The fourth edition of the IRBLleida-"la Caixa" Foundation science education programme to bring biomedical research closer to young people gets under way

For the fourth consecutive year, the Lleida region will have the IRBLleida-"la Caixa" Foundation science education programme promoted by the "la Caixa" Foundation, through CaixaBank, to bring biomedical research closer to young people. This programme was created with the aim of fostering scientific vocations and raising awareness of research in the region. In this edition, it includes the organisation of 14 scientific workshops, 6 grants for high school students to spend a stay at the IRBLleida, the organisation of the Research Night 2024 and the #SomRecerca day.

The scientific workshop 'The revolution of antibodies' has the dual aim of encouraging scientific vocations among young people aged 12 to 16 and, at the same time, to raise awareness of biomedical research for the benefit of the population. The workshop consists of a more informative part and a second part, in which the students do a practical workshop following the scientific method. This workshop is a participatory dynamic on the fight against pathogens and the different phases of the immune system, a reflective game on the importance of vaccines.

As for the grants for high school students, the programme includes a grant for 6 first-year high school students from the Lleida area to spend a month at IRBLleida and meet a research group.

Research Night 2024 will take place on Friday 20 September with a wide range of scientific workshops for all ages, and the #SomRecerca Day is a unique opportunity to learn about the role of patients in research.

Thanks to the IRBLleida-"la Caixa" Foundation science education programme, over the last three school years, more than 2,000 young people aged 12 to 16 from 13 schools in the Lleida area took part in a science workshop at IRBLleida.

Through CaixaBank's extensive network of branches, the largest in Spain, professionals can detect the most urgent and immediate needs of each territory and channel the "la Caixa" Foundation's aid aimed at responding to these needs. In 2023, almost 5,850 projects from more than 5,300 social organisations were supported.