News
29.05.2026The “Toca Ciencia” project receives FECYT support to boost scientific outreach at the CCiTUB
The Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) has awarded a €20,000 grant to the Scientific and Technological Centers of the University of Barcelona (CCiTUB) to develop the Toca Ciencia project, within the framework of the call for grants to promote scientific, technological, and innovation culture. This funding strengthens the CCiTUB’s track record in educational and outreach projects financed by FECYT and consolidates its commitment to bringing science and technology closer to new generations.
"Toca Ciencia" is an initiative aimed at primary and secondary school students that combines technology, accessibility, and pedagogical innovation. The project foresees the development of an inclusive educational kit with 3D models generated from real images obtained using advanced CCiTUB techniques. It also includes the creation of adapted educational materials aimed at inclusion and diversity, as well as the development of gamified activities.
The design of the kit and materials will be carried out with the support of organizations specialized in accessibility and inclusive education, as well as with the active participation of students with visual disabilities in the co‑creation and validation process.
The grant will make it possible to carry out all phases of the project, including the creation of materials with a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach and their implementation in schools participating in the STEAMcat and FAIG programs of the Department of Education. The process will culminate in the Toca Ciencia fair‑competition, and the results will be collected in the Tocateca, an open digital repository that will facilitate reuse and dissemination.
The “Tocateca” digital repository will be developed with accessibility criteria and will include 3D models, audio descriptions, and open educational materials, with the aim of ensuring the transfer and sustainability of the project’s outcomes.
The project is being developed in collaboration with several organizations in the fields of education, science, and accessibility, including CREDV-ONCE Barcelona, the School of New Interactive Technologies (ENTI-UB), the Institute for Professional Development (IDP-UB), the Catalan Association for the Promotion of Accessibility (ACPA), the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the Complutense University of Madrid (DIQIM-UCM), the network of Ateneus de Fabricació of Barcelona as well as the STEAMcat and FAIG educational programs.
With this new grant, the CCiTUB continues to promote initiatives that combine research, education, and technology, with a clear inclusive orientation and in collaboration with key actors in the educational and scientific system, contributing to fostering scientific vocations, reducing inequalities, and bringing advanced scientific infrastructure closer to society.
The STEAMcat and FAIG programs
The STEAMcat and FAIG programs are initiatives of the Department of Education that promote innovation in schools across Catalonia. STEAMcat fosters scientific, technological, artistic, and mathematical vocations through interdisciplinary and creative methodologies, while FAIG encourages students to create objects, prototypes, or solutions using digital tools, doing so to address real needs or challenges in their environment, not just as theoretical exercises. Both programs offer training, support, and resources to participating schools to transform classroom practices and promote a more skills‑based and equitable education.