The event brought together 33,000 people in Zaragoza and 303 researchers to bring science closer to the public.
At Ibercivis, we presented initiatives such as the Lost at Night project on light pollution and handed out 140 kits from the AmIAire2 project, which monitors air quality.
On 25 and 26 September, we took part in the European Researchers’ Night 2026 with a stand of our own at the Foundation. The event drew around 33,000 people who enjoyed the outreach programme in Plaza del Pilar in Zaragoza. At the same time, more than 300 researchers offered activities at their research centres.
At Fundación Ibercivis, we set up a space focused on citizen participation in scientific projects. Throughout the day, we welcomed a large number of people interested in learning about and trying out the Lost at Night app, which focuses on the analysis and mapping of light pollution using satellite imagery. Lost at Night originated in the European project Plan-B and is available to anyone who wants to contribute to scientific research from home.
The activity at our stand also helped to raise awareness of other ongoing projects. Among them, AmIAire2 stands out: an initiative led by the University of Deusto, in which we collaborate from Ibercivis, to map air pollution in Spain. Thanks to the interest shown by attendees in measuring the air in their surroundings, we handed out 140 air quality measurement kits to individuals and to teachers at educational centres.
We also gave information on the development and future participation in projects such as LIFE-Nitrazens, coordinated by the University of Burgos, in which Ibercivis is a partner and is responsible for communication, to measure the concentration of nitrates in water, and Plan-B, with campaigns to measure light pollution. We also presented the platforms of the Citizen Science Observatory in Spain and Geonity as tools for joining and promoting participatory projects.
At Ibercivis, we would like to thank the organisers of the European Researchers’ Night for the invitation to take part. Events like this allow us to make the Foundation and citizen science known across different fields and audiences.