Zukunftstag 2025 at IREM
A Morning of Discovery, Science and Innovation
On Thursday, 13 November 2025, the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM) opened its doors to welcome 24 enthusiastic young participants aged 11–14 for its first Zukunftstag / National Future Day workshop.
The National Future Day gives students in grades 5–7 the opportunity to explore different professions and work environments, helping them discover their own interests and talents beyond traditional gender roles. At UZH, many institutes open their doors and allow children to experience daily work life or participate in hands-on workshops.
At IREM, our goal was to introduce the next generation to the fascinating world of cells, stem cells, regenerative medicine, and biomedical innovation, and to give them an insight into what we do at the institute. After an introduction to regenerative medicine and the research topics at IREM, the children rotated between two interactive sessions:
Cell & Microscopy Workshop
In the laboratory, participants learned what cells are and why scientists at IREM study them.
Highlights included:
• Extracting DNA from bananas
• Exploring colorful pipetting and basic lab tools used to stain cells for visualization
• Observing real cells under the microscope
The excitement was visible as many students saw cells for the first time and observed clumps of DNA.
BioMed Entrepreneurship Workshop
In the second session, the students became young innovators. They learned how ideas can become real medical solutions and worked in small teams to:
• Identify a health-related problem
• Invent their own medical product
• Build a prototype or design a pitch poster
• Present their “mini start-up” to the group
The creativity was remarkable – with ideas ranging from an addiction-support app and health-enhancing smartwatches, to a medication-dispensing robot created to make essential treatments more accessible.
Both sessions were designed to spark curiosity and make complex scientific topics accessible. The young participants impressed us with their questions, ideas, and hands-on motivation throughout the morning.
A Team Effort at IREM and Looking Ahead
The workshop was made possible thanks to the collaboration of staff from:
- BioMed Entrepreneurship (BEI)
- Neurodegeneration Research Group
- Cell and Tissue Engineering Research Group
- and supportive colleagues across IREM
Their commitment ensured a smooth, inspiring, and safe experience for all participants.
The positive feedback from the children and parents encourages us to continue offering engaging insights into regenerative medicine and biomedical innovation at future editions of the National Future Day. We are already looking forward to Zukunftstag 2026.
Author: Annelies Geirnaert