The Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu presided today the ceremony to celebrate Ikerbasque's 15th anniversary at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, to explain the magnificent results obtained during these years and to welcome the new additions: a group of 33 researchers from all fields of knowledge who will carry out their work in the universities and research centers of the Basque Country in the coming years. The act has also had the participation of the Minister of Education, Jokin Bildarratz; the Minister of Health, Gotzone Sagardui; the Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation Cristina Uriarte; the scientific director of Ikerbasque, Fernando Cossío; the rector of the UPV/EHU, Eva Ferreira; the rector of the University of Deusto, Jose Maria Guibert; the rector of the University of Mondragón, Vixente Atxa; and representatives of the Basque Government and the Basque Science System.
Ikerbasque, the Basque Foundation for Science, was promoted in 2007 by the Department of Education of the Basque Government with the aim of reinforcing the scientific research that has been carried out for years by both the administrations and the universities and companies of the autonomous community. During these 15 years, Ikerbasque has opted for research talent as a fundamental axis of scientific policy, attracting researchers from all over the world, including those who at some point in their careers left the Basque Country and offering opportunities to consolidate their careers to people who were already in research centers in Euskadi.
Currently, there are 336 ikerbasque researchers from 35 different countries divided into three categories: 175 consolidated Research Professors, 91 young Research Fellows and 70 Research Associates, a category that complements the previous two and seeks to cover the different stages of the research career.
In addition, during these years Ikerbasque has collaborated with the Basque Government in launching the BERC (Basque Excellence Research Centers) program, thanks to which six new research centers have been created (Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, BCBL, BCAM, BC3, Polymat and the Basque Center for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures) and consolidated three others (DIPC, Materials Physics Center and Biophysics Unit). All of them investigate in areas of knowledge that are considered strategic for the Basque Country.
Throughout its history, IKERBASQUE has been selected up to 5 times as one of the best European initiatives for scientific development, receiving 24 million euros from the European Commission to promote its talent attraction programs.
The research staff recruited by IKERBASQUE from around the world to carry out their work in universities and R&D centers in the Basque Country have managed to bring a total of 295 million euros to the Basque Country since 2007, and 1,300 people work in the groups led by these people.
This has allowed Ikerbasque researchers to publish more than 10,000 articles in scientific journals of international prestige, sharing the results of their research projects. Since 2007 they have created 31 spin-off companies and have obtained 34 ERC (European Research Council), one of the most prestigious research grants worldwide.
These data show the profitability of the commitment to scientific research. Ikerbasque also demonstrates once again that, together with the long-term benefit in terms of competitiveness and improvement in a country's standard of living, investment in research can also obtain immediate returns in the form of funds for research.
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