The Nit de la Recerca 2026 (Research Night 2026) in Palma will take place this Friday, 25 September, at the Moll Vell (Old Wharf), which from 18:00 will become a major space dedicated to science, with experiments, workshops, short talks, exhibitions and activities for children and families. The initiative will also take place in Menorca and Eivissa.
More than one hundred researchers will take part in the event, which forms part of the European Researchers’ Night, a European Union initiative held in more than 26 countries and 400 cities to bring scientific research closer to the public.
The opening ceremony and inaugural address will be given by Dr Amparo Lázaro, senior scientist at the Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (IMEDEA), and Dr Jeroni Galmés, professor at the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB). Photo: CAIB.
AI, physics, health and marine science experiments at the Nit de la Recerca 2026 in Palma
One of the main attractions of the Nit de la Recerca 2026 in Palma will be the Fireta Investigadora (Research Fair), bringing together workshops and experiments from the UIB, IFISC, IdISBa, IMEDEA, Centro Oceanográfico de Balears, SOCIB and IRFAP, among other institutions.
The programme will offer a hands-on introduction to research across a wide range of fields. Highlights include:
- Artificial intelligence robots capable of walking, playing and interacting, as well as mathematical challenges, neuroscience and gravitational physics.
- A double pendulum to explore chaos and the butterfly effect, as well as experiments with metronomes and complex systems.
- Activities on microplastics, ocean acidification, the seabed and marine observation technologies.
- Experiments involving biosensors, endocrine disruptors and microbiology.
- Activities focusing on marine animals, native breeds, carob trees and local almond varieties.
- Activities on the prehistory of Mallorca, Mosquito Alert and scientific collections.
Short talks on psychedelic medicine, the brain and gravitational waves
The science outreach programme in Palma will also include short talks by researchers on current issues and different areas of research.
Topics will include psychedelic medicine for mental health, gravitational waves and dark matter, the risks taken by the adolescent brain, prediabetes and brain health, Xylella fastidiosa, liver health, ocean observation and Cabrera’s underground karst wetlands, among others.
Science for children and exhibitions at the Moll Vell
Children and families will have their own space, with science storytelling sessions focusing on topics such as viruses, antibiotics, eclipses and the sea. Activities include El meu primer eclipsi (My First Eclipse), Los amigos del mar (Friends of the Sea) and SOCIB Kids: Quin/a oceanògraf/a vols ser? (SOCIB Kids: What Kind of Oceanographer Do You Want to Be?).
The Moll Vell will also host science exhibitions on the oceans, women who study the Earth and the work of female lighthouse keepers. The central esplanade will also feature Les ombres de l’Eclipsi (The Shadows of the Eclipse), an exhibition linked to the photography competition of the same name.
The Nit de la Recerca 2026 will also take place in Menorca and Eivissa
The Nit de la Recerca 2026 will be held simultaneously in Mallorca, Menorca and Eivissa. In Menorca, it will take place at the Estación de Investigación Jaume Ferrer in Maó, while in Eivissa the programme will be held at the Museo Arqueológico de Eivissa y Formentera.
The initiative forms part of the Balearic Government’s Ciència Compartida (Shared Science) science outreach project and is funded through the Sustainable Tourism Tax.
See the full programme at this link.
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