On 25 September, SHINE brought the CAREWAY project closer to communities across Portugal as part of the European Researchers’ Night 2026, with activities taking place in four Portuguese cities: Porto, Braga, Coimbra and Lisbon.
People of different ages engaged with interactive activities focused on cancer literacy, prevention, and access to health information. Participants were invited to explore an interactive map and a cancer prevention wheel, prompting discussion about where people encounter health information in their everyday lives, how health and cancer are shaped by factors that go beyond healthcare, and how prevention can involve action across different areas, from lifestyles and behaviours to the places and environments where people live.
These initiatives provide an important opportunity to bridge the gap between research and society. Bringing research and project activities into community spaces allows different perspectives to be heard, helps researchers understand how people engage with health information, and supports reflection on how tools and resources can become more accessible, relevant and useful to the people they are designed to support.
This outreach activity also marks an important step towards the next stage of CAREWAY: the engagement of citizens/patients, clinicians and NGOs in participatory sessions to test and refine the CAREWAY Toolkit. These sessions will bring together stakeholders to explore the toolkit, gather feedback on its content and usability, and identify opportunities for further refinement.
