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© CCCB, 2023. AutHor: Pau Fabregat

ALIA. Thinking about the Medicine of the Future

Open call for secondary schools

Education

ALIA is the CCCB’s education project which, throughout the academic year, allows you to carry out interdisciplinary work on current scientific themes, accompanied by artists and investigators from leading research centres. Groups of students in year four of obligatory secondary education and year one of Baccalaureate will be taking part in talks with scientists and training in creative workshops and cultural activities specially organized for the CCCB. In the 2025-2026 academic year we’ll be looking at what the medicine of the future will be like and the impact of advances in bioengineering on our health. Are you up for the challenge? The call is now open!

We’re looking for six secondary schools in Barcelona and its metropolitan area who want to take part in a scientific and artistic project to learn what bioengineering is and what the challenges of future medicine are, in the company of the research team of the Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia-IBEC) and with the artistic guidance of the theatre company José y sus Hermanas.

What does it involve?

  • We’ll explore aspects and processes of human biology, such as cell differentiation, reproduction and the use of stem cells.
  • We’ll understand the technologies behind advances such as printing tissues or repairing damaged tissues.
  • Using real cases, we’ll look at how present-day science and technology impact not just the ability to heal but also to adapt and transform the human body.
  • We’ll debate the ethical, philosophical and social implications of advances in medicine.
  • We’ll apply all the knowledge and dilemmas explored to a final artistic creation project: a short theatrical piece created with the theatre company José y sus Hermanas.

Who is it aimed at?

Class groups in year four of obligatory secondary education and year one of Baccalaureate at public schools and private centres that receive public funding who are interested in working in different disciplines, linking research and scientific dissemination with the humanities and artistic creation.

A maximum of six schools in Barcelona and its metropolitan area will be selected, with one class group per centre, or a maximum of 35 students, accompanied by a minimum of two teachers.

How to take part

If you’re a school in Barcelona city, sign up through the Education Consortium’s Unified Call for Projects.

If you’re a school in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, send an email to [email protected], along with a document of no more than two pages explaining why you’d like to take part in ALIA. Please also include:

  • Name of the school and contact email address.
  • The  full names, subjects taught and contact details of the teachers involved.
  • The participating class group or approximate number of students.
  • A proposal for time to be devoted to the ALIA project, indicating the subjects taking part and timetables.

Aspects that will be positively evaluated are:

  • The school’s interest in project work, whether it is already a regular practice or is planned to be.
  • Joint participation of more than two subjects.
  • A project carried out in Catalan, unless another subject in the project corresponds to another language.
  • Diversity in the number of public schools and private centres that receive public funding, to guarantee varied participation in the project.

Dates of the Call

The call is open from 28 April to 20 May. The selected schools will be announced during the week of 25 June. The chosen schools in the city of Barcelona will be announced through the Education Consortium’s Unified Call for Projects. The chosen schools in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona will receive an email confirming their participation in the project.

Information session

Wednesday 7 May at 17:30. The purpose of this session is to explain how the programme will be organized and answer any questions the schools may have. Schools must confirm their attendance by email to [email protected].

Contact

Education Service of the CCCB:

Functioning of ALIA. Thinking about the Medicine of the Future

The project will be carried out semi-independently by each secondary school alongside the other five participating centres. In order to do so, each school will be provided with a teaching dossier aimed at the teachers, put together by the Agència de Comunicació Científica Eduscopi, the IBEC and the CCCB’s education team.

Alongside independent work carried out at the schools, the project also includes three outings organized by the CCCB and a classroom-based theatrical writing and creation workshop with the theatre company José y sus Hermanas.

The teaching staff in charge of carrying out the project will be guided and supported throughout the process by the CCCB’s education team.

Duration

The project requires an approximate dedication of 40 hours over six months (October to May).

Project timeline

The ongoing working process will be divided into three stages:

Stage 1. Research and documentation (October-December 2025)

  • October 2025: opening talk by a leading figure in the field of bioengineering, with all the participating schools.
  • October-December 2025:

Stage 2. Creation (January-April 2026)

  • Classroom-based theatrical creation session with the theatre company José y sus Hermanas.
  • Session or outing related to the theme of the project.
  • Independent work at the schools for the final creation of the project (one for each class group).

Stage 3. Sharing and presentation (April-May 2026)

  • 1st fortnight of May 2026: closing celebration at the CCCB. Staging of the theatrical pieces created by the students with the company José y sus Hermanas.

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