Society is currently facing, on a global scale, a range of challenges that are already putting its ability to work together to apply the most appropriate solutions to the test. Rising temperatures, high levels of pollution, migration, the alarming loss of species, new health impacts, democratic disengagement and disinformation all demand responses that, to a large extent, must be guided by science.

The 5th Biennial will focus, precisely, on the relationship between science and democracy, emphasizing the capacity of different institutions to integrate knowledge derived from research and to apply the solutions required in this particularly delicate moment.

In this sense, it will be a new space for collective reflection, open to all citizens, through a range of workshops, round tables, artistic installations, participatory activities and talks, with the involvement of leading figures in their respective fields at local, national and international levels.

The debate will also address the democratic framework that science needs in order to guarantee its autonomy, transparency and social responsibility. The aim is to examine how the relationship between science and democracy should enable societies to make better decisions to tackle global challenges.

The central theme will be approached through three major thematic axes: participatory science, the geopolitics of science and technology, and the relationship between artificial intelligence and democracy. In parallel, a fourth transversal axis will link art, science and design.

A hub for science communication

The Biennal Ciutat i Ciència is one of the most important scientific culture events held in the city of Barcelona, showcasing the strong commitment of Barcelona City Council to science policy. In fact, it is one of the initiatives included in the Barcelona Science and Innovation Strategic Plan 2024–2027, with the aim of strengthening science communication and outreach activities to foster critical thinking, knowledge and scientific vocation across all ages. The first four editions (2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025) have already welcomed 50,000 visitors.

This Biennial 2027 will offer a wide range of proposals to experience creativity, complexity, research and its processes, and to reflect on the ethics of science, its dissemination among citizens and its integration into public policies in order to better address today’s major challenges facing humanity.

Take part in the Biennal Ciutat i Ciència 2027!