Dresden Science Night 2026

Open House / June 26, 2026 - June 27, 2026, 17:00 bis 0:00 Uhr

On June 26, immerse yourself in the world of high-performance ceramics and non-destructive testing. Fraunhofer IKTS is once again opening its doors at its Dresden-Gruna location for the 2026 Dresden Science Night. Amazing hands-on experiments, exciting exhibits, our kids’ quiz, and an exclusive look inside our labs—this night, you’ll experience research up close.

Children and teens can visit our hands-on stations to play detective and make fingerprints visible, test their skills on 3D-printed puzzles, use slip casting to see how liquid material turns into solid components, try their hand at screen printing, and take part in a scavenger hunt through the world of ceramics.

Adults will learn how to monitor bridges using ultrasound and purify wastewater with the help of electrolytic cells. Our guided tours offer exclusive insights into our bioeconomy research facilities and demonstrate, through concrete applications, the industries where ceramics are indispensable. In our presentations, our researchers will showcase their projects—in an engaging, vivid, and entertaining way.

Want to join us and shape the world of tomorrow? Our career team is here to answer your questions about numerous career opportunities, whether it’s an apprenticeship, a student job, a thesis project, or direct entry.

Event details

Costs

free of charge

Location

Fraunhofer IKTS Dresden
Winterbergstr. 28, 01277 Dresden

Date

June 26, 2026 - June 27, 2026, 17:00 bis 0:00 Uhr

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Activities for children and adults

Kids' Quiz: Who has seen our robot?

Find our robot “Zirkonox” and learn about the many different applications of ceramics.

When: 5:00–9:00 p.m.
Where: IKTS Foyer

A Journey into Ceramic 3D Printing

Here, you can assemble 3D-printed puzzles of varying difficulty levels and learn how to make ceramic components functional.

We’ll also show you how screen printing relates to modern ceramic research and how the two technologies work together. Right next door, you can try your hand at screen printing right away.

When: 5:00–10:00 p.m.
Where: Foyer

Screen printing on paper and ceramics

Give screen printing a try! We don’t just print ink on paper — we also print sensors and functional components for high-tech electronics used in cars, airplanes, and cell phones.

When: 5:00–10:00 p.m.
Where: Foyer

Live Slip Casting – Cast Your Own Smiley – Hands-On Ceramics

How does a liquid mixture turn into a solid object? We’ll show you step-by-step the processes involved, from shaping to the finished ceramic product. Then you can cast your own smiley and watch as it dries and hardens.

Of course, you can take your cast creations home with you.

When: 5:00–11:00 p.m.
Where: Foyer

Detective Sniffer - DIY Electrochemical Fingerprints

We’ll make your fingerprint visible and share some fascinating facts about the importance of surface pretreatment in electroplating.

When: 5:00–11:00 p.m.
Where: Foyer

French fries, potato chips, and organic glue: Discover what’s inside a potato!

What exactly is starch - and why is it found in potatoes? Find out how much starch a potato contains. Learn how to extract starch from potatoes and what it can be used for. And then things get really exciting: You’ll get to test for yourself how well potato glue holds!

When: 5:00–9:00 p.m.
Where: Room Meissen

Diamonds? They’re more than just jewelry!

Ceramically bonded diamond materials have outstanding properties. We develop extremely hard and thermally conductive diamond-containing ceramics.

Experience diamonds and their unique properties in a whole new way—through small, mind-blowing experiments, we’ll show you how diamond-containing ceramics seem to melt ice effortlessly.

When: 5:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.

Where: Room Meissen

Clean Water from the Outlet and Alternatives

How does wastewater treatment using electricity work? Why do ions need to migrate for this to happen? At this station, electrochemistry is explained in a clear and accessible way, and you’ll have the chance to get hands-on. You can direct the migration of ions in an electric field or purify water yourself using an electrolytic cell.

When: 5:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.
Where: Room Meissen

Offer for Adults

Jobs@Fraunhofer IKTS

Want to help shape the world of tomorrow with us? Whether you’re looking for an apprenticeship, a student job, a thesis project, or a direct entry position - Fraunhofer IKTS offers a wide range of opportunities to launch your career in science and industry. Our career team, along with our apprentices and student assistants, will be on hand to answer your questions about our many career opportunities.

When: 5:00–10:00 p.m.
Where: Room Meissen

Hydrogen from water vapor? It’s easy with ceramics.

Water is the source of life on our planet. Using renewable energy and ceramics, we’re turning water vapor into the energy source of the future. At this station, we’ll explain how ceramics can revolutionize the energy sector.

When: 5:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.
Where: Room Meissen

If bridges could talk…

What if structures themselves could tell us how they’re doing? Whether there’s damage that isn’t visible from the outside, or how the material behaves under different loads?

We develop such systems - from smart sensors to optical fibers that measure strain in bridges with millimeter precision. Learn how research is helping to make our infrastructure safer.

When: 5:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.
Where: Room Meissen

Guided tours

Guided Tour to Our Bioeconomy Laboratories: From Waste to Plant Fertilizer

How can seemingly “worthless” waste be transformed into something useful for the bioeconomy, crops, and our food supply?

Join us for a 45-minute guided tour of our plant laboratory, featuring insights into experimental facilities and ongoing tests, as well as brief presentations right at the experimental sites.

When: 6:30 p.m.; 8:30 p.m.; 9:30 p.m.
Where: Foyer

Guided Tour: Ceramics Hub

A material for every occasion: Ceramics are often used when other materials fail. On our guided tour of the Ceramics Hub, we’ll show you just how versatile high-performance ceramics are and the applications and industries in which they’re used.

When: every hour from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Foyer

Presentations

Lecture: Rethinking the Future of Energy: Ceramic, Practical, Good

Speaker: Dr. Mihails Kusnezoff, Fraunhofer IKTS

When: 8:00 p.m.
Where: Lecture Hall at Fraunhofer IWS, Winterbergstr. 28, 01277 Dresden

Lecture: Salt Batteries: An Alternative for the Energy Transition?

Speaker: Nils Büttner

When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Fraunhofer IWS Lecture Hall, Winterbergstr. 28, 01277 Dresden

Events

Open House / June 26, 2026 - June 27, 2026, 17:00 bis 0:00 Uhr