On Monday, 16 March, a team of researchers from the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) will travel to Soria in the final phase of the LAB TOUR 2026 project, funded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology–Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (FECYT-MICIU), Ruralia, the Provincial Council of Soria, and ICMAB-CSIC. Seven months after its launch, and following several activities during the European Researchers’ Night in Soria and at the Casa de Soria in Barcelona, the initiative will culminate in an outreach tour across the province of Soria.
LAB TOUR spring 2026 poster
The project began by recovering the stories of ICMAB-CSIC staff whose families, in the 1960s, had to leave their rural places of origin due to a lack of job opportunities. With this tour, the team aims to make the reverse journey. Daniel Martín, originally from Soria and the researcher responsible for the project, will also return to his homeland. Speaking about the management of the project, he comments: “It has been demanding work, but I know it will be enormously rewarding when I see the excitement and the smiles of the children and teachers.”
A tour around Soria
From 16 to 20 March, a team composed of researchers Anna Crespi, Anna Laromaine, Stefanía Sandoval and Judith Oró will accompany Daniel Martín to Soria in order to strengthen scientific and cultural ties with the region. They will visit six schools belonging to three Rural Grouped Schools (CRA), where they will carry out a range of outreach activities adapted to different school levels. The schools that will receive visits from the ICMAB-CSIC research team are CEIP CRA La Ribera (Langa del Duero), CEIP CRA Río Izana (Quintana Redonda and Tardelcuende), and CEIP CRA El Valle (Almarza, Fuentelfresno and Almajano). In addition, on 19 March at 19:00, a public talk will be held at the Casino Círculo Amistad Numancia in the city of Soria about the scientific and cultural connections between Soria and Catalonia through Romanesque pigments.
The LAB TOUR 2026 team posing with the van
Through this project, ICMAB-CSIC aims to bring scientific culture closer to rural environments, where access to these types of activities is often more limited due to logistical challenges. The activities in schools also aim to spark scientific curiosity among children and encourage future vocations in science. At the same time, since nature is the guiding theme of the tour and such a close resource in these territories, the project seeks to convey that it is possible to do science connected to one’s environment and place of origin, demonstrating that there are no barriers to pursuing scientific careers, even when growing up in rural settings.
Anna Crespi, a researcher at ICMAB-CSIC and member of the tour, emphasizes the importance of science outreach in public research centres: “At ICMAB-CSIC we conduct a lot of basic science in laboratories, and we rarely have the opportunity to connect with society.” For her, this expedition is also particularly meaningful, as it represents a return to her grandparents’ homeland after more than 10 years without visiting: “In this case, outreach also serves to bring opportunities to sparsely populated areas, which normally do not have access to this type of activity, and to ensure that science continues to emerge from every corner of the country.”
“We hope to receive a positive response from the public, that people will enjoy themselves and learn through the workshops,” says Daniel. “I would like this project not to be perceived as a simple tour with a beginning and an end, but rather as a starting point that invites reflection on the country’s demographic challenge and the distribution of knowledge,” he concludes.
The LAB TOUR 2026 van about to leave ICMAB
More information:
Press release in CAT, CAST and ENG.
LAB TOUR 2026 website
LAB TOUR 2026 presentation
LAB TOUR 2026: un proyecto que combina ciencia y cultura y que se estrenará en Soria
