Tomorrow, 4 November, marks World Materials Day, and the centres in Aragon, Barcelona, Seville and Madrid are launching a social media campaign to showcase some of their most significant achievements.
The programme also coincides with the celebration of Science and Technology Week later this month.
The four Materials Science and Technology institutes belonging to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), two of which are joint centres with the University of Zaragoza and the University of Seville, will celebrate their 40th anniversary by launching a campaign aimed at highlighting the scientific advances achieved in the fields of health, environmental sustainability and information technologies.
Through a series of four videos to be released on social media, the campaign will present the most important breakthroughs delivered by each of these areas. The campaign will conclude with a final video highlighting the young talent leading scientific advances in materials science.
The campaign, which begins today, on the eve of World Materials Day, and coincides with the celebration of Science and Technology Week this month, is accompanied by an extensive programme of activities designed to bring materials science closer to society.
The commemoration brings together the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid (ICMM-CSIC), the Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute (INMA, CSIC-UNIZAR) and the Institute of Materials Science of Seville (ICMS, CSIC-US), the four major Materials Science and Technology institutes within the CSIC.
Although the present-day INMA began its activities on 24 May 1985, it was during 1986 that the creation of the other three centres was completed: ICMAB on 26 June, ICMS on 22 July and ICMM on 1 December. For this reason, 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the group of centres which, since then, have helped make Spain an international benchmark in materials research.
A programme to bring materials science closer to society
Throughout November, the four institutes will run a programme of activities designed to encourage scientific vocations through materials science and to showcase the role this field plays in providing technological solutions to societal challenges related to climate change, medicine and information technologies.
At the Aragon Nanoscience and Materials Institute (INMA, CSIC-UNIZAR), the centre has coordinated a range of initiatives to bring materials science closer to the public. Among them is The 40 Materials, a catalogue prepared by researchers at the institute that brings together forty materials that have been, are and will continue to be fundamental to scientific and technological progress. A display featuring these materials will tour educational and community centres across Aragon and will serve as one of the main elements of the anniversary outreach programme. In addition, INMA has organised, in collaboration with the Zaragoza Film Archive, a film series dedicated to materials, which will take place throughout the month.
Meanwhile, the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) has prepared a commemorative programme combining activities for its scientific community with public engagement initiatives. These include meetings between different generations of researchers, activities recalling the institute’s history, such as an exhibition in the entrance hall of the building, and events aimed at strengthening the links between those who have contributed to its forty years of scientific achievements. The programme began with a special anniversary week held in May.
The Institute of Materials Science of Seville (ICMS, CSIC-US) will also deliver its own programme of commemorative activities, enabling the anniversary to be celebrated beyond the laboratory setting. As part of this initiative, an event will explore the relationship between materials science and cinema, featuring distinguished guests such as Fátima Ternero and Juan Manuel Montes, professors and researchers at the University of Seville, together with Marta Velasco, President of the Andalusian Film Academy. In addition, a series of science talks will be held in local bars, where ICMS researchers will discuss how the world would look without materials science and the role materials play in everyday life. Contributors will include researchers Carmen Hidalgo and José Jesús Benítez.
For its part, the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid (ICMM-CSIC) is developing its own Science Museum, which is expected to open in the near future. The institute will also continue its public engagement programme during Science Week, including talks, guided tours and the exhibition LGTBIQA+ Science. In addition, this year will feature a free performance of the science outreach play Doro on 28 November at the La Elipa Cultural Centre in Madrid.
03-11-2026
