The University of Vigo has just secured over €200,000 —204,300— in funding from the 2024 call by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), aimed at promoting scientific culture among the public. This funding will support the development of seven initiatives to continue spreading activities that foster scientific, technological, and innovation culture throughout southern Galicia. Some of these are well-established programs that annually reaffirm FECYT’s trust and public success, while others are new projects launching this year, aiming to captivate audiences—especially children and young people—such as CINTECX’s escape room, Green Alert.
Among the classic initiatives is the continued support for the CinVigo science festival, organized by CINBIO, which each spring fills Porta do Sol with young students—budding scientists—presenting their projects (around 250 in the latest edition); the Science Round Trip plan, a broad initiative led by the Scientific Culture Unit (UCC+i) that encompasses countless activities from September to June across the three campuses; Maths Tell You the Story, a project aimed at encouraging “mathematical vocations” among children in the final years of primary school and early secondary education; and Paleo in the Neighborhood: Proximity Science, an initiative led by the CSIC in collaboration with UVigo, which in this fourth edition will explore the paleontological past of Madrid’s Carabanchel district and the Galician town of O Porriño.
CINTECX Mission: an escape room designed for pre-university students
This edition introduces three entirely new proposals. The Research Center for Technologies, Energy and Industrial Processes (CINTECX) will launch the project Green Alert: Save Your School with the CINTECX Mission, an immersive educational experience designed as an escape room. It aims to increase scientific and technological knowledge in areas such as renewable energy, sustainability, and the circular economy. The initiative seeks to empower pre-university students through hands-on challenges, promoting STEM vocations and addressing environmental problems within schools, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This escape room experience will invite participants to overcome challenges simulating failures in their school’s systems (structure, water, heating, energy). Then, guided by CINTECX staff, students will organize into teams to solve various challenges that combine advanced tools (drones, ground-penetrating radar, 3D printers) with innovative sustainability solutions.