Additional plans to promote science in the Basque Country
- The Minister of Education, Jokin Bildarratz, and the Government Delegate in the Basque Country, Denis Itxaso, visited the CFM Centre (Materials Physics Centre) in San Sebastian to give an account of all the additional plans being developed in the Basque Country
- Through the additional plans coming from Europe, and the contributions made by the Basque Government, 5 lines of research are receiving a total investment of 32 million euros
The Minister of Education, Jokin Bildarratz, and the Government Delegate in the Basque Country, Denis Itxaso, visited this morning the facilities of the BERC CFM –Centre for Materials Physics– a basic research centre of excellence, attached to the Department of Education. There, they were able to see first-hand the characteristics of the research projects being carried out at its facilities.
During the visit, both officials explained the importance of the additional plans that have recently been promoted to develop different research actions; plans that seek to combine European efforts with the Basque Country’s commitment to continue promoting strategic research and innovation projects. On the part of the Basque Government, these plans have been coordinated through the Department of Education and the Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment. The meeting, together with the minister and the delegate, was attended by the director of Technology and Innovation, Alberto Fernandez, and the director of Research of the Department of Education, Amaia Esquisabel.
The additional plans consist of two economic contributions, on the one hand, the European contribution through the European Next Generation programme and, on the other hand, the contributions made by the Basque Government in each of the different research initiatives. In total, the additional plans cover five research fields in the Basque Country: biodiversity, biotechnology applied to health, quantum communication, renewable energy and hydrogen, and advanced materials.
Through the additional plans, the Basque Country is receiving 18.8 million euros from Europe through the Next Generation programme. For its part, the Basque Country is contributing 14 million euros of its own funds. In short, this additional plans initiative aims to coordinate European policies with the Basque Government’s priority initiatives in the development of the different areas of research.
During the visit, Minister Bildarratz pointed out that “This is a clear example of the potential of promoting the development of research in the Basque Country in coordination with Europe. The five research projects selected and developed are the spearhead of the projects being developed through research and innovation policies in the Basque Country. This is a good initiative that will strengthen these projects and consolidate both the research teams and the actions to be developed.”