i3S 10th Anniversary: turning mirrors into windows
This year, i3S celebrates 10 years of existence. As with any anniversary, our first instinct is to look back — to revisit memories, achievements, the path that brought us here.
But as we paused in front of the mirror, the words of Sydney J. Harris emerged. “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”
In that moment, the celebration became something else.
i3S is more than the sum of its milestones. As an institute dedicated to advancing knowledge and transforming lives through science, our true purpose is not only to reflect on what has been done, but to open new ways of seeing. To turn mirrors into windows — shifting the gaze from ourselves towards others, towards the unknown, towards a world that is wider, more complex, and infinitely more diverse.
When we look through a window, we discover different realities. We encounter new perspectives. We nurture curiosity. We imagine possibilities that did not exist before.
Although i3S was founded a decade ago, the knowledge it creates is always in motion. It is a window that connects past and future — honouring those who laid out the foundations, empowering the researchers who build it every day, and reaching the communities whose lives it seeks to improve. So, this anniversary is not only a moment of celebration. It is an invitation.
An invitation to open a window onto the challenges shaping the future of health research. To share with society the questions that drive scientific discovery. To inspire new generations to look further, think deeper, and act together.
The next ten years are already waiting for us. What we choose to see — and to do — will shape the future.
Events
Tackling the Challenges of Neuroscience: from molecules to minds
8 April 2026 | Main Auditorium, Building Abel Salazar
Registration: Free but mandatory
Cancer: From research to health policy
22 April 2026 | Mariano Gago Auditorium, i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto
Registration: session reserved for registered participants at the Porto Cancer Meeting
Infectious Diseases and Immunology: From infection to the body’s defence mechanisms
08 May 2026 | Porto Innovation HUB
Registration: free but mandatory
i3S 10th Anniversary – Official Session
Celebrating Science, Building the Future
19 May 2026 | i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
Registration: Institutional session, by invitation only
Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine: transforming people’s lives
2 June 2026 | Porto City Council, Assembly Hall, 5th floor
Registration: free but mandatory
Beyond Bias: Personalising Medicine for Everyone
29 June 2026 | Main Auditorium, Building Abel Salazar
Registration: free but mandatory
