Some 15,000 people get to know the most human side of science at the European Researchers Night in Granada
The streets of the city are filled with science with more than 300 activities in the edition that has meant a complete return to in-person attendance.
This Friday, some 15,000 people got to know the most human side of science up close at the European Researchers' Night, which held its eleventh edition in Granada along with 400 other European cities. The Paseo del Salón has been filled with people of all ages visiting the more than 20 stands installed this year and demonstrating that there was a desire to return to in-person presence like before the pandemic.
Not only has the participation data improved compared to previous years, but so has the involvement of the scientific community: more than 500 researchers have spent the afternoon demonstrating what application their research has in daily life and how their work improves society in which we live. In total, some 300 scheduled activities have addressed topics as diverse as artificial intelligence, criminology, Arabic calligraphy, bacteria, cosmetics or composting, with talks, workshops, experiments and other recreational activities in which science is the protagonist.
The mayor of Granada, Francisco Cuenca, was present at the official opening of the European Researchers' Night; the rector of the University of Granada, Pilar Aranda; the delegate of University, Research and Innovation of the Government of Andalusia in Granada, María José Martín; the vice director of the López-Neyra Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine (IPBLN), Elena González, representing the CSIC, and Verónica Ramos, researcher at GENYO, representing the Progreso y Salud Foundation.
Activities for schools
The activities of the European Researchers' Night began this morning with the reception of some 400 schoolchildren from educational centers throughout the province to participate in workshops and educational activities at the different stands located on the Paseo del Salón. The actions with educational centers will extend throughout the entire school year thanks to one of this year's novelties: 'Night in the classrooms', which in the case of Granada has more than 20 scheduled activities.
The actions held at street level throughout the day have been complemented with a program of guided tours of the capital, which have served to publicize, for example, the fossils of the city of Granada, the scientific collections of the Department of Zoology from the Faculty of Sciences or take a geodidactic route through the monuments of the capital.
The day ended with a free show called 'Flamenco Night', by Irene Rueda and her flamenco group, on the stage installed on the Paseo del Salón.
In Granada, the European Researchers' Night is organized by the University of Granada, the four CSIC centers that participate in this project (Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, School of Arab Studies, Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine López Neyra and Estación Experimental del Zaidín) and the Progreso y Salud Public Foundation (through Biobanco and Genyo), with the support of the Granada City Council. The Andalusian School of Public Health, the Health Technology Park, the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (ibs.Granada), the Caja Granada Foundation, the European Documentation Center of the UGR, and the Provincial Council of Granada also participate in the Night. , Covirán and FIDESOL.
Promoters of the activity
The European Researchers' Night is a scientific dissemination project promoted by the European Commission within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions of the Horizon Europe program, coordinated in Andalusia by the Discover Foundation with funding from the Department of University, Research and Innovation.
The consortium is made up of the Universities of Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga, Pablo de Olavide and Seville, eight centers of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), the IMGEMA-Royal Botanical Garden of Córdoba and the Public Foundation Progress and Health through Genyo and the Health System Biobank.
At the same time, Radio Television of Andalusia, the Andalusian Knowledge Agency and the Andalusian Institute for Agricultural, Fisheries, Food and Ecological Production Research and Training (IFAPA) are strategic partners of the project and collaborate closely in its development.