“Discovering Small Wonders” – this is the motto for the Mouse Door Open Day 2026, which takes place every year on October 3rd. This year too, several Imaging Core Facilities from the German BioImaging (GerBI) network are opening their doors and inviting children to discover the fascinating world of microscopy and scientific imaging.

“Türen auf mit der Maus” (‘Open Doors with the Mouse’), an initiative of the television show “The Mouse” (WDR), gives children a behind-the-scenes look at research, technology, and many other exciting fields of work. In the participating Imaging Core Facilities, they can discover how scientists work with state-of-the-art microscopes, what lies hidden in cells and tissues, and what small wonders reveal themselves under the microscope.

To allow participating institutions to focus on creating a varied program, the GerBI Team Training and Knowledge Transfer supports them with extensive materials. These include templates for registration, communication aids for exchanging information with parents and children, as well as ideas for exciting, age-appropriate experiments and interactive activities.

A video has been created to accompany this, which provides a behind-the-scenes look at the preparations. It not only shows the commitment involved in organizing a Mouse Door Open Day, but also demonstrates how enriching the event can be for the organizers themselves. At the same time, the video makes clear how differently the participating Imaging Core Facilities design the day. Despite their different approaches, the protagonists are united by a common goal: to convey to young people the joy of discovery and to make science tangible and accessible.

Facilities, research groups, or companies interested in participating in the event can register with WDR by September 6th. For any questions, they are welcome to contact the GerBI Team Training and Knowledge Transfer or the GerBI-GMB Office at any time.

We look forward to welcoming many curious children again on October 3rd – and hopefully laying the foundation for the enthusiasm of tomorrow’s researchers.

Our sincere thanks go to the Training Team for the idea of the video and to Sabrina Ernst, Aachen, Christian Feldhaus, Tübingen, Sebastian Hänsch, Düsseldorf, and Christa Walther, GerBI core unit, for their contribution to the video: https://zenodo.org/records/20614751.