna Asratian - Linköping University
Arvid Erlandsson - Linköping University
Rashmi Ramesh - Linköping University
Read more here: Researchers’ Grand Prix
Research in Progress! Live Podcast from a Shop Window
Check out the live podcast here
LiU researchers and friends Gustav Tinghög and Daniel Västfjäll invited guests to join them in the Lindex shop window at Gyllentorget, Linköping, for a live conversation about life as a researcher.
Date and time: 26 September 2026, 11:00-16:00
Gustav and Daniel are the hosts of the podcast Beslutsbotanikerna ("The Decision Botanists"), where they explore and classify different types of decision-making, inspired by how Carl Linnaeus categorised plants and animals.
For this special live edition, they were curious about researchers as people: how they think, make decisions, and approach their work. During the five-hour live podcast, guests such as Jan-Ingvar Jönsson, Ingemar Ingemarsson, Lars Stjernkvist, Per Jensen and many others stopped by to share their experiences and perspectives. Visitors also had the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the guests in the window.
