Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka will bring together 660 young people in the Arenal of Bilbao

Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka 2026 is underway. It starts at 11:00 in the morning with the official opening. The event was attended, together with the agents of the Basque science and technology network that support the initiative, by the sponsors of the initiative, among others: Maialen Agirre Pinedo, Director of Science, Universities and Innovation of the Basque Government; Kontxi Claver Zurro, Delegate Councillor for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism and Employment of the Bilbao City Council; Begoña Pacheco Delgado, Head of the Business and Employment Promotion Service of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia; Eneko Elorriaga Astigarraga, Co-founder and Director of Innovation of Erabi; and Amaia Zarrabeitia, General Coordinator of Terelyar.

“During the four days of the fair, young people between 12 and 18 years old will exhibit more than 183 STEAM projects carried out during the course. A total of 660 young people will participate in this year’s fair.”

In addition to the young people from the educational centers of the Basque Country, we will have the presence of the winners of the national and international fairs: 9 other teams will come from Valencia, Catalonia, Sevila, Galicia, Portugal and Italy.

The Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka is attended not only by young students, but also by research centers and universities in the Basque Country. It is also worth noting the commitment shown by all of them to this project every year: at the beginning of the course, 80 researchers from universities and technology centers, including 48 women, signed up to work with the students.

The researchers provide direct support to the students to carry out the project. In this way, students get to know first-hand the daily activity of researchers, gain a better understanding of scientific methodology and get to know first-hand the research that is carried out in research centers and universities in the Basque Country. These relationships also allow them to have a close knowledge of scientific referents and contribute to breaking gender stereotypes about scientists. In addition, during the days of the fair, projects of young people are evaluated.

Once all the data has been collected, the awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 9 at 13:00 hours. The awards ceremony will bring together the winners of the fair and will be attended by authorities and representatives of institutions such as the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the Basque Government, the City Council of Bilbao and Elhuyar. The winners will receive study grants and trips to national and international fairs. The presenter will be the journalist and content creator Eleder Iglesias Pérez and the professor and researcher Arantza Muguruza Montero, who will also carry out scientific experiments. In addition to these awards, there will be a daily draw for stays in collaborating research centers.

The Net Challenge

Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka obtained the Erronka Garbia seal from IHOBE last year. The yellow stamp is obtained by those events that apply the Erronka Garbia methodology. The objective of this methodology is to mitigate the negative environmental impacts that occur during the organization of the events and to raise awareness among the participants in the event.

Therefore, one more year, Elhuyar has set itself the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing energy consumption and energy consumption from renewable sources, reducing the environmental impact of purchases and rented infrastructures and reducing the impact of waste. To this end, the use of public transport or renewable energy, the contracting of local suppliers and the selective collection of waste will be promoted, among other actions. Once the fair is over, the indicators will be collected to measure the environmental impact of Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka.

Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka throughout the year

Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka aims to offer young people scientific experiences and promote and disseminate scientific culture, not only in this fair that is held in Areatza, but throughout the year.

since its first edition in 2013, almost 4,500 young people between 12 and 18 years old have presented their projects at the Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka, which is held in Bilbao. In total, more than 1,300 research or technological projects have been presented.

The Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka initiative, organized by Elhuyar, is supported by the Department of Science, Universities and Innovation of the Basque Government, the FECYT (Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology), the Bilbao City Council, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the Government of Navarra and Erabi.