The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), located at the Barcelona Science Park, is promoting the integration of research into the competency‑based learning of secondary school students at the Lluís Vives Institute, in the Sants neighbourhood, as part of the project ‘Magnet: Alliances for Educational Success’, promoted by the Department of Education and Professional Training of the Government of Catalonia, the Barcelona Education Consortium, the Bofill Foundation, and the Institute of Education Sciences of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, together with several municipalities.

This is an educational project that “places knowledge and research at the heart of educational innovation so that students learn more and better”, in the words of the director of IES Lluís Vives, Núria Prunés. The partnership is part of the Magnet programme, which connects schools with leading institutions in the country. Through this alliance, which relies on the commitment of the teaching staff and the direct participation of IBEC researchers, the school integrates bioengineering and scientific research into the competency‑based learning of students throughout their entire secondary education.

‘IBEC’s contribution is priceless,’ said the director, adding that ‘the collaboration has enriched the projects we are developing and has made it possible to create new ones, giving them greater quality.’ The 2025–26 school year is the second year of the Magnet alliance, which will continue for two more years. This year, the collaboration between the institute and IBEC has taken shape through projects related to cell biology, health throughout history, water management and its relationship with the human body, and the role of scientists in the 21st century.

For Josep Samitier, Deputy Director of IBEC, ‘the partnership generates mutual learning and is central to our work.’ ‘Explaining what science is to society and what implications it has for young people is one of our missions,’ he said, adding that the challenges of bioengineering require interdisciplinary perspectives, social commitment, and critical thinking—and in this sense, ‘education must be the driving force in today’s world.

Eulàlia Esclapés, Director of Education and Territory at the Barcelona Education Consortium, celebrated the ‘great opportunity’ that this partnership represents.
Esclapés acknowledged the impact of IBEC’s expertise on student learning, praised the ‘intensive support’ provided by the programme, and highlighted the commitment of the teaching staff. ‘Magnet brings in someone who makes you reflect with a fresh perspective in order to go further,’ she explained. ‘Magnet helps create a tailor‑made proposal to understand what each school needs, and the Consortium can listen and be at the service of those needs.

Finally, Mònica Nadal, Director of Research at the Bofill Foundation, highlighted the power of collaboration and shared responsibilities in a context of inequality and increasing precarity in everyday life, which makes education a ‘major challenge.’
She also underscored the commitment of teachers to both personal and collective learning throughout the four years of the programme, presenting it as an example that counters defeatism.

» Link to the news: IBEC website [+]