Brain Awareness Week, 9-13 marzo 2026

20 de February de 2026

More than 2,000 school students will visit the Brain Awareness Week of the Institute for Neurosciences UMH-CSIC

• On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons, Brain Awareness Week will open its doors to the general public from 5 to 7 p.m.

 

To bring the importance of basic neuroscience research closer to the general public, the Institute of Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), will hold Brain Awareness Week from 9 to 13 March. The programme will feature exhibitions, short outreach talks, educational workshops, and a round table discussion on the challenges of longevity and the role of science in an increasingly longer life.

The IN has organized a series of open days that will take place throughout the week at the Francisco Javier Balmis building, located on the UMH Sant Joan d’Alacant campus. More than 2,000 students from 62 schools across the Valencian Community will visit the campus to learn first-hand about brain and central nervous system research carried out at the IN through the many stands that make up the exhibition. Admission for the general public is free and will take place from Tuesday to Thursday, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Throughout the week, IN researchers and technical staff will run several educational workshops: Animal models in research, Sensory illusions, Human electrophysiology, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Histology and new techniques for studying neural circuits, Human neuroanatomy, Virtual reality applied to Human Anatomy, and Women and Neuroscience. In addition, every morning, several researchers will give short outreach talks on different topics related to neuroscience, such as genetic engineering applied to new therapies, memory and emotions, sleep, how neurons work, and the effects of drugs on the brain. Other topics will include neurodevelopment, research on diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and how the environment can influence genes and memory.

“We have designed a programme that the public can fully enjoy, improving and expanding some of the activities we already offered in previous years”, says Juan Antonio Sánchez Alcañiz, coordinator of the initiative. One of the main new features of this edition will be the strengthening of activities focused on electrophysiology, which will allow visitors to discover how the brain generates electrical signals that control movement and to explore technologies such as prosthetics and brain–computer interfaces through interactive demonstrations.

In addition, this edition of Brain Awareness Week will feature four exhibitions that visitors will be able to explore alongside the other activities. The first is the art exhibition “IN Scientific Photography”, which brings together high-resolution prints showcasing the different research lines carried out at this centre of research excellence. Visitors will also be able to see the exhibition #HicieronHistoria, part of the UMH BEATRICS project. The exhibition consists of a series of totems, available in Spanish, Valencian, and English, highlighting the scientific and technological achievements of several women from different fields and historical periods.

These will be joined by Human Brain Photo Expo, a photographic exhibition by the UMH Department of Histology and Anatomy dedicated to the human central nervous system. Finally, the programme will include 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 Pintores con la Boca y con el Pie. The artwork will be officially inaugurated on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. during an institutional event featuring speeches by the UMH Vice-Rector for Planning and Social Responsibility, Domingo Orozco, and the IN Deputy Director, Santiago Canals, among other authorities.

In addition, the Brain and Society series will once again take place, with the support of the Remedios Caro Almela Chair of Neurobiology. As part of this series, the round table discussion ‘The Challenge of Longevity: Science and the Mind in an Age of Longer Lives’ will be held on 12 March at 7 p.m. at Club Información in Alicante. The event will feature Ángela Nieto, CSIC Research Professor at the Institute for Neurosciences; Domingo Orozco, Professor of Medicine at UMH and UMH Vice-Rector for Planning and Social Responsibility; Silvia De Santis, CSIC Staff Scientist; and José Vicente Sánchez Mut, CSIC Staff Scientist. The session will be moderated by Jesús Mula Grau, professor in the UMH Journalism Area, and admission will be free until full capacity is reached.

“During this Brain Awareness Week, visitors will be able to explore the mysteries of the brain engagingly and interactively, thanks to a comprehensive programme designed for all ages and the enthusiasm of more than 140 volunteers who make each edition possible” explains Juana Gallar, director of the UMH-CSIC Institute for Neurosciences. She adds that the initiative aims to “spark scientific curiosity in younger generations and encourage them to engage with research, contributing to progress in a field that is crucial for society”.

Brain Awareness Week is supported by the Vice-Rectorates for Research, Students, and Planning and Social Responsibility of Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH); the UMH Remedios Caro Almela Chair of Neurobiology; 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/

Full programme available in the attached document.

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