How do bioprocesses work, and why is controlling pH essential for bacterial growth and fermentation? How do researchers assess the environmental footprint of fuels made from seaweed? And what role do algae play in healthy aquatic ecosystems? At European Researchers’ Night 2026, iCULTURE partners Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), FVA – New Media Research and the Technical University of Crete (TUC), invited the public to explore these and other questions through interactive activities in Norway, Italy and Greece, connecting European research with everyday life.

From hands-on experiments to conversations with researchers, the activities introduced audiences of different ages to the potential of algae and sustainable innovation.

Norway: Bringing Bioreactor Science to Life

In Trondheim, Norway, the iCULTURE team at NTNU brought bioreactor science to life for 1078 final-year high school students and 245 other visitors through an interactive video game. Building on the activity presented in 2025, the team introduced improved code and graphics to an arcade-style game connecting digital play with a real laboratory experiment.

Players caught falling fruits, each representing an acid or a base. Every fruit collected triggered a change in the pH of a connected bioreactor, making its contents more acidic or more alkaline. The challenge was to balance these effects and reach the target colour, putting players in the role of scientists responsible for keeping the reactor under control. The effects were immediately visible: colour-changing chemicals made the liquid shift between blue, red and yellow in response to changes in pH. Players could see how their decisions on screen affected the physical reactor and adjust their choices accordingly.

A favourite with the high school students, the activity offered an accessible introduction to biotechnology and digital process control. By turning pH regulation into a hands-on challenge, it illustrated why maintaining suitable conditions in a bioreactor matters for bacterial growth and fermentation, processes central to iCULTURE’s research on converting seaweed resources into valuable products.

Greece: Discovering the Sustainable Potential of Macroalgae

In Chania, Crete, the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Systems Lab (ReSEL) at the Technical University of Crete welcomed the public to an exhibit based on iCULTURE research. The event attracted around 1000 visitors.

The iCULTURE exhibition, created by FVA and presented in previous editions in Italy, brought a distinctive science-art touch to the stand, combining visual storytelling and scientific insight. Through illustrated information cards, visitors explored the marine environment, the ecological role of macroalgae and their potential applications, from energy and biofuels to food, pharmaceuticals and new biomaterials.

The stand also presented a life cycle assessment of bioethanol produced from macroalgae, explaining how researchers measure its environmental footprint across the production chain, from raw material to final product. ReSEL’s student volunteers guided visitors through the exhibit, answered questions and made research findings accessible, encouraging discussion about how marine resources can contribute to a sustainable future.

Italy: From Seaweed to “Our Blue Treasure”

In Frascati, near Rome, Italy, 82 primary school children and 7 teachers joined three interactive sessions led by FVA within the iCULTURE and BlueMissionMed projects. The activities formed part of LEAF – heaL thE plAnet’s Future, the Science Week organised by Frascati Scienza.

An interactive quiz and storytelling introduced the children to algae, their applications and their role in healthy aquatic ecosystems. The journey then turned to the pressures facing these environments, particularly plastic pollution. Using BlueMissionMed’s illustrated book, Our Blue Treasure, the children searched the illustrations for hidden sources of microplastic pollution before examining real microplastic samples under a microscope. This hands-on experience made a largely invisible problem tangible and opened a discussion about biodiversity and environmental protection.

The children then explored everyday actions to protect aquatic environments and discovered citizen science, learning how observing their surroundings and collecting information can contribute to research. A final “Message in a Bottle” activity invited them to share ideas and commitments through drawings and messages displayed on a collective board. Each child received a copy of the book to continue the discovery at home.

Connecting Research with Citizens Across Europe

Together, the activities reached more than 2400 people across Norway, Greece and Italy, including school students, teachers and the wider public. By combining digital play, visual storytelling and hands-on exploration, iCULTURE made research accessible to different generations, helping participants understand how marine resources can support sustainable innovation and how everyone can contribute to protecting aquatic ecosystems.