Communication & Outreach
OUTREACH EVOLUTION
SOCIAL MEDIA 2016-2025
Outreach
Pint of Science in Sabadell
A group of early-stage-researchers from DocFam+ joined forces to organize a local edition of the Pint of Science festival in Sabadell. Pint of Science is an international science outreach festival celebrated annually, aiming to bring cutting-edge research closer to the general public. After three successful days of talks, the team is likely to repeat the experience!
DocFam+ researchers bring the Pint of Science festival to Sabadell
Sabadell gives a warm welcome to The Pint of Science festival
Inauguration of the LAB TOUR 2026 project
The LAB TOUR project, a science outreach initiative aimed at bringing science closer to different communities while also fostering cultural and heritage exchange, was launched in 2025.
In 2026, over the course of one week, scientists from ICMAB-CSIC will travel across a region of Spain to share their knowledge through workshops, talks, and interactive activities for students, teachers, and the general public.
The initiative strengthens the connection between the scientific community and society while promoting more equitable access to science. It started in 2025 with outreach activities during the European Researchers’ Night (Soria) and Science Week (Barcelona).
LAB TOUR is supported by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) - Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Ruralia, and the Provincial Council of Soria.
LAB TOUR 2026: A project that combines science and culture, debuts in Soria
Great reception of ICMAB-CSIC materials science LAB TOUR in Soria during the European Researchers’ Night
Outreach talk “The Pigments of the Romanesque” for the Science Week
Second year of the MAGNET project
One of ICMAB’s flagship outreach activities for the last two years has been the MAGNET project. In 2025, the second year of the partnership between José Echegaray School and ICMAB came to an end.
The initiative brings materials science into the classroom through activities designed by school teachers for all grade levels. This year, the activities were grouped under the theme “How does nature inspire science?”
ICMAB and José Echegaray’s collaboration during the European Researchers’ Night
Second year of the MAGNET program: Bioinspiration and a consolidated relationship
Vibrating with science: 2025 MAGNET programme in Escola José Echegaray
“Quantum at ICMAB” exhibition
Another major event at ICMAB was the exhibition Quantum at ICMAB, organized to celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology at the centre.
The exhibition aimed both immerse visitors in the fascinating world of quantum science and to show its practical applications. Following an introductory timeline with the highlights in the history of quantum physics, visitors explored three sections representing quantum research at ICMAB: superconductivity, spintronics and molecular qubits.
The exhibition included explanatory panels, electron microscopy images, 3D models and interactive elements designed to help visitors better understand some key science concepts. During the exhibition period, 8 guided tours, 3 seminars, and 4 radio appearances took place.
“Quàntica i l’ICMAB” exhibition inaugurated at ICMAB to celebrate the International Year of Quantum
Molecular Qubits, Superconductors, and Spintronics: Quantum Research at ICMAB on the Radio
Visits to the “Quantum at ICMAB” exhibition
"Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling and Quantum Computation: Magnets vs Superconductors", by Eugene M. Chudnovsky
"Jane Dewey: Opportunities and difficulties of a woman scientist in the early years of quantum physics", by Adriana Minor
Video of the seminar by Víctor Canivell: "Futur de la computació quàntica i impacte en la societat"
ANUAL OUTREACH EVENTS
The ICMAB also participated in the annual outreach events, targeting different publics and interests:
- “10alamenys9” Nanoscience Festival
To join the nanoscale activities at the UAB Campus and in Catalonia, the 10alamenys9 festival has been conducted in May for a decade.
ICMAB's celebration of the "10alamenos9" Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Festival 2025
10th edition of the 10alamenos9 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology festival - also at ICMAB!
- Science Week 30th anniversary
Some of our usual outreach activities condensed in a week: school visits at ICMAB, researchers visiting schools, and various outreach talks in different venues.
Science Week 2025: ICMAB activities to celebrate its 30th anniversary
Science Week has arrived to an end at ICMAB-CSIC
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Festa de la Ciència
The biggest outreach fair in Catalonia, with activities from over 120 research centres, universities and other organizations. In 2025, the ICMAB participated with two activities: “How organic cells transform energy” and “Detective of materials”, and a microtalk by Carlos López, “Does 5G affect health? Looking for an answer in a worm”.
https://icmab.es/organic-solar-cells-the-c-elegans-and-icmabs-scientific-and-technical-services-at-festa-de-la-ciencia-2025
ANNUAL INFORMAL TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
Saló de l’Ensenyament: ICMAB researchers and the Quantum Levitating Train at Saló de l'Ensenyament 2025: Fascinating students with superconductors
Exporecerca Jove: Three ICMAB researchers collaborate with the Exporecerca Jove, inspiring the next generation of scientists
Bojos per la Física: Bojos per la Física 2025: learning about colloids and the quantum levitating train at ICMAB
Joves i Ciència: The groups Solid State Chemistry, eMolMat and Nanomol-bio host the 4 Joves i Ciència students in 2025
Argó programme, with the participation of all the ST Services at ICMAB: ICMAB hosts six students in a new edition of the Argó programme
OTHER OUTREACH EVENTS
Visits to schools framed in the 11F-8M gender equality in science programme: From February 11 to March 8: ICMAB’s commitment to gender equality in science
Participation of M. Rosa Palacín and Xavier Obradors in public events to discuss the energetic transition: ECOVIURE 2025 and Ciutat, Salut i Clima: Two events addressing the climate crisis with ICMAB researchers in Manresa
External communication
This year of 2025, we managed to increase our impact externally through our website, social networks, and media impacts, sending over 25 press releases, apart from participating in radio programmes and podcasts. We also collaborated with the Technology Transfer Unit to disseminate our technological offers.
