The Institute will bring biomedical research closer to the public through three initiatives focused on population research, precision medicine and neuropsychology
The 14th European Researchers’ Night will take place in Santander on 25 September, an initiative promoted by the European Union that brings science closer to the public each year through demonstrations, experiments and hands-on workshops. The event is organised by the University of Cantabria (UC), with the main event taking place at Plaza Alfonso XIII from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. and featuring activities for all audiences.
The Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL) is once again joining this celebration with its own stand, where three initiatives linked to the Institute will offer an accessible and interactive insight into how health research contributes to a better understanding of diseases, improves prevention and advances towards more personalised healthcare.
One of the initiatives will be the Cohorte Cantabria, a project promoted by IDIVAL and the Cantabrian Health Service (SCS) that already has more than 51,000 volunteers. This population research initiative provides a unique source of information integrating clinical, genetic and lifestyle-related data, with the aim of advancing disease prevention and treatment.
Throughout the event, the Cohorte Cantabria team will explain to the public what the project involves, how these data are used for research and the importance of public participation in health research.
The Research Group in Anatomical Pathology and Molecular Pathology, which shares researchers with the Translational Medicine Research Group at the University of Cantabria, will introduce visitors to the microscopic study of diseases and its role in precision medicine.
Through a range of activities, researchers will show how tissue analysis provides essential information for understanding diseases and selecting increasingly appropriate and personalised treatments. The initiative will also include activities for children, who will be able to explore the microscopic and molecular world and discover how researchers observe and study tissues in real-world settings.
Meanwhile, the Mental Diseases Research Group will offer the activity “Understand how the brain works through neuropsychology and skill-based games”, designed to allow participants to experience first-hand some of the processes studied by neuropsychology.
Memory, attention, executive functions, social cognition and motor skills are abilities that we use constantly in our daily lives and which may seem like abstract concepts. Through games and short versions of classic neuropsychological tests, participants will be able to see how these functions are assessed and discover that apparently simple activities involve complex brain mechanisms.
The activity will also provide an opportunity to explain the boundaries and overlaps between different cognitive functions and to bring neuropsychological research and its applications in areas such as health, education and ageing closer to the public.
In addition, two other IDIVAL research groups, which carry out their research activities at the University of Cantabria, will take part in the European Researchers’ Night through different stands included in the UC programme.
The Photonic Engineering Research Group will introduce visitors to the applications of light and optical fibre through demonstrations and hands-on activities. Visitors will be able to experiment with optical phenomena such as light polarisation and discover some of their applications in technologies used in everyday life.
For its part, the Health Economics Research Group will participate with outreach activities designed to show, in an accessible and interactive way, how health economics helps us understand issues such as the costs associated with chronic diseases and the impact of healthcare investments.
Through its participation in the European Researchers’ Night, both with its own stand and through the presence of research groups linked to the University of Cantabria, IDIVAL contributes to bringing biomedical research and its applications closer to society and to showing, in a practical and accessible way, how scientific knowledge can contribute to improving health and quality of life.
The European Researchers’ Night is a pan-European event held simultaneously in more than 460 cities across 25 countries, with the aim of bringing science closer to society and, in particular, encouraging young people’s interest in scientific research.
Photo: Researchers participating in the 2025 event
