Live experimentation, humor, and critical thinking have taken center stage this week in La Graciosa and Lanzarote with the Mini Fairs of Science and Innovation 2026.
This benchmark outreach event in the Canary Islands, promoted by the Ministry of Universities, Science and Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, led by Migdalia Machín, through the Canarian Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society (ACIISI), has managed to mobilize almost 600 young people from both islands.
The councilor of the area, Migdalia Machín, has positively valued the success of the call in this double island event, showing her satisfaction upon verifying how the young people of Lanzarote and La Graciosa have embraced the initiative.
According to his explanation, "the objective is that science is not perceived as something distant or complex, but as a tool for progress that is built on the islands themselves," and he highlighted that "getting hundreds of students to approach research through play and ingenuity represents a key first step to consolidate the technological vocations that the Canary Islands need."
The programming started this Monday at the CEO Ignacio Aldecoa, in La Graciosa, where the Primary school students participated in ‘Clowntifics’. Hand in hand with scientists Orilo and Arlequina, the students became protagonists of the Laboratodoelmundorio, solving challenges through play.
For its part, the Secondary cycle of the center enjoyed the ‘Scientific Monologues’, a format that uses ingenuity to humanize the figure of the researcher and transmit values such as gender equality and professional ethics.
This Tuesday, the activity moved to the Auditorium of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, where the 3rd and 4th grade cycles of Primary and Secondary schools from the island joined this experience designed to demonstrate that the research career is a real, accessible, and exciting future option.
The sessions have been taught by Big Van Ciencia, a prestigious group of active doctors and researchers dedicated to outreach. Its director, Helena González, a doctor in Biomedicine, emphasizes the importance of this approach: "We try to give a more human touch to science so that it is not just what comes in the textbook. We want to show the effort behind knowledge; it is the only way to awaken critical thinking".
On the same line, Oriol Marimon, doctor in Organic Chemistry and member of the group, highlights the passion that resides in research work. “The objective is not only to inform, but to foster a scientific culture that encourages vocations, especially female ones and in environments at risk of social exclusion, positioning science as the definitive tool for the progress of humanity”.
This edition has had the collaboration of the Cabildo de Lanzarote. In this regard, the island corporation's Minister of Education, Ascensión Toledo, highlighted the pedagogical value of the event, emphasizing that “these types of meetings allow students to observe, participate, and come into direct contact with professionals and scientific institutions”.
Likewise, he explained that from the Cabildo they are working so that "education in Lanzarote and La Graciosa is connected with current challenges", and pointed out that this project is an example of how the centers incorporate methodologies linked to research and critical thinking.
Since February, the 2026 Mini-Fairs, free and in-person, have been bringing the knowledge, science, technology, and innovation generated in these islands to public spaces and educational centers. In May, they will continue their tour of the Archipelago to keep connecting citizens with Canary Islands research talent.
Thus, the next destination of the Miniferias 2026 will be Tenerife in May (May 7 and 8), then La Gomera (May 15), La Palma (May 21), and Fuerteventura (May 26).
