“Micropobles i Ciència” completes its journey and looks ahead to the future of the initiative

The Micropobles i Ciència project, promoted by the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IBB-UAB) and the Association of Small Municipalities of Catalonia, has completed the activities of its first edition. The project is led by Tamara Fernández and funded by the Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR), under the IMPACT 2024 funding call. It has facilitated the establisment of links between the research community and nine Catalan municipalities (La Granadella, Brunyola, Maials, Bassella, Lluçà, Bot, El Poal, Carme i Els Torms), bringing science closer to almost 500 people and creating new opportunities for interaction between the scientific community and the public.

Throughout the project, researchers from different fields of biomedicine shared their knowledge with local residents through activities tailored to each community's context. The activities focused on three main thematic areas: cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and infectious diseases, combining science communication, hands-on workshops and participatory activities. Researchers from the IBB-UAB and collaborating staff from the UAB took part in the outreach activities at different stages of the project: Alba González, Ana Azaustre, Antonio Iborra, Cristina Flaquer, Javier García, Judith Guitart, Marlid García, Mariana Tellechea, Montserrat Solé, Núria Basanta, Sebastian Tanco, Sergi Torres and Tamara Fernández. Local councils and schools also played a key role in making the project possible.

With the activities now completed, the project is entering an evaluation phase. The team will analyse the results, assess the activities and gather feedback from participants and municipalities. This process will provide an overall picture of the experience and help identify opportunities for improvement.

The project has opened up a promising avenue for collaboration between the university and rural communities, one that deserves to be further developed. For this reason, the team behind the initiative aims to explore new opportunities to keep the project going and extend its reach. Securing funding and establishing new institutional partnerships will be among the priorities in the coming months, with the aim of continuing to create opportunities for access to scientific knowledge throughout the region.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to Júlia Lorenzo and Nerea Roher for their involvement in the conception and development of this initiative. We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the science communicators who took part in one or more of the activities organised in the various small rural villages (micropobles) across Catalonia, sharing their knowledge with these local communities.

We would also like to thank Marina Ortiz, Toñi Carrascosa, Núria Font and Joan Pancho, from the administrative and management team, for their collaboration throughout the implementation of the project, as well as the support provided by the Institute's director.

We are also grateful to the Associació de Micropobles de Catalunya, the local councils, schools, organisations and facilities that hosted the different outreach sessions and/or helped towards the organisation and dissemination of the activities. 

Finally, we would like to thank everyone who took part in the activities for their enthusiasm, curiosity and interest in science. Their participation has been key to the success of this initiative, helping to bring biomedical research closer to rural communities and foster a stronger connection between science and society.