CIM secures two new FECYT grants for scientific outreach projects

This year’s resolution for grants to promote scientific, technological, and innovation culture from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), under the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness, brought excellent news to the University of Vigo. The university was awarded seven grants totaling 150.000 euros, marking the best results achieved by the institution in this call, which is one of the few at both the national and international levels dedicated to outreach and, consequently, one of the most competitive.

Two of these proposals come from the Marine Research Center (CIM), in collaboration with Campus do Mar, and have received grants of 24,000 and 11,000 euros. One is Ocean Challenges: Scientists in Charge, a six-episode mini-documentary series about female marine scientist, a continuation of a successful project of the same name that has been carried out with the collaboration of FECYT since 2020. Additionally, Emerging Sea | Scientist Meets Artists also received FECYT support, serving as a space for meeting and dialogue between two very diverse disciplines: science and art, where the innate curiosity of the research world engages with the creativity of the artistic realm.

Belén Rubio, Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer, explained, “this year marks our greatest success at the University of Vigo, with over 50% of submitted projects receiving funding, the highest number of funded proposals, and maximum funding”. She also noted that the upcoming G-Night, the Galician Night of Researchers, coordinated by the University of Vigo, will take place across Galicia and is also funded through an outreach project grant, this time at the European level. Rubio attributes this success to “greater awareness among researchers that scientific outreach is important” and the “technical support provided by the University’s staff at the Science Culture Unit, UCC”.