On Saturday, September 12, the Bellinzona Institutes of Science (Bios⁺) opened the doors to the public, offering visitors the opportunity to step inside the spaces where biomedical, cancer and translational research takes shape every day.
For one day, laboratories, technology platforms and research spaces became places for exchange and dialogue between the scientific community and the public. Scientists from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), both affiliated with Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), and the Institute of Translational Research (USI-EOC) welcomed visitors and introduced them to their work, sharing the tools, methods and questions that drive their research every day.
Throughout the day, visitors had the opportunity to explore the laboratories, meet scientists directly and attend a series of short presentations focusing on some of the key areas of research conducted in Bellinzona: what antibodies are and how they protect us, what working as a researcher actually means, the potential of stem cells, how research is helping us understand and address lymphomas and, finally, the role of translational research in turning knowledge gained in the laboratory into new perspectives for medicine.
The journey through the building was also accompanied by an exhibition of 22 scientific images originating from research activities involving the Microscopy and Flow Cytometry Facilities. Through an audio guide available in Italian and English, the images offered a different perspective on research, making visible cells, structures and phenomena that would otherwise remain invisible to the human eye.
The day concluded with a special event: a performance by OOVIE Studios, with the participation of the Mayor of Bellinzona, Atty. Mario Branda, and the contribution of conductor Marco Seco, creating another point of connection between science, art and the city.
Above all, the Open Day was an opportunity to bring research closer to the public and to show what doing science means through the people who make it happen every day. This dialogue took shape through different forms of communication designed to share and celebrate scientific achievements, as well as the questions, tools, paths and professions that are part of the places where discoveries are made.
The Bellinzona Institutes of Science would like to thank all our guests who joined us for the Open Day 2026, as well as the researchers, staff members and all those who contributed to making the event a success.
La Ricerca più vicina di quanto immagini.
