The French Science Festival is a major annual French scientific culture event held in France and around the world. It aims to promote science and encourage the general public to engage in discussions about scientific topics. This year, in line with the theme of “Intelligence(s)”, the Science Promotion Unit of the Hong Kong Science Museum and the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau will collaborate to present a series of feature programmes at the Hong Kong Science Museum from 3 to 13 October. These programmes will include an inaugural conference, an exhibition titled “Intelligences - Different by Nature”, workshops on “Emotional Intelligence”, a talk on “Language & Intelligence” and a film screening of “Our Intelligence Unveiled”. The exhibition will be extended until 29 October.

For a complete list of exciting events, please visit the website of the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau!

“Intelligences - Different by Nature” Exhibition

Intelligence was once considered an exclusively human attribute. Today, scientific research reveals a far broader concept: the ability to learn, memorise, communicate, solve problems, make decisions, innovate, and adapt. This understanding now encompasses a wide array of entities, from bacteria and plants to animals and even artificial intelligence.

This exhibition takes audiences on a journey through this vast spectrum of intelligence. Begin with the simplest forms of life: discover how single-celled organisms adapt and navigate, how plants sense and respond to their environment, and how insects demonstrate coordination and collective intelligence. The journey then continues through more complex animals and concludes with an exploration of human and artificial intelligence.

Featured alongside is a special collection of animal specimens, and intricate insect and bird nests, kindly provided by the Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum. Visitors can explore the diverse strategies animals use to survive and admire their marvellous skills in building elaborate homes.

This exhibition challenges the boundaries between species and forms, and inspires visitors to rethink the nature and diversity of intelligence.

Exhibition Period: 3 – 29.10.2025
Opening Hours:
10:00 am – 7:00 pm for Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays
10:00 am – 9:00 pm for Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays
Venue: 3/F Exhibition Hall, Hong Kong Science Museum
Suitable for: Public
Fee: Free admission for museum visitors, full-time students and holders of valid Museum Pass

Inaugural Conference "Intelligence of the Living – Animal Behaviour"

How do animals perceive their environment, make decisions or cooperate with each other? Do different species have different forms of intelligence?

This inaugural conference marks the beginning of the French Science Festival in Hong Kong. This conference features two ambassadors of the French Science Festival 2025 – Professor Guénard, a specialist in insect societies and behavioural ecology at the University of Hong Kong, and Professor Yung, an expert in animal cognition from the City University of Hong Kong. Together, they will explore intelligence in different life forms from a cross-disciplinary perspective, inviting us to reconsider our relationship with other species. The discussion will be moderated by Professor Coupé, a researcher in bioacoustics and language sciences at the University of Hong Kong.

Speakers:
Prof. Benoit Guénard (Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong)
Prof. Wing Ho Yung (Chair Professor, Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong)

Moderator:
Prof. Christophe Coupé (Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, The University of Hong Kong)

Date: 3.10.2025 (Fri)
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 pm (Inaugural Conference), 7:30 – 8:00 pm (Cocktail*)
Venue: Lecture Hall, 1/F, Hong Kong Science Museum
Suitable for: Public
Language: English
Capacity: 270
Fee: Free
Enrolment method: On-line registration on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for registration

*Cocktail reception by invitation only

“Emotional Intelligence” Workshop

Emotional intelligence is becoming an essential skill for interacting with others and building solid interpersonal relationships. Cultivated from an early age, emotional intelligence becomes a powerful differentiating asset, as valuable in a school or professional environment as it is at home. This workshop offers separate sessions for children and adults, allowing participants to explore and learn about emotional intelligence from different perspectives.

Children's session: Aged 8 – 12, developing empathy and self-confidence through playful activities
Capacity: 15

Adult’s session: Aged 18 or above, exploring self-awareness and self-regulation to make balanced decisions
Capacity: 22

Speaker: Cécile Lammer (Chief Executive Officer and founder, Ceicia)
Date: 4.10.2025 (Sat)
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 noon (Children's session), 2:00 – 3:00 pm (Adult’s session)
Venue: Classroom, G/F, Hong Kong Science Museum
Language: English
Fee: Free
Enrolment method: Online registration on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here to register Children's session and click here to register Adult’s session

“Language & Intelligence” Seminar

This seminar will explore emerging forms of intelligence across biological and social systems in both humans and animals. Professor Coupé will present a broader vision of intelligence, challenging the conventional definition of it as a mere capacity for calculation or adaptation.

He advocates for a combined methodological approach in cognitive science, one that integrates quantitative data with first-person, subjective perspectives. A key example is his use of micro-phenomenological interviewing to study the relationships between carers and patients in healthcare settings. Through this synthesis, he redefines intelligence as a situated, contextual, and relational experience that unfolds through interaction.

This work provides a unique perspective on how living beings make sense of their world, learn, cooperate, and evolve together. It is an approach that profoundly enriches our understanding of intelligence at the intersection of science, technology, and human experience.

Speaker:
Prof. Christophe Coupé (Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, The University of Hong Kong)

Date: 8.10.2025 (Wed)
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Venue: Classroom, G/F, Hong Kong Science Museum
Suitable for: Public
Language: English
Capacity: 70
Fee: Free
Enrolment method: On-line registration on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for registration

Film Screening of "Our Intelligence Unveiled"

Synopsis

"Our Intelligence Unveiled" is a 2016 French documentary film that explores the decline in IQ scores and questions whether intelligence is fully explained by genetics or environment. Through scientific research and cutting-edge experiments, including enhancing mice with human brain cells, the film investigates the nature of intelligence and the factors that influence it. (Duration: around 58 minutes)

Date: 12.10.2025 (Sun)
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Venue: Lecture Hall, 1/F, Hong Kong Science Museum
Suitable for: Public
Language: English narration with English subtitles
Capacity: 270
Fee: Free
Enrolment method: On-line registration on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for registration