Thousands of people took part in the Basque Country Technology Park Open Day

• The Technology Parks in Alava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa offered more than 50 activities directed at all publics.
• Councillor Arantza Tapia highlighted the importance of the Open Day as a platform for bringing science and technology closer, in particular to young people.

The Basque Country Technology Park Open Day was held on 17 November; as every year, thousands of people visited the Technology Parks in Alava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa to take part in the numerous activities organised for that day.

The Councillor for Economic Development and Competitiveness, Arantza Tapia was not going to miss the event and visited the Bizkaia Science and Technology Park where she highlighted the importance of holding an open day so that “society can find out about the Technology Parks and their work at first hand, as well as providing an excellent platform for provoking curiosity and interest in science and technology, in particular among young people”.

Councillor Arantza Tapia stated that “our Technology Parks are ecosystems, where firms and technology centres work together, strengthening their relations and obtaining significant performances, giving the Technology Parks a special feature that other places do not have”. In addition, the Councillor spoke of the Basque Country’s commitment to R&D&I, “a commitment sustained for more than 30 years and which led us to the present where it forms 2.12% of the GDP”.

Alava Technology Park held the sixteenth edition of its open day, with numerous workshops, exhibitions, activities of all types and visits to companies. For the first time, the Park organised a digital photography competition, the winners of which were as follows: June Saenz de Urturi Maizegi, Liher Oyarbide Arrese and Gorka Emaldi Mtz. de Ilarduya.

This year was the fourteenth edition for Bizkaia Science and Technology Park. As in other years, both the central building and the companies who opened their doors were filled with activities; BTEK, the Technology Interpretation Centre was one of the highlights of the day with Practice Your Music and the Hydrogen Workshop.

Gipuzkoa Science and Technology Park has arrived at its fourteenth edition of the Open day, with workshops, exhibitions, conferences and all types of activities relating to science and technology developed at Eureka Zientzia Museoa. This year was the tenth anniversary of the Miramón digital photography competition, and the managers of PCTGipuzkoa wished to give pay special tribute to Esteban Heredia, president of the jury since the competition was first set up. Ander Aranburu (Nature), Laura Mendizabal (Technology) and Pablo Vergara (Art) were the winners this year.