The Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) will celebrate the upcoming Sunday, February 15, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the 2nd edition of the Women and Girls in Science Festival at the Panoramic Area of Tibidabo Amusement Park. The event is part of the educational and outreach project Mariona Investigadora and is organized on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The aim is to foster scientific vocations from an early age and highlight the role of women in research and medicine. To take part in the scientific workshops, prior registration will be required through the event website: https://www.santpau.cat/es/web/public/mariona-investigadora.
The festival is conceived as an open space for families, girls, boys, and young people, where science is presented in an approachable, participatory way and adapted to all ages. Throughout the day, more than fifteen outreach activities will be offered, including scientific workshops, information spaces, screenings, and recreational proposals, led by professionals from IR Sant Pau and volunteers. These activities will bring biomedical research and health closer to the public from a playful and educational perspective, with a gender-sensitive approach.
During the event, attendees will be able to take part in scientific workshops designed to spark curiosity and interest in research through simple experiments and hands-on experiences guided by research and healthcare professionals. The activities will address, in an age-appropriate way, topics related to how the human body works, blood and the circulatory system, the brain, the heart, breathing, digestion, genetics, and DNA. There will also be aspects linked to first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the relationship between sex, gender, and medicines.
These activities will help participants better understand how health research is carried out and the role science plays in disease prevention and in improving quality of life. The program is complemented by outreach spaces and cultural activities in which women researchers from Sant Pau will share their professional and personal experiences. They will offer real and relatable female role models that help break down stereotypes and show science as an accessible future career option.
In addition, the event features recreational and educational activities designed to be enjoyed as a family, with games, visual materials, and educational resources that make scientific concepts easier to understand in an intuitive way. The entire approach reflects the philosophy of the Mariona investigadora project, which is based on active learning, play, and participation as tools to spark an interest in science from an early age.
As part of the Mariona investigadora project, the event also includes a dynamic link to the route carried out throughout the year at different locations across the city. The project has proposed several educational missions both at Tibidabo Amusement Park and at the Barcelona Zoo. Children who have completed the first three missions and kept the corresponding wristbands will be able to exchange them during the festival for a gift. To receive the gift, it will be essential to wear the wristbands as proof of having completed the previous missions.
The Mariona investigadora project is an educational and outreach initiative developed by IR Sant Pau. Mariona is a character that represents an eight-year-old girl with a passion for science and medicine, created to inspire girls, boys, and young people to explore the world of scientific research. It is around this age—eight years old—that girls often begin to lose interest in science, due both to persistent stereotypes and a lack of role models, a reality this project seeks to help reverse.
Through a series of missions and challenges designed to take place at Tibidabo Amusement Park and at the Barcelona Zoo, Mariona encourages children to discover the secrets of the human body. They take part in scientific experiments and learn about the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle.
The project also highlights the role of women in science by showcasing real-life examples of women researchers who share their professional and personal experiences, with the goal of promoting gender equality in this field.
IR Sant Pau continuously promotes dialogue with society, in line with its Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) plan and its objectives in Scientific Education and Citizen Participation. As a CERCA center and as a Unit for Scientific and Innovation Culture accredited by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), its commitment to bringing research closer to society is firm. As the only Catalan research institute with a cross-cutting gender research program, IR Sant Pau acts as a spokesperson for the latest scientific advances and highlights the importance of research with a gender perspective. It also highlights the role of women in research and in shaping the future of science.
For its part, Tibidabo Amusement Park, known for its dedication to educational and socially oriented projects, collaborates with a range of organizations to raise the visibility of initiatives with a strong social impact. In this context, the park provides an ideal setting to introduce families to the work carried out by IR Sant Pau.
Last update: 03 de February de 2026
