Serge Haroche at ESET Science Award 2026

The announcement of the ESET Science Award laureates is an annual celebration of science in Slovakia. The gala event is attended by representatives of the scientific community from Slovakia and abroad, ambassadors, and representatives of state institutions in Slovakia. For the fourth year, the event will take place under the auspices of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia. The laureates are announced in three categories: Outstanding Scientist in Slovakia, Outstanding Scientist in Slovakia under the age of 35, and Outstanding Academic in Slovakia, and from 2025 include social sciences and humanities in these categories.

At a time of rapid technological development, social change and growing uncertainty, science plays an increasingly important role in shaping the world we live in. It is not only a source of new discoveries, but also a tool that can strengthen security, societal resilience, trust in facts and the ability to make responsible decisions. The ESET4Schools event brings this topic closer to young people. Its aim is to show students that science is not a distant world of laboratories and expert conferences, but a living part of their everyday lives, decisions and values. This year’s accompanying activities are being created in collaboration with students from DASATO Academy, who designed them and will deliver them for their peers. Thanks to this approach, the programme will speak the language of young people and reflect topics that are relevant to them, from trust in facts and the responsible use of technologies to the question of what kind of world we want to create together. In this way, ESET4Schools connects scientific excellence with the younger generation and creates a space where knowledge meets curiosity, critical thinking and responsibility for the future.

On 16th October, ESET Science Talks will welcome Nobel Prize-winning physicist Professor Serge Haroche to the Old Market Hall in Bratislava. The evening will explore science, the power of knowledge and the questions raised by rapid technological progress. In conversation with Daniel Stach, host of the Czech TV program Hyde Park Civilization, Professor Haroche will introduce us to the fascinating world of quantum physics—a field that explores the fundamental laws governing nature at the level of atoms and elementary particles. Our understanding of this microscopic world, where reality behaves very differently from our everyday experience, now forms the foundation of many of tomorrow's technologies, from quantum computers to secure quantum communication.

The discussion, however, will extend far beyond physics. It will explore questions that concern us all: How do scientific discoveries shape the world we live in? What role does knowledge play in building trust, security, and resilient societies? And in an era of breakthrough technologies, how can we preserve not only the courage to explore the unknown but also the wisdom to decide how new knowledge should be used? Professor Haroche will also reflect on the role of science in society, the responsibility that comes with pushing the boundaries of knowledge, and why critical thinking is more important than ever in a time of rapid technological change, geopolitical uncertainty, and profound societal transformation.