The Basque Government earmarks 14 million euros for research staff training grants

• 12 million will be allocated to the Pre-doctoral Programme for the training of researchers that are on track to obtain a doctorate degree. A further two million will go to the IKERTALENT 2024 aid programme to promote the training of research and technology workers in the agricultural, fisheries and food sector.
• The Government increases by 950,000 euros the financial endowment of the Udalaguntza 2023 programme for the execution of works in municipal buildings housing schools

Bingen Zupiria, the acting spokesperson and minister, held a press conference as usual following the Governing Council meeting.

RESEARCH STAFF TRAINING GRANTS

At the proposal of the Department of Education, the Governing Council has approved the call for new grants and renewals for the Pre-doctoral Programme for the training of non-doctoral research staff for the 2024-2025 academic year. According to Zupiria, the call, which amounts to a total of 12 million euros, aims to support the training of researchers that are on track to obtain a doctorate degree, as well as the acquisition of skills and abilities associated with quality scientific research. This new call for proposals continues the new Postdoctoral Guidance series introduced last year to which 650,000 euros have been assigned. Compared to the previous 2022-2023 call for applications, the Department of Education has increased the financial support allocated to the programme by 6%.

The IKERTALENT 2024 programme for training aid for research and technology professionals, in the scientific-technological and business fields of the agricultural, fishing and food sectors was also approved today. This IKERTALENT call for applications, endowed with more than 2,000,000 euros, aims to encourage and promote the training of research and technology personnel by means of their incorporation in technology centres in the Basque Country, where they can participate in the development of R&D&I projects in scientific-technological areas, markets, marketing and business organisation of the entire Basque agri-food value chain. This call offers 12 fellowship programmes for research trainees and 10 of those for technologists. "The IKERTALENT programme was launched in 2007 and since then, the Basque Government has funded a total of 269 projects, 125 by young researchers and 144 by young technologists," added Zupiria.

GRANTS FOR WORK ON SCHOOLS HOUSED IN MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS

On the other hand, and at the proposal of the Department for Education, the Government has agreed to increase by 950,000 euros the financial endowment of the Udalaguntza 2023, which grants aid to local councils in the Basque Country to finance the costs of carrying out work on municipally owned buildings that house educational centres. As the acting spokesperson explained, the order announcing the Udalaguntza 2023 programme was approved by the Governing Council in November last year with an overall amount of 10 million euros. After the increase in the financial allocation was approved today, the total amount of the Udalaguntza 2023 programme amounts to almost 11 million euros, so that the Government believes that all the applications that meet the requirements for access to aid can be dealt with. "Thanks to this programme, a total of 395 initiatives will be subsidised, which accounts for 60 more than in the previous year. As a new feature of this call, among the types of actions that can be financed are works to improve energy efficiency and the implementation of renewable energies in buildings," said Zupiria.

OTHER AGREEMENTS OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL

As is customary, Bingen Zupiria, the spokesperson, reported on other issues that were discussed by the Governing Council. First of all, he indicated that the Governing Council has approved the wages of the Electoral Board members of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country during the last elections to the Basque Parliament on 21 April.

The green light was also given today to the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Department of Health and the Associations of Pharmacists of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa for the implementation and development of a Network of Sentinel Pharmacies in the Basque Country, with the aim of contributing to the monitoring of the safety of medicines in the care systems of community pharmacies. The priority activity of this network will be to report suspected adverse drug reactions to the Basque Pharmacovigilance Unit. It will also pay attention to vaccines, advertised medicines, medicinal plants, magistral formulae and homeopathic medicines.

Finally, and in relation to the Department of Culture, Zupiria outlined three aspects. First and foremost, the new Gure Artea 2024 awards were approved today in its three categories to recognise the contribution of the prize-winners to contemporary Basque art and culture. "Three prizes will be awarded: in recognition of the artistic career; in recognition of creative activity and, finally, prize for the activity carried out by the different agents in the field of fine and visual arts," he added.

Secondly, an allocation of 700,000 euros has also been approved to promote the participation of female athletes in international competitions and top-level national women's leagues. "This is 100,000 euros more than last year and this money will be spent on promoting participation in official sports competitions, in the senior category, and in the national leagues of women's team sports, of an international scope and nature, to be held or starting in the year 2024," explained Zupiria.

Finally, the acting spokesperson mentioned that, thanks to the financial support of the Department of Culture and Language Policy, the Basque Filmoteca has restored Tasio, the film which will open the Classics section of the Cannes Film Festival tomorrow. "For this government, what will take place in Cannes tomorrow is excellent news and a great opportunity to project the Euskadi-Basque Country brand and culture abroad; thanks to this digitalisation, Tasio will have the opportunity to return to cinemas and audiovisual platforms with the current technical qualities, so that new generations can get to know a key work of the Basque cinematography," he concluded.