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| Festival Internacional de Ciencia | |
|---|---|
| Name | Festival Internacional de Ciencia |
| Native name | Festival Internacional de Ciencia |
| Location | Various cities |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Founded | 2000s |
| Organizers | Scientific institutions, cultural foundations |
Festival Internacional de Ciencia is an international science festival that brings together researchers, institutions, and publics across multiple cities and countries. The festival convenes laboratories, museums, universities, and foundations to present exhibitions, lectures, and workshops that intersect with cultural festivals, international conferences, and public events. It draws partnerships with museums, academies, broadcasting networks, and foundations to translate research into exhibitions, performances, and outreach.
The festival emerged from collaborations among institutions such as the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Royal Institution, Max Planck Society, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, and European Commission initiatives in the early 21st century. Early editions were influenced by models developed by Cheltenham Science Festival, World Science Festival, Cambridge Festival, and Festival della Scienza and engaged networks including the European Research Council, Wellcome Trust, and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Founding partners included municipal cultural offices, national academies such as the Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, and research centres like CSIC and the National Research Council (Italy). Subsequent editions expanded via bilateral links with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, British Science Association, Korean Institute of Science and Technology, and Japan Science and Technology Agency.
The festival’s objectives align with mandates of bodies such as the UNESCO, World Health Organization, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to increase scientific literacy and civic engagement. Thematically, editions have focused on topics promoted by the European Green Deal, Sustainable Development Goals, Horizon 2020, and priorities of agencies like the National Institutes of Health, European Space Agency, and CERN. Curated themes have referenced works and events such as the Human Genome Project, Apollo program, CRISPR-Cas9 breakthroughs, and dialogues around ethical frameworks from institutions like the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and Royal Society.
Organisers include consortia of universities such as University of Oxford, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, University of Cambridge, and Université PSL, alongside research institutes like the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, CNRS, Fraunhofer Society, and ENEA. Leadership teams have brought together directors and curators with backgrounds from the British Council, Goethe-Institut, Instituto Cervantes, and major museums including the Natural History Museum, London and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. Funding and governance are negotiated with funders such as the European Commission, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates Cambridge Trust, and municipal cultural departments exemplified by the Ayuntamiento de Madrid.
Programme formats mirror those used by TED, SXSW, and Hay Festival with keynote lectures, panel debates, hands‑on workshops, exhibitions, and science theatre that reference productions staged at the Royal Albert Hall or touring via the British Council. Activities have featured satellite events in partnership with broadcasters like the BBC, Deutsche Welle, NHK, and Radio France, and incorporated digital platforms used by Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy for online learning. Curated strands have included collaborations with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, V&A, Science Museum, London, and laboratories such as Salk Institute and Broad Institute for lab tours, maker spaces, citizen science projects inspired by initiatives like Zooniverse and art–science residencies reminiscent of Arts Catalyst.
Speakers and participants have included researchers affiliated to Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, NASA, European Southern Observatory, Institut Pasteur, and MIT, as well as communicators from Nature (journal), Science (journal), The Lancet, and presenters associated with Popular Science and Scientific American. Audience composition spans school groups linked to ministries such as the Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional, university students from Universidad de Buenos Aires and Universidade de São Paulo, industry delegates from firms like Siemens, IBM, Pfizer, and civil society organisations including Amnesty International and Greenpeace. International delegations have arrived via cultural attachés of embassies from France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, and Japan.
Editions have been hosted in venues ranging from city cultural hubs like Palacio de Congresos de Madrid and Centre Pompidou to university campuses such as University of Barcelona, University of Edinburgh, and scientific parks like Parc Científic de Barcelona and Cambridge Science Park. Touring and satellite editions have appeared at festivals including Feria del Libro de Madrid, Biennale di Venezia, Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival, and science weeks coordinated with European Researchers' Night. Special edition sites have included observatories like Gran Telescopio Canarias, marine stations such as the Instituto Español de Oceanografía, and botanical gardens like the Real Jardín Botánico.
The festival’s impact has been measured by collaborations with metric-producing entities such as Scimago Institutions Rankings and citation networks indexed by Web of Science and Scopus, as well as evaluation frameworks from UNESCO and evaluators like RAND Corporation. Outreach initiatives have generated school curricula adopted by education authorities including Consejería de Educación and professional development tied to associations like the European Science Education Research Association. Long-term effects include spin‑off programmes with research parks such as Tecnópolis, incubation relationships with innovation hubs like Startup Chile and Station F, and cross-sector policy dialogues involving entities such as the European Parliament, OECD, and World Bank.
Category:Science festivals