ICFO hosts the 360 CARLA & Lasers4EU hands-on training “MINDLAB”

The MINDLAB Hands-On Course, held at ICFO in collaboration with the European projects Lasers4EU and 360 CARLA, brought together 18 highly motivated students for an intensive training experience on cutting-edge photonics technologies applied to neuroscience. Rooted in the mission of MINDLAB (Manipulating and Investigating Neural Dynamics for Learning and Ageing in the Brain), the program offered participants a unique immersion into how light-based tools are transforming our understanding of the brain across molecular, cellular and systems scales.

This year’s edition opened with the Annual Meeting of the Barcelona Medical Photonics Network (BMPN), which set the scientific and clinical context for the course. Clinicians, technology developers and innovation professionals shared insights into current healthcare challenges and the technological advances that may solve them, providing an ideal starting point for the students’ learning journey.

Over the following days, the school combined lectures from world-leading experts (including researchers from ICFO, the University of Barcelona, the University of Pisa, UCL, Harvard Medical School, and other international institutions) with hands-on laboratory sessions. Participants worked directly with advanced instrumentation in super-resolution microscopy, neurophotonics, medical optics, biophotonics, and photonics applied to plant and biomolecular systems. This practical training enabled students to translate theoretical concepts into real experimental experience.

Beyond the lab, participants were encouraged to engage in discussions, group projects, and networking moments, fostering a collaborative environment across disciplines ranging from physics and engineering to biology and neuroscience. This combination of academic rigor, practical exposure, and interdisciplinary exchange aligns fully with the aims of the 360 CARLA initiative: empowering young researchers with skills, confidence and career awareness in photonics.

The MINDLAB Hands-On Course once again demonstrated the impact of experiential learning in shaping the next generation of scientists. Thanks to this collaboration, supported by Lasers4EU, 360 CARLA, national funding bodies and ICFO’s Frontiers Research Schools, students left with new knowledge, strengthened connections, and a clearer vision of the career pathways available in photonics and neurotechnology.