On Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 3:30 PM, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and MIT President Sally Kornbluth will open MIT Future Fest with a “The Future Begins Here” panel at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium. Curated and produced by the MIT Museum, the inaugural five‑day festival runs from September 30 to October 4 across the MIT campus, featuring more than 70 public talks, tours, performances, installations, and open labs.
The opening panel includes Moderna co‑founder and Flagship Pioneering CEO Noubar Afeyan, MIT professor and entrepreneur Sangeeta Bhatia, and Commonwealth Fusion Systems CEO and co‑founder Bob Mumgaard, with Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley moderating. The discussion will explore how public, private, and educational institutions can collaborate to sustain talent pipelines, translate discovery into impact, and build the future.
Governor Healey said, “Massachusetts is where the future is being invented, and MIT Future Fest is a chance to showcase our leadership in technology and design to the world. From AI and robotics to clean energy and life sciences, the breakthroughs happening here are changing how we live and work. We want Massachusetts to be the place where the best minds from around the world come to study, conduct research, start companies and scale their ideas.”
MIT President Kornbluth added, “The breakthrough discoveries that shape modern life came from decades of scientists and creators asking fundamental questions about how the world works. Future Fest celebrates that same spirit of curiosity. When engineers, inventors, artists, scientists, designers and entrepreneurs come together, truly transformative innovation emerges. This festival is an invitation to join that conversation, with the conviction that the future isn’t something that happens to us—it’s something we create together.”
Full programming details are available at https://mitfuturefest.org .
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