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The CNIO is joining the eighth edition of this European Union initiative
Madrid is offering more than 40 activities and will be one of 340 European cities hosting this event
The Centre will open its doors on Friday, September 29, from 17:00 to 23:00
Tomato, salt, pineapple juice, dishwasher liquid, ethanol… These are the ingredients that will be used by 250 people who will be attending the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) on Friday to participate in The European Researchers’ Night. This year, the Centre’s 60 volunteer scientists will teach them how to extract DNA from any living being.
It is “an extremely positive initiative because, even if it is only for one day, you open research centres so that society can become aware of and appreciate the importance of scientific and technological knowledge as a driving force for development and an essential factor in improving the welfare of a community,” says Jorge Martinez Torrecuadrada, from the Crystallography and Protein Engineering Unit and supervisor of the event at the CNIO this year.
The commitment to disseminating our activities, raising awareness about science, and promoting scientific culture are some of the core values of the CNIO and its researchers. The Centre is one of the institutions participating in the eighth edition of European Researchers’ Night, which is being held in 340 European cities as part of the European Union Horizon 2020 Programme.
In addition to the star activity, in which we shall learn how to extract DNA from a tomato, the people visiting us on Friday will have the chance to learn what we do at the CNIO, how we work and who our researchers are. They will also have the chance to speak to them personally during the experiment and, later, at a speed dating event with our record number of volunteers (more than 60).
“It is very important for people to meet the researchers because there is usually a perception that they are remote and inaccessible people and, with these initiatives, we can prove this is not the case and that a person with vocation, effort and perseverance can become a good scientist,” explains Martínez Torrecuadrada.
This event is part of the CNIO’s science outreach strategy, mainly channelled through the Dean’s Office, the WISE Office (Women in Science Office) and the CNIO & the city project.
The European Researchers’ Night is being promoted by the Department of Education, Youth, and Sport in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, and is being coordinated by the Fundación madri+d. The project is funded by the EU Framework Programme for Research & Innovation, Horizon 2020 – Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions – under grant agreement number 721631.