ICFO Decide Game

ICFO has a triple mission:  to conduct frontier research, train the next generation of scientists and technologists, and provide knowledge and technology transfer.  In the original ICFO Outreach Activity known as  The ICFO Decide Game, all three of these missions come together to offer students and the general public a unique vision of the research enterprise and the role of scientific research in society.

Launched in 2020 as an activity that lent itself very well to online platforms used during the COVID pandemic, the Decide Game allows groups to learn about research in Photonics carried out at ICFO, and to engage in thoughtful guided discussions about the importance of Photonics in our daily lives, the potential for this enabling technology for existing and new industries, and the ways that we can prioritize support for research that can benefit society. In addition to a wide range of groups that have been able to participate online from all over Catalunya, Spain and beyond, groups can also participate in the Decide Game as part of a visit to ICFO’s facilities, as was the case with schools that visited ICFO today from the neighboring city of Viladecans.

The game asks participants to put themselves in the shoes of the policy makers responsible for research and innovation. Throughout the game, they receive essential information to discuss about Photonics and the importance of science and research in our lives, while discovering cutting-edge scientific projects that are being developed at ICFO. They have the opportunity to talk to scientists at the institute, and with all of this information, make strategic decisions in agreement with the rest of their group.

ICFO is pleased to have the opportunity to share our enthusiasm for science in general, to inform members of the community- both near and far- about the paradigm changing discoveries that scientists at our center are pursuing, and to promote understanding of the innovative potential of research.

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INNODELTA:  ICFO participates in the PECT InnoDELTA project that aims to increase the competitivity and economic development of the Llobregat Delta, enhancing the innovative capacity of its entrepreneurs, business fabric and citizens to meet the territory’s challenges. ICFO specifically participates in the Innovation Platform (Plataforma Delta Emprèn), designed to enhance the entrepreneurship of the technological base and specialization in the fields of photonics and advanced manufacturing, applied mainly to agri-food industries, industrial systems and experience- based cultural industries (sport and tourism).

This project is co-financed by the European Union Regional Development Fund within the framework of the ERDF Operational Program of Catalonia 2014-2020 with a grant of 50% of total eligible costs, with the support of the Department d’Universitats i Recerca of the Generalitat de Catalunya.