10th edition, 6th to 17th July, 2026

Project status: Limited availability!

Supercomputing for Next-Generation City Design
What if we could create a digital twin of the place you live to redesign it for a better future? How can supercomputers and AI accelerate this transformation?

In this project, you will create virtual replicas of your city and redesign them to enhance comfort, sustainability, accessibility, and safety. Throughout the process, we will count on the help of one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world: MareNostrum 5, a state-of-the-art pre-exascale system with a peak performance of 314 petaflops, located at the headquarters of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and serving the international scientific community.

Throughout the project, you will learn:
- How open data plays an important role in scientific development.
- How to search for and manage geographical data from a city you would like to analyse.
- How AI and data analysis (spatial data analysis, machine learning) are used to simulate urban interventions in the city.
- How to visualise the data on an interactive web map of the city.
Join us to explore the exciting world of AI and supercomputing and see how big data and complex simulations can shape the future of cities using one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

Learning objectives
- Understand how high-performance computing can accelerate and improve research.
- Apply data analysis to gain insights from large datasets.
- Explore the role of research and technology in the urban decision-making process.
- Recognise the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to tackling the urban challenges of the future.
- Appreciate the importance of data visualisation in urban planning.
- Understand the importance of trustable data sources.
Matching profiles

This project is addressed to students interested in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Architecture and Urban Planning.

Required materials
- Laptop (don’t forget your plug and adaptor)
01/12/2025
Cosmic Rays’ detection: Astrophysics at your fingertips
The participants will have the opportunity to build a muon detector using plastic scintillators and silicon photomultipliers. The students will go through the basics of particle detection and will have the chance to understand what the role of each component in the detector is. They will figure out how we can catch the particles we want to observe and reject those we want to avoid. They will learn about light detection, properties of materials, and readout electronics working hand by hand with IFAE researchers.

Only when we understand how the detector work in detail we can then go out and ask nature about the behavior of cosmic rays. Only then we can think of other applications. Building and understanding detectors are crucial to making experiments with them. And to trigger your imagination.

The detector we are going to build is meant to be portable so that it can be taken outside and see what it can tell us about everyday life. The students will also design and perform experiments to understand the behavior of muons and cosmic rays in the atmosphere.

Come and build your own muon detector and learn how particles interact with matter, how they are created and destroyed in the atmosphere, what is a particle shower, and how particle detectors work. Be an experimental physicist: design your setup, answer your questions, ask new ones.

Learning objectives
- Understand the process of building a detector;
- Understand the uses and knowledge behind the cosmic rays;
- Discover the mysteries that an astrophysicist is trying to solve about cosmic rays;
- Determine the principles of particle detection and their use to detect them.
Matching profiles

Students interested in particle physics or astrophysics. Students willing to spend time in the lab doing experimental work with a clear goal but not a unique path to achieve it. It would be nice to have a working group with a wide range of skills & interests: some with computing skills, some with experimental & electronic interests, some more inclined to theory. Knowing how to work in a group is a must.

Required materials

A laptop would help but it is not required.
30/11/2024
Quantum Entanglement and Superposition: How Quantum Mechanics helps us understand our Universe
The aim of the project is to engage students in the fascinating world of quantum phenomena. Participants will explore the principles behind quantum entanglement and superposition from both theoretical and experimental viewpoints.

Quantum entanglement challenges classical intuitions about the nature of reality and holds significant implications for technology and fundamental physics. Entangled particles, even when separated by large distances, instantaneously influence each other’s states. This phenomenon has potential applications in quantum computing, cryptography, and quantum communications. Understanding and harnessing quantum entanglement not only deepens our comprehension of quantum mechanics but also opens doors to revolutionary advancements in information processing and secure communication technologies.

Students will learn and experiment on the following topics:
- Introduction to basic mathematical concepts behind quantum mechanics.
- Basics of computer programming (specifically in python).
- Theoretical introduction to fundamental concepts of physics and quantum mechanics, including the superposition principle, the uncertainty principle, polarization, quantum entanglement, Bell Inequalities, etc.
- Experimental exploration of the previously mentioned concepts using computer simulations of quantum systems.
- Building the experimental set-up: the Mach–Zehnder interferometer. This experiment will allow participants to determine the relative phase shift variations between two collimated laser beams and test quantum properties like superposition or quantum entanglement.
- Programming a computer simulation that allows you to reproduce the results of a Bell test.
- Attending an advanced experimental demonstration of the Bell Inequalities using sources of entangled photons.
- Analyzing the results obtained from the previous demonstration.
- Presenting the results to the rest of the team.
During their time at ICCUB, students will also have the time to discover other quantum technologies and the research that is going on at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences.

We have designed the program for a diverse group of people, with different levels and backgrounds: for this reason, we don’t require any prior knowledge. However, if participants want to start to look into linear algebra (e.g. operations with vectors and matrices), coding with Python, or reading about quantum entanglement, your learning curve will be a little bit smoother.

Matching profiles

Students with an interest in physics, quantum mechanics, optics, lasers, computer programming, photonics, quantum technologies, mathematics.

Required materials

Laptop, writing materials.
12/11/2024
Innovation in Photochemistry and Drug Synthesis: Shaping a Sustainable Future
Understanding nature and its mechanisms at a fundamental level provides us with knowledge and tools that can be used to face global issues. In this regard, chemistry plays a crucial role, together with other fields of science and technology, in the design and preparation of new appealing materials with relevant applications in the field of sustainable energy, industry and medicine. Our research project intends to show how research in chemistry is performed and how it impacts society. You will have the opportunity to delve into three of the most relevant topics in chemical research:
- Medicinal Chemistry: Have you ever wondered how a drug is created? How is the active principle synthesized? Which tests should a medicine pass before being commercialized? These topics and more will be discussed in this section. Furthermore, the concept of synthetic chemistry will be introduced and the students will be able to synthesize, purify and characterize their own medicaments in the laboratory.
- Renewable Energies: One of our priorities as a species is to transition towards a more sustainable system to obtain the energy that we consume. Renewable energies stand as a promising alternative to the current fossil fuel-based system, but they present drawbacks such as intermittency, capacity or difficulty to storage. One of the approaches to overcome these limitations is the use of green hydrogen as an energetic vector. In this section, you will enter the fields of photo and electrochemistry in the context of hydrogen production. You will build your own electrolyzers by preparing the electrodes based on Nickel foam adorned with metallic oxides (NiOx, NiFeOx, CoOx or MnOx). A visit to a medium size electrolyzer is also planned. Finally, you will be able to understand the physical and chemical principles behind the solar cells and prepare Grätzel cells which will be used to produce green hydrogen using the electrolyzer previously created.
- Quantum Dots: To celebrate the recent laureation of quantum dots with the Nobel Prize in chemistry (2023), we dedicate a section of the program to this topic. In this part, you will learn about the quantum physics behind these nanomaterials and will synthesize different samples to observe their optical properties. With this project, we aim to boost your enthusiasm for science and research in a multidisciplinary environment. We want to consolidate and expand your knowledge in chemistry through direct contact with experimentation, as well as to introduce novel technologies and methods within the field.
Learning objectives
- To discover photo and electro and synthetic chemistry.
- To explore material science and quantum physics.
- To learn about automation, research methodologies in experimental chemistry.
- To familiarize with how to work in a laboratory.
- To introduce to green and sustainable chemistry.
Matching profiles

This project is addressed to students interested in Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Medicine, Nanomaterials

Required materials

Laptop, Lab coat
12/11/2024