On 26 September 2025, researchers from all over Europe took part in one more European Researchers’ Night, and in this context, SPM4.0 was showcased in three different activities that presented the project and discussed the science behind it.
As every year, the European Researchers’ Night took place in the last week of September. It is a major public event that takes place simultaneously in different cities across Europe. During the event, researchers present different scientific fields and their impact on citizens’ everyday life through engaging and interactive activities. The main objective is to foster a stronger connection between the public and the research community, to stimulate interest in scientific careers and to celebrate research achievements. The event also highlights outstanding research initiatives from Europe and beyond. Every year, around 1.5 million people take part, enjoying and connecting with the world of science and research.
The first activity was carried out by Vicenzo Montanarella, SPM4.0 Doctoral Candidate at the Fundació Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron – Institut de Recerca (VHIR), in Barcelona, Spain. Together with two other predoctoral researchers from the Clinical Biochemistry, Drug Delivery and Therapy group, he was in charge of the hand-on activity titled “Mission NanoAgents: The journey of a Nanoparticle”. With this educational workshop in board game format, 25 participants could discover how nanoparticles are used in the treatment of cancer in a playful, participatory and accessible way.
In this game, each player puts himself in the skin of a nanoparticle whose mission is to attack a tumor within the human body. The route begins at the injection point and progresses to the tumor, crossing different scenarios and biological barriers such as the immune system or the blood-brain barrier. As nanoparticles move around the board by means of gold strips, participants will have to pass tests, answer questions and take on scientific challenges related to nanotechnology and biomedicine. All this encourages critical thinking, creativity and interest in science and health, in a collaborative and fun environment.
Annalisa Calo, researcher at the Nanoscale bioelectrical characterization group at IBEC, took part in the hands-on activity entitled “Smart materials for energy and future medicine”, together with the researchers Mohit Kumar and Bart Limburg from the University of Barcelona. Using simple models and experiments, they demonstrated how organic nanomaterials can address challenges in biomedicine and green energy and explained how light interacts with matter and can be used for various applications. Annalisa also showed a mock-up that simulates a probe of an Atomic Force Microscope to explain the basis of this technique and to allow the public to touch and interact with it. It was a very interesting activity in the intersection of Chemistry, Physics and Biology.
Finally, Bia Moreno, Communication Officer of the SPM4.0 project at IBEC, gave a short talk about bacterial resistance. The audience, mainly adults, could learn about bacterial resistance and biofilms, and what science is trying to do to fight against this huge global problem. Bia explained some different approaches to combat bacterial resistance, such as the use of nanoparticles and the development of new antibiotic molecules. Also she explained how SPM4.0 project can help in this field, by the study of DNA-protein interactions through AFM and Artificial Intelligence to predict interactions and better understand how they impact in the bacterial virulence.
Those inspiring activities allowed to raise societal awareness on the potential impacts of new and emerging technologies They brought society closer to SPM4.0 project while increasing their scientific culture. Undoubtedly a great and motivating experience!