This Friday marks a new edition of the European Researchers’ Night, an international event held simultaneously in hundreds of European cities to bring science closer to citizens and showcase its impact on daily life in an engaging, participatory, and entertaining way.
In Cantabria, the Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL) will play a key role with several initiatives that will allow the public to discover firsthand some of its most innovative research lines applied to the field of health.
Among them, the workshop led by the Neuropsychology group will stand out, inviting attendees to experience how the brain works through interactive games and live demonstrations. With exercises on memory, attention, motor skills, and language, the workshop will show how science studies the mental processes that allow us to learn, communicate, and interact, as well as their relevance in detecting alterations linked to diseases or aging.
The Obstructive Pathology group will also take part, presenting research on diseases such as asthma and COPD, with a focus on identifying which patients can benefit from new biological treatments — a major step towards personalized medicine.
In addition, the Photonics Engineering group will showcase technological innovations with medical applications, while the Health Economics group will highlight research on the efficiency of healthcare resource management and the impact of health policies on society.
The event will also feature the Cohorte Cantabria, a project promoted by IDIVAL and the Cantabrian Health Service. It is one of the largest population-based research initiatives in Spain, already involving nearly 50,000 volunteers. This unique source of clinical, genetic, and lifestyle data supports progress in the prevention and treatment of prevalent diseases. During the event, the project will be explained, and attendees will have the opportunity to join as volunteers.
Meanwhile, the Blood Bank and the Brotherhood of Donors of Cantabria will use the occasion to raise awareness of the importance of donating blood, plasma, and bone marrow—especially among young people—and encourage new donors to participate.
With this involvement, IDIVAL strengthens its commitment to scientific outreach, knowledge transfer, and the promotion of biomedical research in the service of society, bringing science closer to citizens in a practical and participatory way.
