On Thursday, 22 January 2026, the Science Communication event "NEkonference" took place at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME), Brno University of Technology. It was a meeting where science is not discussed only in laboratory notebooks, but spoken about out loud—clearly, accessibly, and often with humour and perspective. The event, jointly organised by FME and the SciComHub association, attracted more than forty participants from a wide range of institutions.
The NEkonference offered an open space for sharing experiences, inspiration, and cross-disciplinary networking. Scientists, communication professionals, and science communicators came together—people united by one key question: how can we talk about science in an accessible, engaging, and still truthful way?
The programme consisted of a series of short, dynamic talks, three of which were delivered by speakers from the host institution. David Škaroupka (Institute of Machine and Industrial Design) guided participants through common communication pitfalls of the academic world; Petr Viewegh (Institute of Physical Engineering, CEITEC BUT) demonstrated that an astronomy camp can be a powerful tool for engaging teenagers in science; and Jan Kalina (Chicken Wings) presented the strength of student teams in bringing science closer to the general public.
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Further speakers included Petra Králová (CEITEC BUT), who introduced the CEITEC Student Talent summer school; Alena Šafrová Drášilová (Masaryk University), who discussed both the challenges and the ideal of communication between scientists and investors; Kateřina Nováková (Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno), who introduced a biobank through the concept of “sleep-inducing words”; Přemysl Šťastný (CEITEC BUT), who asked what science popularisation actually brings us; and Markéta Kaiser (CEITEC BUT), who explained why it is time to step outside the laboratory.
All the contributions confirmed that effective science communication takes many forms—and none of them are boring. The entire event concluded with informal networking at the Strojovna Café, where participants shared not only contacts, but also experiences, ideas, and plans for future collaboration.
We would like to thank SciComHub for co-organising the event!