For the 2026 edition of the CNRS “Visites Insolites”, four France-BioImaging member research institutes and imaging facilities will open their doors to the general public. The Institut Fresnel, IBDM, the IMAG’IC facility at Institut Cochin, and the ImagoSeine facility at Institut Jacques Monod will welcome visitors in October for a series of hands-on activities and demonstrations exploring imaging, light and the hidden world of living systems. Find out more about each event below.

Please note: registration for all four events closes on 20 September 2026.

Institut Fresnel: Photonics is fantastic!

Hervé Rigneault’s MOSAIC R&D team, together with the Photonics facility, will introduce visitors to the fascinating possibilities of manipulating light to reveal what cannot be seen with the naked eye, through interactive experiments and demonstrations.

When? October 14, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Where? 52 Av. Escadrille Normandie Niemen, 13013 Marseille
Registration: https://visitesinsolites.cnrs.fr/visite/la-photonique-cest-fantastique-3/

Institut Jacques Monod: Take a closer look at your plate with flow cytometry

The flow cytometry unit of the ImagoSeine facility will invite visitors to discover the hidden world of living organisms found in our food.
Participants will also have the opportunity to visit the facility and discover some of its imaging equipment.

When? October 7, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Where? 15 Rue Hélène Brion, 75013 Paris
Registration: https://visitesinsolites.cnrs.fr/visite/observez-votre-assiette-autrement-a-travers-la-cytometrie-en-flux/

IBDM: Life starts here

At IBDM, the visit will focus on developmental biology and the earliest stages of life.
Through hands-on activities and observations using a stereomicroscope, visitors will explore this otherwise invisible world and discover how scientists study the first steps of development.

When? October 17, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Where? UMR 7288 Case 907, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, Av. de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9
Registration: https://visitesinsolites.cnrs.fr/visite/la-vie-commence-ici-2/

Institut Cochin: Biomedical research – a journey into the heart of cells

The IMAG’IC imaging facility will welcome visitors for an exploration deep inside cells using fluorescence imaging.
Participants will also be able to build their own mini optical microscope, the Foldscope, which can be used with a smartphone.

When? October 7, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Where? 22 Rue Méchain, 75014 Paris
Registration: https://visitesinsolites.cnrs.fr/visite/recherche-biomedicale-voyage-au-coeur-des-cellules-4/

And there’s more to come! The following weekend, several laboratories and imaging facilities will also open their doors for the Fête de la Science. Check what is happening near you and take the opportunity to discover even more behind-the-scenes science!