The UdL is organizing about 50 activities for European Research Night

Experimenting with molecular encapsulation, preparing edible bio-inks, experiencing firsthand the physical limitations associated with aging through a simulation suit, and learning about the mathematics behind spatial origami are just some of the activities on offer at the upcoming European Research Night at Ponent. The University of Lleida (UdL) has organized a program featuring some fifty workshops, tours, and talks in collaboration with IRBLleida, Agrotecnio, and the Catalan Center for Forest Science and Technology (CTFC) in Solsona.

Through the GREiA research group and the Unit for Scientific Culture and Innovation (UCC+I), the UdL is coordinating the free activities taking place on various campuses: Cappont, Health Sciences, the Rector's Office, and the Agri-Food, Forestry, and Veterinary campuses. Most of these events will take place on October 2. To participate, all you need to do is register in advance.

The programme for this year includes a wide variety of workshops. In the specific case of IRBLleida, 18 workshops, five public outreach talks and several guided tours have been scheduled. However, most of the activities will take place on Friday, 2 October, between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm. To take part in any of the activities, prior registration is required through the website nitdelarecerca.irblleida.org.

The programme will begin on 30 September with two talks open to the public. The first, Your Arteries Speak: How the Health Bus Gets Ahead of Heart Attacks, Stroke and Silent Diseases, will be delivered by IRBLleida researcher and Universitat de Lleida (UdL) professor Marcelino Bermúdez. Afterwards, IRBLleida researcher and UdL professor Tània Cermeli will give the talk Talking About Cancer: Why the Best Prescriptions Do Not Include Medicines.

Activities will continue on 30 September and 1 October with guided tours of the IRBLleida facilities at different times throughout the day. This initiative will allow participants to gain first-hand insight into the laboratories and discover the research activity carried out at the centre.

As part of the programme of public outreach talks, on 1 October, IRBLleida researchers Ivette Tasies and Alberto Martínez will explain how scientific advances are translated into clinical practice through the talk From the Laboratory to the Hospital: How We Research Stroke. The day will conclude with the presentation of the Science on the Road programme, led by IRBLleida researchers and UdL professors Sara Salvany and Sílvia Gras, who will explain how this initiative brings biomedical research closer to rural municipalities in the Lleida region and helps make science more accessible to all citizens.

Friday, 2 October will feature most of the activities of the Researchers' Night, with a wide range of simultaneous workshops designed for audiences of all ages. Attendees will be able to learn first-hand about the work of the IRBLleida Biobank, explore the relationship between science and art, discover how the lungs work, learn about the importance of sleep for health, and understand how the human brain is structured, among many other activities.

Astronomy will also play a prominent role in the programme with the workshop Discover the Planetarium, an immersive experience that will allow participants to travel around planet Earth and observe it from a different perspective. In addition, a solar telescope observation session guided by experts will take place in the gardens of the Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital (HUAV), enabling participants to discover some of the Sun's most remarkable phenomena. Furthermore, Joan Oró i Trilla will deliver the talk Why Should Everyone Know About Joan Oró?, dedicated to sharing the scientific legacy of one of the most outstanding figures in Catalan science.

The European Researchers' Night is held every year in more than 300 cities across 30 European countries with the aim of bringing research and innovation closer to the public and highlighting the people who make them possible. This year, the European event will take place on 25 September, but in Lleida the activities have been scheduled one week later to avoid coinciding with the city's annual festival. The initiative invites the public to discover, in an engaging and participatory way, how science is part of our everyday lives and contributes to improving people's quality of life.

The 2026 edition of Researchers' Night at IRBLleida is made possible thanks to the support of the "Fundació la Caixa" and the Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT), under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. The Lleida City Council also collaborates in the organisation of the planned activities.

Text: UdL Press Office and IRBLleida