Celebration of 10 Years of Success of the Inspira STEAM Programme Promoting Science and Technology Vocations
Since its creation, more than 54,000 students and 3,600 mentors have taken part in this pioneering initiative, which has recently been awarded first prize at the Ministry of Education’s STEAM Alliance Awards
The Basque Country Technology Park is an active part of this initiative alongside the University of Deusto, as a cornerstone of its commitment to fostering science and technology vocations among young students.
The Inspira STEAM programme, aimed at promoting science and technology careers among girls and young people, has reached its 10th anniversary. What began in 2016 as a pioneering initiative has now become a success story, implemented not only in Euskadi but also across Galicia, Asturias, La Rioja, Aragón, Catalonia, Madrid, Castellón, Murcia, the Canary Islands and Andalusia, as well as in Chile and Argentina.
Based on group mentoring activities, the programme enables Year 6 primary and Year 7 secondary students to reflect on and gain a better understanding of STEAM fields alongside volunteer professionals working in research, science and technology.
Over its ten editions, the programme has engaged 3,226 female mentors and 384 male mentors, who have worked directly with 27,372 girls and 26,813 boys from 550 schools. The aim is to broaden perspectives by breaking down stereotypes and bringing STEAM role models closer to younger students, in order to eliminate the biases that influence career choices. In the last academic year alone, the project mobilised 204 mentors and 3,200 students across 58 schools in Euskadi.
Recently, the Spanish Ministry of Education recognised the leadership of this educational project with first prize in the “STEAM Alliance Awards 2024”. This is the latest in a long list of awards and recognitions received throughout its ten editions, highlighting the outstanding work carried out by the hundreds of individuals involved in this initiative. In addition, more than 50 organisations have signed the Inspira STEAM Commitment, enabling employees within their organisations to participate as mentors and raising awareness within their communities about the gender gap in science and technology.
Among the most notable awards are the Sekeirox Award 2021–2022, the Excellence Award from Radio Bilbao and Laboral Kutxa, the Zigari Awards 2021 (Empowerment and Change in Values), the STEAM Euskadi Awards (1st edition), the Burber Awards (17th edition, Women and Technology Project category), and the Dona TIC Award.
Each year, more people join this initiative, which is supported by the Basque Innovation Agency, Innobasque, and sponsored by the Provincial Councils of Bizkaia and Álava, BBK, SPRI Group, the Basque Country Technology Park, Lantik, EJIE (the Basque Government’s IT company), Ormazabal Velatia, Sidenor, Arteche, Ner Group, Grupo Oesia and ABB.
