Night of Ideas
Every year, on the last Thursday of January, the Institut français invites all places of culture and knowledge, in France and on five continents, to celebrate together the free circulation of ideas and knowledge.
Initiated in 2016, during an exceptional evening gathering in Paris of leading French and international voices invited to discuss the major issues of our time, the Night of Ideas quickly established itself on the French and international agenda.
On the same evening, conferences, meetings, forums and round tables, as well as screenings, artistic performances... are organized all over the world around a common theme, which each venue declines in its own way.
The 2026 edition
The 11th edition of the Nuit des Idées will take place throughout 2026 on all five continents. An emblematic event for the Institut français and the cooperation and cultural action network in the field of the diplomacy of ideas and knowledge, the Nuit des idées takes place every year in over a hundred countries.
The theme of the 2026 Night of Ideas:"Opening the Way"
The theme of the 2026 Night of Ideas, "Opening the Way", is notably an invitation to address:
Youth and Emerging Voices: while the polarization of society profoundly affects young people and in particular reinforces the political divergence between men and women, young people are also, and increasingly early, committing themselves to the causes that are dear to them, through politics, the associative world and innovation. For new generations to pave the way for the social and political progress the world needs, the conditions must be right: access to formal and informal education, opportunities to meet inspiring personalities with diverse opinions and backgrounds, access to spaces for expression and legitimacy. How can weensure that new generations around the world receive a quality education that is expanding and a source of independence? How can wedevelop critical and creative thinking in children and teenagers? What are the solutions to ensure that the voice of young people can be expressed and heard? How can young people commit themselves to the diversity of opinions, dialogue between communities and peoplesand the future of societies?
Inspiring figures and new solutions : at a time when political, scientific, media and community authorities are the object of mistrust born of misinformation and fragmented means of acquiring and proving one's legitimacy, inspiring figures of all ages continue to pave the way for commitments, convince through strong words and unite wills to work for the common good. These new impulses sometimes defy the frameworks established by civil society, political careers or scientific structures: they therefore need to be accompanied and supported. How can we recreate the conditions of legitimacy for strong, new words? What means should be implemented to allow a diversity of opinions to express themselves without lending the flank to disinformation? What inspiring figures deserve to be brought to the fore? What social and collective innovations are paving the way for a fairer future ?
Science and technology, sources of hope:while the development of artificial intelligence raises legitimate concerns that need to be addressed by the global community, scientific advances are paving the way for positive upheavals in human societies: personalized medicine, advances in prosthetics and stem cell-based therapies for paralysis, neurodegenerative diseases or blindness, new generations of drugs, new therapies for mental health, ever-greater efficiency of renewable energies, greener and more sustainable materials for industry and housing. For these advances to continue to be possible, scientific cooperation, independent research and academic freedom play a valuable role. What arethe conditions for free, forward-looking science? What role does the scientific and technological imaginary play in our societies? How can science inspire new generations?What international, social and political model for the development of cutting-edge technologies?
