At the invitation of Portuguese colleagues from the National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture, Ciência Viva, the JASU team took part in official events marking Portugal’s National Scientists’ Day. On this occasion, the international conference “Streams of Knowledge: Knowledge Does Not Draw Borders” was held. The event brought together members of the scientific community, diplomats, and international partners to discuss the impacts of geopolitics on science, with particular focus on the full-scale war in Ukraine. Speakers at the conference included Her Excellency Maryna Mykhailenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Portugal, Stanislav Dovgyi, President of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and other JASU representatives.

In his address, Stanislav Dovgyi noted: "The aim of the Ukrainian delegation’s visit to Portugal is to explore the experience of reforming science education through a network of science centers and museums. We are sincerely grateful to our colleagues from Ciência Viva — particularly Rosalia Vargas and Pedro Russo — and the entire Ciência Viva team for their invitation, warm hospitality, openness to sharing experience, commitment to joint initiatives, and unwavering solidarity with Ukraine."

With Ciência Viva’s support, over 150 students from the Ukrainian Saturday School “Oberih” in Estoril, along with their teachers, visited the Pavilion of Knowledge Science Centre in Lisbon. The children and educators explored interactive exhibits and joined science shows and demonstrations led by the Ukrainian JASU delegation.

"Often during our trips abroad, we make time to work with our children. They were pleasantly surprised that someone in Portugal spoke to them in their native language! We discussed scientific phenomena during experiments, invented and proposed theories together, and tested them through hands-on activities," said Mariia Dubrova, Head of Science Center Development Department.

During their visit to Portugal, the Ukrainian delegation gained firsthand insight into the establishment and management of the Ciência Viva network of science centers, including its collaborations with universities, foundations, and businesses. The JASU team also visited science centers in Coimbra and Aveiro, discovering how educational labs are organized and exploring innovative approaches to engaging young people in science.

At the end of their visit, the JASU team traveled to The Hague, where they met with officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands to discuss government support, the integration of science into extracurricular education, and the management of science centers and museums. Additionally, they visited the Naturalis Museum in Leiden to explore innovative approaches in science education.

“Portugal’s experience in building and managing a network of science centers is highly valuable and relevant for Ukraine. It exemplifies how governments, local communities, universities, businesses, and NGOs can join efforts at the local level to create favourable conditions for promoting science and fostering public engagement. Meanwhile, the Netherlands’ experience underscored a crucial aspect of developing effective national policy to support science centers and museums,” said Vasyl Dunets, Deputy Director of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.