Olatz Unamunzaga, new General Manager of NEIKER

The technology centre is part of the Basque Government’s Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries.

The new head of NEIKER will promote closeness to the agricultural, livestock and forestry sector with active listening and participative research.

The Basque Government has appointed Olatz Unamunzaga as the new director general of the NEIKER technology centre, an entity dependent on the Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. This appointment reinforces the innovation strategy promoted by the Basque Councillor Amaia Barredo with the Basque agricultural sector, boosting its commitment to knowledge transfer and the sustainable development of agriculture and livestock farming, essential aspects for the competitiveness of the agri-food sector.

Unamunzaga, who holds a degree in Biology from the University of the Basque Country and a PhD in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Zaragoza, has an outstanding track record in research and management in the agri-food sector. For more than a decade she has worked at NEIKER as head of Innovation and Technology. In this position, he has led strategic projects aimed at the modernisation and sustainability of the agricultural sector, such as the sectoral project GEN and AGROALAVES.

With complementary training in business management (MBAe3), Unamunzaga stands out for her leadership, project management and effective communication skills, competences that will be essential to face her new stage at the head of NEIKER.
The new director intends to consolidate the role of the technology centre as a benchmark in agri-food research and boost knowledge transfer to the agricultural sector. ‘NEIKER is in an exceptional position, with success rates of over 80% in various calls for proposals. This achievement reflects the excellence of the team, but we must go one step further: to make our research reach the last farmer, livestock farmer or forester in line with the new Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government’, says Unamunzaga.

Following the legacy of her predecessor, Leire Barañano, Unamunzaga’s priority is to strengthen the relationship with the sector through active listening and participatory research, putting the farmer at the centre of innovation. ‘We want our work to have a real impact on the competitiveness and sustainability of the agri-food sector, providing tools and solutions that respond to their needs’, he concludes.

With this appointment, NEIKER reaffirms its commitment to research excellence and knowledge transfer, with its sights set on a more sustainable and competitive future for agriculture and livestock farming.