Discovering microbes in water, soil and food

September 22, 2026 | 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Microorganisms are taking over the Faculty of Biotechnology for the fifth edition of this exciting event dedicated to "microbes" and their importance in our daily lives. Throughout a full day of hands-on scientific activities, our researchers will demonstrate and explain the role of different microorganisms in the environment (water and soil), food (food production and food safety), and health (the gut and skin microbiomes), among many other topics.

The educational value of these activities is reflected in the feedback from students who attended previous editions. They described the opportunity as "fun," "joyful," "I learned a lot in a different way," "enriching," "thank you," "they helped us make decisions about our future," and "we hope to come back."

So in 2026 we are once again opening our doors to school groups (or individual participants within the same age ranges). The morning session (10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) is designed for students in grades 5 through 9, while the afternoon session (2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) is intended for high school students. Each visit includes eight interactive activities, along with time to explore freely, for a total duration of approximately 2.5 hours. Participants who pay close attention throughout the day will also have the chance to win prizes in the final competition!

Space is limited. Registration is open until September 1, 2026, using this online form. For further information please contact us at biotecnologia@ucp.pt or call +351 932 011 541.

This activity is supported by the Blue Design Alliance project funded by the European Union (NextGenerationEU) within the scope of Impulso Jovens STEAM and Impulso Adultos of the Recovery and Resilience Program (PRR). To find out more about the PRR, visit recuperarportugal.gov.pt.