Second meeting and reflections of Basque researchers in health sciences

2014/07/01 Agirregoitia Marcos, Ekaitz - Udako Euskal Unibertsitateko Osasun Sailburua Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Azokak, biltzarrak
• Osasuna

When you live in a small town, in a village with a minority language, it is difficult to know if there is critical mass to make collective reflections in specialized areas. We had that doubt when we decided to bring together Basque health science researchers. There are no institutions that have registered Basque researchers in health sciences and, even less so, institutions that deal with radiography and future direction of health research throughout the Basque Country. However, we listened and encouraged ourselves: Since the “1st Meeting of Researchers in Life Sciences” of 2010 we chose to jump to the “2nd Meeting of Researchers in Health Sciences” of 2014, and today we can say that it was a good decision. In Euskal Herria there are many researchers doing health research in Basque.

We didn't start from scratch, but almost...

From the Department of Health of the Basque Summer University (UEU) we organize the meetings. In fact, from the Department of Health we have been reflecting for some time, by areas, and it has been very gratifying to see that the Department has approached new people to prepare the meetings. However, we had to work with ants: We had experience in 2010, but knowing that we would focus on health sciences, we had to do rigorous work to contact researchers. Therefore, we enter the websites of research centres, universities and healthcare companies in the Basque Country and copy the email addresses one by one. In addition, the teachers send the appointment to the students of our degree and master's degree, those of the contact list of the EU and publish it on social networks. Finally, we use an old app, word of mouth. We are clear that in exploration we leave many researchers on the way. But we also have clear that we started connecting the first threads of the network.

Optimal response

To carry out these meetings, on the one hand, we have excellent collaborators in health research: Instituto para la Euskaldunización de la Salud (OEE), Ekaia (science and technology magazine of the UPV), the biotechnology company Elhuyar and Teknovas.

The appointment was on May 30 at the UEU academic headquarters in Markesco (Eibar). That day we met 53 researchers from 20 departments and centers, although in total 96 researchers from 36 departments and centers signed all the research work. However, with the numbers, the most interesting thing was the incorporation of researchers from almost all research centers in the Basque Country.

Most of the participants came from different departments of the University of the Basque Country (Immunology and Microbiology, Genetics and Physical Anthropology, Nursing, Physiology, Cellular Biology, Neurosciences, Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Analytical Chemistry, Pharmacy, Otorhinolaryngology, SGIker Service, etc. ). Also present were representatives of the Public University of Navarra. People from the Cruces and Basurto University Hospitals and the Integrated Health Organization (OSI) of Alto Deba also participated. As for pure research centers, they come from BioCruces in Bizkaia and CIC Biogune, Neiker-Tecnalia in Álava and CIMA in Navarra.

Advanced research in restored language

To begin the meetings, Jon Zarate Sesma, director of the magazine Ekaia, offered us the conference "Ekaia: Goi Zientzia eta Teknologia Enparantza". It was significant that many of the listeners knew for the first time that there was room to publish their research in Basque. After the talk, the presentations of the participants began and soon there was curiosity among the public. The dynamics of the questions and answers were very nice from the beginning, which greatly encouraged the atmosphere.

24 works of various kinds were presented, both in poster format and through oral communications. In the first block we were explained the basic research being carried out to cure different types of cancer (prostate, cervix, kidney, colon, bone, etc. ). Subsequently, four groups explained the importance of the cannabinoid system in different physiological processes. Finally, after explaining how the uses of proteomics have been renewed, other topics that were not directly related to each other were addressed: fertility, hypoxia ischemia, alzheimer, celiac disease, gene therapies, psychology, etc. It was attended by researchers dedicated to basic research and perhaps we miss those who work in the clinical field. Therefore, for future appointments we will have to try to build bridges between basic research and applied research.

Among the young participants, some spoke for the first time to the public and others published their data in Basque for the first time. They recognized that they had doubts with many words and expressions, but that they saw that they were part of the normalization of Basque. This is what linguists told us when presenting the GARATERM project. Its main objective is to develop the natural development of the academic and professional records of Basque, developing tools and resources for professionals.

IkerForum: discussion forum for researchers in health sciences

After eight hours, to end the meetings, the permanent connection tool of researchers to the network was presented: IkerForum ( www.ikerforum.net). From the first meetings of four years ago to the present day the difficulty of maintaining the relationship between researchers has been observed, which does not mean that we do not need a relationship between researchers. Therefore, from the UEU Department of Health we have created a place to maintain a permanent relationship between researchers. IkerForum can be used to talk about our lines of research, share the doubts that arise in the techniques, analyze the calls for work to carry out the scientific trajectory, reflect on the doubts about the terminology of scientific Basque and, ultimately, develop a permanent interaction between researchers.

Next appointment within 4 years?

This ended the meetings of health science researchers in 2014. We do not know whether or not what we investigate is a priority for Basque citizens. As mentioned earlier, there is no list of Euskal Herria research groups or a classification of the research lines of these groups. However, in these meetings we have taken a small step to resolve these doubts.

On the one hand, we have taken a step towards the association and identification of the community of Basque researchers, but on the other hand, the second meetings of researchers in health sciences have revealed to us a very important particularity: that it has been a forum to present the lines of research of many research centers in the Basque Country, surpassing the name of the work center of the researchers. That is: We have had the opportunity to carry out a small x-ray of the health research that is carried out in the Basque Country, something that today is so unusual that it has a great importance. From the point of view of the Basque scientific community, it is essential that scientists, students, professors, doctors and researchers from Euskal Herria have a forum: 1) if we want to analyze the debate raised by the cuts in science, research and health in times of crisis; 2) if we want to reflect on the strategic lines that should be promoted in priority in key areas for well-being; and 3) if we want effective planning. Only then can we express our opinion forcefully. In addition, once and for all it will allow health sciences to be made available to the public and with transparency.

If we continue with the aim of creating a network of researchers, Basque society perceives in the medium term the results and benefits of exchange. We will continue to create a network, researching.