2nd STEAM Congress

Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania

From 21/05 to 22/05

About the STEAMbrace Congress 2026

The 2nd STEAM Congress took place on 21–22 May 2026 in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania, bringing together the STEAMbrace community for a new milestone dedicated to educational innovation, student engagement and European collaboration.

With around 250 participants, including consortium members, teachers, invited guests and students, the Congress became a vibrant space to exchange experiences, share project results and explore how STEAM education can support more inclusive, creative and impactful learning pathways across Europe.

Throughout the event, participants engaged with expert sessions, student-led STEAM classes, institutional contributions and collaborative discussions. From impact measurement and microcredentials to gender inclusion, story-based learning and teacher training, the Congress reflected the diversity of the STEAMbrace approach and its commitment to building stronger connections between research, classroom practice and young talent.

Congress Day Recap

The main Congress day opened with a welcome session that highlighted the local, national and European dimension of the event. Representatives from Râmnicu Vâlcea, the Vâlcea County School Inspectorate, the Ministry of Education and the STEAMbrace coordination team welcomed participants and underlined the importance of strengthening STEAM education through cooperation, inclusion and innovation.

The opening was followed by an artistic performance from students of the Art High School, who presented a local musical performance. This moment set the tone for the day by showing one of the core principles of STEAMbrace: the arts are not separate from science and technology, but an essential part of how students express creativity, culture and knowledge.

The morning programme focused on how to design engaging STEAM activities, measure their impact and scale innovative learning practices. Pablo Busó and Sol Martire, from AIJU and Academia de Inventores, presented a cross-country analysis of competence, knowledge development and student engagement. Tiago Nascimento, from C4G, then introduced the role of microcredentials in scaling STEAM learning and supporting the recognition of specific skills and learning pathways.

Later in the morning, Claudia Gardete, from Maristas Portugal, presented the Big Pilot in Action, offering insights into how STEAMbrace methodologies are being implemented in real educational settings. Toni Barreiros, from the University of Beira Interior, explored the impact of STEAM learning on secondary school students during their university journey, adding a long-term perspective on how early STEAM experiences can influence students’ confidence, motivation and future pathways.

One of the most dynamic moments of the day came with the STEAM classes led by local schools from Râmnicu Vâlcea. Michaela Balint, from Scoala Gimnaziala Discovery Kids, presented “Waste into Light – A STEAM Approach to Reimagining Used Cooking Oil”, while Mihai Arisanu, from Scoala Gimnaziala Take Ionescu, led “Robots for STEAM Education”. These interactive activities placed students at the centre of the Congress and showed how STEAM education becomes more meaningful when young learners build, test, explore and connect knowledge with real-world challenges.

Inclusion, creativity and
European collaboration

The afternoon programme expanded the focus towards contests, national initiatives, gender inclusion and creative methodologies. Juancho Pons, from EDELVIVES, presented “National STEAM Contests and EuroFINAL: Finding Excellence in STEAM Education”, highlighting how competitions can encourage creativity, teamwork and innovation among students.

David Sousa, from NUCLIO, introduced “The STEAM Innovation Festival 2026: A National Showcase of STEAM in Portugal”, showing how national activities can contribute to a wider European movement around STEAM education.

The session “STEAMtastic – The Magic of Science in Story-Based Learning”, presented by Michaela Balint, explored how storytelling can be integrated into STEAM lessons to spark curiosity, improve engagement and help students connect abstract concepts with meaningful learning experiences.

STEAM plenary sessions

The day concluded with a set of STEAM plenary sessions that brought together teacher training, children’s perspectives and gender representation in science education.

Aitziber Sagastizabal-Sáez, Naiara Bilbao-Quintana and Arantzazu López de la Serna, from EHU, presented “From Challenge Design to Learning Evidence: Initial Teacher Training for Constructing STEAM Projects through Formative Evaluation”, focusing on how future teachers can be supported to design, implement and evaluate STEAM projects through reflective and evidence-based approaches.

Ivana Tunjić and Ivana Markeljević, from Elementary School Hugo Badalić in Slavonski Brod, Croatia, presented “STEM World through Children’s Eyes, STEM Spajalica”, highlighting the importance of considering children’s perspectives when designing educational innovation.

Finally, Hatice Kirmaci, from ENOVA Training Consultancy Company, presented “Effect of Female Teachers in Science Education – Interactive Presentation”, underlining the importance of representation, role models and inclusive learning environments in science education.

Next steps

The Congress concluded as an important milestone for STEAMbrace, reinforcing the project’s commitment to building a more inclusive and future-oriented STEAM ecosystem. By bringing together students, teachers, institutions and European partners, the event showed that meaningful educational change happens when young people are invited to participate actively, teachers are supported with practical methodologies and collaboration remains at the centre of innovation.

Explore a selection of moments from the STEAM Congress 2026, where partners, educators, researchers and stakeholders came together to exchange ideas, share experiences and celebrate the role of STE(A)M education in shaping more inclusive learning environments.

Stay connected

The 2nd STEAM Congress marked another step forward in STEAMbrace’s journey to promote inclusive, creative and interdisciplinary education across Europe.

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