Tarragona and Reus will host the Pint of Science festival from 18 to 20 May, transforming local bars into venues for scientific discussion. The event aims to make research accessible to the public through free talks starting at 7pm in various establishments across both cities.
This year's festival will feature 56 researchers, primarily from Rovira i Virgili University (URV) and local research centres. These include the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ), the Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the Institute of Marine Sciences. Healthcare professionals from the Catalan Institute of Health and Joan XXIII University Hospital in Tarragona will also participate, alongside academics from international institutions like Imperial College London.
Diverse Scientific Topics Explored
The programme covers a wide array of subjects. In health and biomedicine, talks will address endometriosis, menopause, mental health, the impact of diet on the brain, gut microbiota, and precision medicine. Other discussions will focus on early disease detection and the effects of smoking during pregnancy.
Technology and innovation are also prominent themes, with content on artificial intelligence, hydrogen energy, smart materials for CO₂ capture, artificial photosynthesis, and the uses of nuclear energy. The festival will also look at climate change, Mediterranean marine biodiversity, coastal transformation, and ecosystem resilience.
Archaeology, human evolution, palaeoclimatology, and humanities complete the schedule. More unusual topics include the scientific study of fungi, potential plant communication, and the mathematical analysis of natural forms. All activities are free, and the full programme is available on the festival's official website.
Bringing Science to the Public
The sessions will take place in several venues: Sala Zero Tarragona, 12 Topos, and Totem Cafè in Tarragona; and As de Copes Gastropub and Racó de l’Orfeó Reusenc in Reus. Fran Algaba, a URV researcher and the festival's coordinator for the region, explained that the goal is to bring research closer to the public. He told reporters, “Spaces like this help us explain science naturally and make it more accessible.” The festival, coordinated in Tarragona and Reus by the DivulgaTGN association, has been running for nine years.
Pint of Science is an international initiative held simultaneously in 27 countries. Spain is the second most participatory country, with 75 cities and over a thousand scheduled talks, making it a global leader in scientific outreach in informal settings.