- 31 videos for our YouTube channel with more than 108k views.
- Over 20,000 followers in our 5 social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, BlueSky and Youtube.
- 2 Telegram channels, one internal (with 200 ICMABers) and one external channel.
- 25 press releases sent with more than 157 impacts in press.
- More than 1,500 monthly users in our website and several websites created for schools, projects and workshops.
- 1 weekly newsletter with ICMAB events and 1 monthly newsletter with ICMAB most relevant news, both with over 200 subscribers.
Internal events
We organized many events for our staff internally, such as celebrations, contests, escape rooms and honorary workshops, to keep our staff communicated and involved in the center.
- Our traditional photo contest for our staff: FOTICMAB 2025.
- A couple celebrations for ICMABers: our ICMAB anniversary party and our traditional Christmas celebration!
- We posted many seminars, courses and PhD Thesis defense videos on our YouTube channel (which you can see here) and the Intranet.
- We also did many merchandising for our staff and visitors (such as a new design water bottle) so that everyone could feel part of our Institute.
Technology Transfer
In 2025 we filed 6 priority patent applications and registered 1 trade secrets covering the 3 application lines of the institutes research: sustainable energy, low-cost and efficient electronics and smart nanomedicine and health.
During 2025, the Prototype Laboratory have been involved in the development of 6 functional prototype and 1 demonstrative prototype.
In 2025, we worked on 10 spin‑off projects at different levels of maturity, and we expect some of them to materialize during 2026.
In 2025, the R+D services and agreements reached a total funding over 590,000€ and we signed 31 NDA/MTAs with different collaborators, companies and laboratories. ICMAB was grantede more than 1M € on Proof-of Concept calls.
In 2025 two researchers joined the Preaccelera entrepreneurship program from Barcelona Activa.
Three projects were showcased at the CSIC stand at the international fair Science 4 Industry, all of them focused on health‑related technologies.
Researchers from ICMAB were involved in the second edition of the Printed Electronics course leaded by Cluster MAV.
5 Groups participated in the Fira de Innovació organized by PRUAB in October. Our researchers had the opportunity to meet companies and researchers from the UAB Campus to start collaborations.
Two groups from ICMAB won in internal CSIC calls: one in the second edition of EBTon, receiving a grant of 20,000 €, and another within the IMPULSA‑T programme, obtaining 50,000 € to support their spin‑off project.
Scientific & Technical Services
Bioservice
Carborane-BODIPY dyes as promising photosensitizers for light-mediated antimicrobial strategies - ScienceDirect
Low Temperatures and Magnetometry
EXTERNAL SERVICES TO COMPANIES OR INSTITUTIONS: 35
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Crystallographic Engineering of Spin Transport in Antiferromagnetic NiO Thin Films | ACS Nano
Nanoquim Platform
EXTERNAL SERVICES TO COMPANIES OR INSTITUTIONS: 25
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Solid‐State Oxide‐Ion Synaptic Transistor for Neuromorphic Computing - Langner - 2025 - Advanced Materials - Wiley Online Library
SEM-TEM: Electron Microscope Service
EXTERNAL SERVICES TO COMPANIES OR INSTITUTIONS: 19
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Eu3Ta2ON5: an n = 2 Ruddlesden–Popper ferromagnetic oxynitride with long-range ordered anion vacancies - Dalton Transactions (RSC Publishing)
SOFT: Preparation and Characterization of Soft Materials
EXTERNAL SERVICES TO COMPANIES OR INSTITUTIONS: 195
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
ApoB100 remodeling and stiffened cholesteryl ester core raise LDL aggregation in familial hypercholesterolemia patients - ScienceDirect
SPM: Scanning Probe Microscopy Laboratory
EXTERNAL SERVICES TO COMPANIES OR INSTITUTIONS: 8
STL: Spectroscopic Techniques Laboratory
EXTERNAL SERVICES TO COMPANIES OR INSTITUTIONS: 11
Thermal Analysis Laboratory
Thin Films Laboratory
The tecniques of Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) and DC Magnetron Sputtering are available at the service of Thin Films. PLD has been extensively used, mostly for epitaxial growth of complex oxides with varied functionality as ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism, superconductivity, etc.
Complex epitaxial heterostructures combining different functional oxides have been also fabricated. The Service has also integrated epitaxial oxides with silicon wafers. Some processes have involve the use of reflection high-energy electron diffraction, either in real time or as post deposition characterization.
Sputtering has been also widely used, either for epitaxial growth of metals or for deposition of top metallic electrodes, using generally stencil masks.
