‘Ciència en ruta’, the new outreach project by IRBLleida to bring biomedical research closer to people over 60

This 2026, the Lleida Biomedical Research Institute (IRBLleida) will launch the "Science on the Road" project to spark curiosity and interest in science among older people, a group often overlooked by science outreach, especially in rural areas. This project, which will run throughout the year, is made possible by a grant from the 2026 Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation Call for Grants on Scientific Culture in Catalan.
"With a background of cultural equity, it seeks to bring science to places it does not usually reach, making it accessible and participatory. The proposal consists of practical and scientific workshops aimed at people aged 60 and over, which will take place in community spaces such as social clubs, civic centres, libraries or health centres in various rural and semi-urban towns in the Lleida region," explained Sara Salvany, one of the two IRBLleida researchers who will lead the project. 

In total, 11 workshops will be held in the regions of the western demarcation. All the workshops are designed as interactive, playful and accessible activities, specifically designed for the elderly, with special attention to easy reading and clear communication, the use of manipulative materials and nearby examples, time for conversation and recovery of popular knowledge, adaptability for different levels of cognitive capacity or mobility and the application of principles of non-formal education and critical dissemination. 

"Through a non-formal scientific education methodology, biomedical, chemical and social knowledge will be combined with popular knowledge, generating an intergenerational dialogue between science and the life experience of older people. In this way, curiosity, understanding of everyday phenomena and the critical spirit will be encouraged, while memory, self-esteem and the sense of community are reinforced", explained the other researcher who will lead the proposal, Sílvia Gras. This proposal aims to be a transformed continuation of the IRBLleida en ruta initiative, which was very well received, and aims to demonstrate that science can be a tool for health, memory and social cohesion for all ages.

Each session will last 1.5 hours each, and will be led by a team of researchers or technicians from IRBLleida. Each session will include a different workshop, which will explore how memory and neural connections work and how the brain changes with age, with association games and multisensory stimuli; an immersion in the circulatory system to understand blood pressure, cholesterol and analytics, with circulation simulations, tension measurement and interpretation of results; or a fun approach to genetics and inheritance, with games of genetic dominance and genetic detective activities to recognize inherited traits.

This is the third IRBLleida project funded by this call from the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation. In previous calls, the proposal 'IRBLleida en ruta' was funded, a project that brought biomedical research closer to the 11 regional capitals of the region of the demarcation, and the call 'Les lleidatanes investiga' to publicize the figure of women in the scientific field. IRBLleida is aware of its responsibility by giving greater visibility to the strategic role of female scientists in our country and contributing to create female role models and benchmarks.