ICIQ and Tarragona Ràdio renew their collaboration to promote science communication

16th April 2025 – Tarragona Ràdio, the municipal public radio station, and the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) have renewed their collaboration agreement to promote science communication through 2026. ICIQ Director, Prof. Emilio J. Palomares, highlighted: “We are very pleased to continue with Blau de Prússia, a programme that brings research closer to society and shows how scientific knowledge has a direct impact on our daily lives.”

Palomares also emphasized the importance of a public and leading research centre like ICIQ sharing its knowledge with the public: “Since our foundation, ICIQ has been firmly committed to science outreach. We believe research should not remain confined to laboratories but must be understandable and accessible to everyone. Science is a driver of progress and, for that reason, it must reach people’s everyday lives and help them understand how knowledge transforms their world.”

Xavier de Gispert, Director of Tarragona Ràdio, pointed out that the collaboration with ICIQ has been key in the station’s digital transformation initiated four years ago: “ICIQ is probably the public institution in Catalonia with whom we’ve built the strongest and most long-lasting partnership.”

This alliance not only enriches the Blau de Prússia podcast and its live broadcasts from Sescelades, but also gives Tarragona Ràdio access to top-level experts in chemical research, enhancing the station’s content and helping to bring the work of institutions like ICIQ closer to the public. “This knowledge improves our production capacity and strengthens our mission to connect citizens with science,” concluded Gispert.

Blau de Prússia begins its new season

In 2025, Blau de Prússia will launch its fourth season, with an average of 10 new episodes planned. The podcast continues to bring chemistry and scientific research closer to a wide and diverse audience. Since its debut, the podcast has featured over 40 researchers from ICIQ, sharing their expertise on a variety of scientific topics ranging from pure chemistry to its everyday applications.

With more than 50,000 listeners, Blau de Prússia has earned significant recognition for its quality. It was a finalist in the second edition of the Sonor Awards, standing out among nearly 200 entries, and later selected in the 2023 Local Communication Awards in the category of “Best multimedia and transmedia content”. These acknowledgements reinforce its position as an innovative and accessible science communication tool.

Thanks to these achievements, Blau de Prússia has established itself as a leading platform in science communication, offering added value to the scientific community and to listeners interested in understanding science in a clear and engaging way. These milestones are only the beginning of a project that continues to grow and prepares for a new season with the mission of making science accessible to all.

The subtitle of this fourth season is “Transforming the essential”. The first episode will focus on the challenges of carbon dioxide capture and storage, featuring Prof. Emilio Palomares, ICIQ Director, and Dr Júlia Viladoms, Head of the Industrial Decarbonisation Unit at ICIQ.

About Tarragona Ràdio

Tarragona Ràdio is the public municipal radio station of Tarragona and has been a local reference in communication and the dissemination of cultural, social and scientific content since its creation. With a strong commitment to innovation and quality, the station positions itself as a key platform for engaging with topics of local and general interest.