The Basque Country demonstrates its ability to transform science into innovation at the 14th edition of Global Innovation Day

The annual event organised by the Basque Innovation Agency, Innobasque, brought together agents from the Basque innovation ecosystem and attendees from different social and business spheres

he 14th edition of the Global Innovation Day, organized by the Basque Innovation Agency, Innobasque, took place today at the GOe space of the Basque Culinary Center, located on the Donostia Campus of the Basque Technology Park. The event gathered representatives from the scientific, technological, business, and social spheres, along with hundreds of online attendees, in a session that demonstrated how science is being transformed into real innovation with tangible impact on the economy and citizens’ well-being.

Under the theme “From Science to Innovation”, and with the collaboration of the Basque Government’s Department of Science, Universities and Innovation, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the Euskaltel Foundation, Iberdrola, and the University of the Basque Country (EHU), the event marked the official opening of the 25th Basque Week of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

The opening ceremony featured speeches by Olatz Yarza, First Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Mobility, Sustainable Transport and Tourism of Donostia/San Sebastián; Jon Gurrutxaga, Director of Innovation at the Department of Economic Promotion and Strategic Projects of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa; and Imanol Rego, President of the Basque Innovation Agency, Innobasque.

Donostia and Gipuzkoa: A Shared Drive Toward Innovation and Collaboration

Yarza emphasized that this year’s event takes place in an especially exciting context for the city:
“Donostia has been shortlisted for the title of European Capital of Innovation 2025, a recognition that fills us with pride but also with responsibility, because being a finalist means that Europe has set its eyes on our city as an example of how innovation can transform people’s lives and strengthen social and territorial cohesion.”

During her speech, the Deputy Mayor recalled some of the city’s recent innovation milestones, such as the installation of the IBM Quantum One system, “a breakthrough that places our city among Europe’s leading hubs in quantum computing and will foster new knowledge ecosystems and attract global talent.”

Yarza also highlighted that beyond Donostia’s leadership in cutting-edge sectors such as biosciences, artificial intelligence, or knowledge-intensive business services, “the true strength of the city lies in everyday innovation — the kind that improves life in neighborhoods and generates shared well-being.”

An Innovative and Future-Ready Euskadi

In line with the event’s theme, “From Science to Innovation,” Imanol Rego, President of the Basque Innovation Agency, Innobasque, stated that Global Innovation Day reflects the major shift currently underway in Europe’s innovation strategy, driven by the 2024 Letta and Draghi reports and by the European Commission as it designs the future Framework Programme for research and innovation funding.

“This change responds to Europe’s great challenge: transforming excellent science into real, applied innovation capable of creating new disruptive technological sectors — and with them, high-value jobs. In Euskadi, we have the scientific, industrial, and strategic foundations — with plans such as Industry Euskadi 2030, IKUR 2030, and the recently presented Innovation Lighthouses, which serve as strategic benchmarks for the Basque Government’s Innovation Policy — that allow us to fully engage in this European dynamic and position ourselves as a key player in the execution of European innovation projects. This edition of Global Innovation Day aims precisely to highlight that potential and to show how Euskadi is turning knowledge into impactful innovation.”

Five Practical Innovation Cases Showcasing the Strength of Public-Private Collaboration in Euskadi

The five practical innovation cases presented at Global Innovation Day highlighted how scientific knowledge drives solutions that contribute to sustainable development and social well-being across a wide range of sectors, including advanced industry, health, energy, and the environment.

Some of the featured examples from companies based in the Technology Park Campuses include:

• “Factory 21. A New Concept of Flexible Manufacturing” by Gestamp — presented by Aloña Auzmendi, Advanced Manufacturing Director — showcased how digital and interactive technologies are transforming automotive production processes toward more sustainable, autonomous, and efficient models. Through collaborative robotics and applied artificial intelligence, this project exemplifies the Basque industry’s evolution toward the cognitive factory of the future.
• In the biomedical field, “Triple Innovation to Defeat Metastatic Cancer”, led by Oncomatryx Biopharma, a company specializing in the development of biological drugs, focuses on creating a precision medicine based on cutting-edge biomedical knowledge for the treatment of metastatic disease. Pedro Esnaola, Oncomatryx Board Member, explained that the approach combines molecular biology, biomarker-based diagnostics, and targeted therapy to act on the tumor microenvironment, offering new hope for patients with metastatic pancreatic, lung, or colon cancer.
• Finally, in the energy sector, the “H2SITE” project, developed by the Tecnalia Research and Technological Development Center together with the Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) and supported by ENGIE (Bizkaia), demonstrated how materials science enables the design of innovative membrane reactors for hydrogen production and transport, driving the transition toward a low-carbon economy. Gorka Hermoso, CFO of H2SITE, presented and detailed the project’s main goals and outcomes.