OL Science & Tech Fest 2026 brought together 1,300 participants and international speakers in Lviv, including Nobel laureate Svante Pääbo, neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, physicist Nicholas Braithwaite and Ukrainian polar researchers. The science and technology festival ran from 29 to 31 May, with the main events taking place on the grounds of the National University “Lviv Polytechnic”. The event was reported on by Lviv City Council.
The festival consisted of a main programme and separate events for educators, students, young people and the academic community. Over three days, participants attended lectures by international speakers, panel discussions, an innovation expo, workshops, exhibitions and interactive science zones for different age groups.
On 29 May, the Lviv Open Lab venue hosted a STEAM workshop for educators with the participation of Nicholas Braithwaite. The event focused on modern approaches to teaching the natural sciences and on how to spark children’s and teenagers’ interest in STEM fields.
The main day of the festival took place on 30 May at Lviv Polytechnic. The keynote speakers were Svante Pääbo, Nobel Prize laureate and ancient DNA researcher, British neurosurgeon and writer Henry Marsh, and British physicist and plasma researcher Nicholas Braithwaite. They spoke about human origins and the role of ancient DNA in modern science, the future of healthcare and the development of medicine, as well as about plasma, technologies and areas of their practical application.
A separate section of the programme was the panel discussion “Who shapes modern science? The experience of Ukrainian women polar researchers in Antarctica”. It featured oceanographer Nataliia Dikul, doctor Ivanna Koturbash, meteorologist Anastasiia Chyhareva, geophysicist Anna Soina and microbiologist Mariia Pavlovska. They spoke about taking part in Ukrainian Antarctic expeditions, working at the “Akademik Vernadsky” station, living and conducting research in Antarctica, and the contribution of Ukrainian scientists to international projects.
At the innovation expo, Ukrainian teams and start-ups presented their own technological developments. Visitors could take part in interactive science activities and themed workshops, learn about Ukrainian research in Antarctica and explore initiatives to promote STEM fields among young people.
“This year, Lviv marks its 770th anniversary… OL Science & Tech Fest is about a unique opportunity to share the same space with a Nobel laureate, Ukrainian women polar researchers, a neurosurgeon, a physicist and scientists who are changing our understanding of the world,” noted Lviv’s First Deputy Mayor Andrii Moskalenko.
During his speech, Svante Pääbo stressed that taking part in a festival in Ukraine in such a difficult time is a testament to the resilience of society and to the importance of science and technology for the country’s development. He emphasised that fundamental science matters for addressing the challenges facing humanity and for the development of individual countries, and that Ukraine is demonstrating strength in innovation and technological solutions.
On 31 May, a public Q&A session with Svante Pääbo took place, during which participants put questions to the Nobel laureate. The organisers stressed that it was important for them to make science accessible to a wide audience and to show young people real examples of scientific careers.
In parallel with the festival, the “Create for the Armed Forces” fundraising campaign was under way, which has been coordinated since the beginning of the year by the youth organisation “Tvory” (Create). Thanks to various activities, partnerships and community support, it was possible to raise over UAH 5 million for special ground-based robotic systems for the military. An additional element of the campaign was a raffle of a Tesla Model 3 among those who donated, which took place during the festival.
OL Science & Tech Fest is positioned as a national science and technology festival that takes place in Lviv every year and brings together young scientists, start-up founders, entrepreneurs, students and school pupils from different regions of Ukraine and from abroad. The aim of the event is to promote science, Ukrainian scientific and technological developments, and to inspire young people to build their future in this field.