Grants to boost innovation and entrepreneurship under Basque Vocational Training Plan
The Basque Government has today approved the latest call for grants to support innovation and entrepreneurship projects aligned with the Sixth Basque Vocational Training Plan.
The Department of Education will allocate a total of €770,000 to fund the hiring of substitute staff, enabling subsidised vocational training centres to develop new projects. The objective of this funding is to support the full or partial release of teaching staff so they can lead innovation initiatives directly linked to the priorities of the new Vocational Training Plan.
As part of the Department’s commitment to ongoing professional development, the initiative invites subsidised centres to engage their teaching staff in projects that strengthen pedagogical capabilities and foster new skills and methodologies adapted to an increasingly specialised training environment. This funding line is designed to encourage vocational training’s contribution to business development, particularly among SMEs operating in emerging sectors, by promoting the specialisation of human capital, applied innovation, and entrepreneurship.
It also forms part of the broader objective to establish strategic environments and specialised areas within vocational training centres, thereby enhancing student employability. Currently, the employment rate among vocational training graduates in the Basque Country stands at close to 90%. Student profiles are closely aligned with the needs of the Basque industrial and business ecosystem. The overarching goal is to ensure that professionals trained in Basque vocational education continue to offer a competitive advantage to local companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises.
Strategic alignment with the Basque Country Science, Technology and Innovation Plan 2030
For the 2025–2026 academic year, eligible innovation projects must be developed in line with the strategic priorities set out in the Basque Country Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (PCTI) 2030. In recent years, TKNIKA, the Basque Centre for Applied Research and Innovation in Vocational Training, has been responsible for analysing and evaluating proposals submitted under previous calls. In this new round, TKNIKA will again play a central role as the technical authority overseeing applied research and innovation and facilitating the transfer of R&D&I outcomes across the Basque vocational training network.
