The Politehnica University of Timișoara, through its Department of ID/IFR and Digital Education, together with the Multimedia Center and in collaboration with the Spotlight Heritage Timișoara cultural project, invites you to participate in a new edition of the European Researchers’ Night event in 2026! 

On September 25, between 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., we look forward to seeing you at UPT Technical Museum / Experimentarium™ (Spiru Haret Boulevard) and Nokia Campus (21 Republicii Boulevard) for an evening filled with experiments, journeys through virtual worlds, and a glimpse into the future of education, through the research findings of the E³UDRES² Alliance and Accelerate Future HEI projects.

Visitors will become virtual tourists of the city and will discover Timisoara's history, culture and heritage through new alternative methods, having the opportunity to interact with a complex real-virtual world, using cutting-edge digital technologies!

What you can explore:

• A journey through the history of computer science, with a close look at MECIPT-1, the first Romanian university computer, presented by our experts;
• Stories of people and 5 neighborhoods historical sites in Timișoara;
• Interactive edutainment, mobile and mixed reality applications;
• Latest applications Spotlight Heritage Timișoara Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (AR/MR);
• AR games that let you explore the city’s history and multiculturalism, as well as interact with objects from the city’s cultural heritage;
• Nokia VR Bell Labs Museum  – a virtual reality app that gives participants the opportunity to explore the history of the telephone (an app developed by students in the Master’s program in Multimedia Technologies and launched at the Nokia Bell Labs 100 event).
• Fun activities with science and technology apps;

Projects with impact for the European community

The Polytechnic University of Timișoara’s participation in European Researchers’ Night 2026 is supported by European partnerships within the E³UDRES² Alliance and Accelerate Future HEI projects, initiatives that consistently promote digital education, entrepreneurship for both communities and higher education institutions. During the event, the public will have the opportunity not only to explore interactive experiments and innovative activities but also to discover the results of fundamental and applied research conducted within these projects, thereby reinforcing UPT’s approach to promoting academic excellence and innovation.

The digital components of the project are accessible online at https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/ and via mobile apps that can be downloaded from Android and Apple stores or by searching "Spotlight Heritage Timisoara".

• App link for Android users: https://is.gd/SjiIgv   
• App link for iOS users: https://is.gd/y6JxeV   

Event information is also available on:

• Web page: https://spotlight-timisoara.eu/ 
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SpotlightHeritageTimisoara/ 
• Twitter : @spotlight_TM21 
• Instagram : @spotlight_tm

! All installations are part of the cultural project Spotlight Heritage Timisoara, part of the European Researchers' Night.

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E³UDRES² Alliance

The E³UDRES² Alliance is one of 50 European university alliances, representing an initiative launched by the European Commission that serves as an indicator of excellence in higher education. The E³UDRES² European university alliance comprises nine higher education institutions: a mix of traditional research universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS).

Accelerate Future HEI
Higher education institutions can have a positive impact on social and economic development at the regional and European levels through education, research, and engagement. However, they need specific support to strengthen their capacity to fully realize their potential. The „Accelerate Future HEI” project will develop and test acceleration services designed to provide higher education institutions with the skills and capacity needed to drive institutional transformation, so that they become more entrepreneurial and innovative institutions over the next four years.