More than 2,500 people attended the Brain Awareness Week at the Institute for Neurosciences UMH-CSIC

16 de March de 2026

• This edition of Brain Awareness Week was a great success thanks to the involvement of more than 140 volunteers

Group photo of the volunteers and organizers of Brain Awareness Week 2026.

Once again, the Institute for Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), celebrated Brain Awareness Week with the aim of bringing the importance of basic research in neuroscience closer to the general public. From March 9 to 13, the Francisco Javier Balmis building on the UMH Sant Joan d’Alacant campus became the main venue for these open days, during which IN researchers brought the science carried out in their laboratories to visitors through an extensive program of exhibitions, short outreach talks, and educational workshops.

Throughout the week, more than 2,000 students from 62 schools across the Valencian Community visited the campus to learn first-hand about research on the brain and the Central Nervous System conducted at the IN through the many stands included in the program and the various short outreach talks held each day. In addition to the scheduled visits for schools, three afternoon sessions open to the general public were also organized, all of which were fully booked until closing time.

This edition was a success thanks to the participation of more than 140 volunteers. Among them were researchers, technical staff, and PhD students, who led educational workshops on topics such as animal models in research, sensory illusions, brain anatomy, virtual reality applied to neuroanatomy, and the mysteries hidden in our DNA, among many others. In addition, every morning featured short outreach talks on different topics related to neuroscience, including genetic engineering applied to new therapies, memory and emotions, sleep, how neurons work, and the effects of drugs on the brain. Other topics addressed included neurodevelopment, research on diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and how the environment can influence genes and memory.

In addition, this year’s Brain Awareness Week featured four exhibitions that could be visited alongside the rest of the activities. The first was the artistic exhibition ‘Scientific Photography #SciencePhoto_IN’, composed of high-resolution prints representing the different research lines developed at this center of research excellence. Visitors could also explore the exhibition #HicieronHistoria, part of the UMH BEATRICS project, consisting of a series of totems available in Spanish, Valencian, and English that highlight the scientific and technical milestones achieved by several women from different fields and historical periods.

Another exhibition, ‘Human Brain Photo Expo’, presented a photographic showcase by the UMH Department of Histology and Anatomy dedicated to the human central nervous system. Finally, the program included the presentation of the artwork ‘Two Hemispheres, Infinite Possibilities’, an artistic panel depicting a top view of the two human cerebral hemispheres, created by the artist Lorenzo Higueras, a scholarship holder of the Madrid-based Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. The work was officially inaugurated on Tuesday during an institutional event attended by José Manuel Ramos Rincón, Coordinator of the Innovation Area at Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), and the IN’s Deputy Director, Santiago Canals, among other authorities.

From left to right: Santiago Canals, Deputy Director of the IN UMH-CSIC; José Manuel Ramos Rincón, Coordinator of the UMH Innovation Area; Lorenzo Higueras, author of the artwork; and Juan Antonio Sánchez Alcañiz, coordinator of Brain Awareness Week

In addition, the Brain and Society series was held once again with the support of the Remedios Caro Almela Chair of Neurobiology. Within this framework, the round table “The Challenge of Longevity: Science and Mind in the Face of a Longer Life” took place on March 12 at the Club Información in Alicante. The event featured Ángela Nieto, CSIC Research Professor at the IN; CSIC Research Scientists Silvia De Santis and José Vicente Sánchez Mut, also at the IN; and Domingo Orozco, Professor of Medicine at UMH and Vice-Rector for Planning and Social Responsibility. The session was moderated by Jesús Mula Grau, Professor in the Journalism Area at UMH.

From left to right: Jesús Mula Grau, José Vicente Sánchez Mut, Ángela Nieto, Juana Gallar, Domingo Orozco, and Silvia De Santis.

Brain Awareness Week is an initiative organized with the collaboration of the Vice-Rectorates for Research, Students, and Planning and Social Responsibility at Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH); the Remedios Caro Almela Chair of Neurobiology at UMH; the Dana Foundation; the companies QUIMA S.L. and Leica Microsystems; the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS); and the European University of Brain and Technology (NeurotechEU).

More information: https://semanadelcerebroin.umh.es/

Source: Institute for Neurosciences UMH-CSIC (in.comunicacion@umh.es)