Nearly 1,400 visitors attended IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center on Friday, 26 September 2025. As part of the 10th anniversary of Researchers’ Night at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, attendees had the opportunity to see the first Czech quantum computer, VLQ, for the first time, explore the supercomputers Karolina and Barbora, visit more than a dozen interactive stations, and attend lectures and workshops led by the centre’s experts. Almost 50 staff members and scientists from IT4Innovations were involved in preparing the event – the result was record attendance and an evening full of scientific adventure.
The evening began at Nevermore Academy, where the youngest visitors set out to free Thing’s Hand from a magical chest box. At five stations, they faced puzzles and challenges that tested their ingenuity, patience, and courage. Afterwards, they moved to the showroom to see the most powerful supercomputers in the Czech Republic up close, along with the recently launched quantum computer VLQ. Specialists explained how these machines differ from conventional computers and how they support research and industry. Participants who had registered in time also joined guided tours of the technical infrastructure – from underground backup power systems to the roof with heat pumps that allow the centre to use energy efficiently.
Lecture and workshop rooms were filled with attendees eager to understand quantum computing, the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, and how supercomputers enable the development of new medicines, technologies, and smart vehicles. The programme also featured robot football, retinal examinations using neural network training, citizen science activities, planting seeds, educational AI games, and demonstrations of how computational tasks are run on supercomputers. Children took home rubber ducks and sweet treats, while adults gained new knowledge and inspiration.
Researchers’ Night 2025 demonstrated that science can be an adventure for all generations. IT4Innovations thanks everyone who visited the centre and looks forward to the next edition, under the title Research Night 2026.
