After the success of the first edition, which brought together more than 3,000 participants, the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) is launching the second edition of Mariona's Adventure, an educational and scientific outreach project designed to inspire vocations among children and adolescents, and break gender stereotypes that especially distance girls from the world of research.
This year, Mariona returns to the Tibidabo Amusement Park with two new missions that will take place in July and November, and will culminate in a great party on February 15, 2026, as part of the celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, to celebrate scientific talent with a gender perspective.
You can find all the details here.
July 19, 2025
The first event will be on Saturday, July 19th, with a fun and participatory day focused on the digestive system. Through workshops and activities designed by professionals from the IR Sant Pau, children and families will be able to discover how our digestive system works and participate in experiments and educational games.
The activities, free and open to visitors, will be facilitated by professionals from the IR Sant Pau —researchers, health professionals, technicians and students— who will share their knowledge in a close and motivating way. Children and young people will accompany Mariona, an eight-year-old girl passionate about science, on an adventure full of challenges related to the human body, health and biomedical research.
November 22, 2025
On Saturday, November 22, the second day of the year will be held. Mission on the respiratory system. We will share more information soon.
February 15, 2026
On Sunday, February 15, 2026, the final day of the year will be celebrated. Women and Girls in Science Day, coinciding with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We will share more information soon.
Mariona's project
The Mariona the Researcher project is an educational and outreach initiative developed by the IR Sant Pau. Mariona is a character that symbolizes an eight-year-old girl passionate about science and medicine, whose purpose is to inspire girls, boys and young people to explore the world of scientific research. It is at this age, eight years old, when girls tend to lose interest in science, both due to the stereotypes that still persist and the lack of references, which this project seeks to alleviate.
Through a series of missions and challenges designed to be carried out at the Tibidabo Amusement Park, Mariona encourages the little ones to discover the secrets of the human body, participate in scientific experiments and learn about the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle.
The project also highlights the role of women in science, highlighting real examples of researchers who share their professional and personal experience with the aim of promoting gender equality in this area.
Science with a gender perspective
IR Sant Pau constantly promotes a dialogue with society, aligned with its RRI plan and its objectives of Scientific Education and Citizen Participation. As a CERCA center and as a Unit of Scientific Culture and Innovation accredited by FECYT, its commitment to bringing research closer to society is firm.
As the only Catalan research institute with a cross-disciplinary research program in gender, IR Sant Pau is a spokesperson for the latest scientific advances and highlights the importance of research with a gender perspective and the role of women in research and the future of science in women.