The Ministry of Research and Universities has awarded nearly €200,000 in grants to 21 CERCA centres to promote the use of Catalan in research, knowledge transfer and science communication.

With a total budget of €199,266, the funded projects focus primarily on language welcome packs and integration initiatives for researchers and professionals joining the centres. These initiatives include Catalan language courses, language exchange partnerships, conversation groups, cultural activities, excursions, and resources designed to support the learning of both the language and scientific terminology in Catalan.

Managed by AGAUR, the grants form part of the Plan to Strengthen the Catalan Language in Catalonia’s University and Research System and complement other existing measures aimed at encouraging the use of Catalan.

The call also supports innovative science communication projects, including Atapuerca in Catalan, dedicated to human evolution; Light for a Cleaner Planet, a digital platform on photonics and sustainability for schools; Paleoparlem, focused on the dissemination of palaeontology; and Research on Stage, which uses theatre as a tool to promote the use of Catalan in multicultural scientific environments.

This funding scheme further strengthens the commitment of CERCA centres to research that is internationally engaged while also reinforcing the presence and use of Catalan throughout the country’s scientific and academic communities.