- Registration period open for young researchers in Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka 2016-2017

- More than 500 Basque schoolchildren are expected to participate

- Elhuyar joins the MILSET movement that unites youth and science worldwide to promote the scientific experiences of young people

The deadline to enroll in Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka is now open and Elhuyar has launched this year with new fellow travelers. From year to year, Elhuyar wants to offer attendees opportunities to travel abroad and richer scientific experiences. To meet this goal, Elhuyar has joined the Youth Foundation of Portugal and the MILSET movement.

Zientzia Azoka is the science and technology project fair developed by young people aged 12 to 18. Through the experiential trajectory of the initiative, Elhuyar works the hobby and closeness between young people to science and technology, as well as the research carried out in it and the approach of its protagonists to young people. At the hands of Elhuyar, young people have the opportunity to internally live scientific research and technological development and, along the way, they receive the help of professional researchers thanks to the agreements that Elhuyar maintains with the UPV/EHU, the Public University of Navarra, Deustotech and the Polytechnic School of Mondragon Unibertsitatea.

The initiative also attaches great importance to the socialization of the work done by young people and the participation of parents, teachers and friends. With this objective, at the end of the tour is held the Zientzia Azoka in the Plaza Nueva in Bilbao. The 2017 will be on May 6.

Subsequently, a group of young people will be offered the possibility to work two days with professional researchers in Basque research centers, both in Tecnalia and in IK4 and CIC nanoGUNE. Others will participate in the scientific fairs in Barcelona, Lisbon, Toulouse (France) and Ourense thanks to the agreements of Elhuyar. One of them is the one with the MILSET movement, which brings together non-profit associations worldwide that seek to promote the hobby of science among young people. In fact, Elhuyar, a member of MILSET, was approved at the general assembly on 12 July.

The initiative was born in 2004 and the number of participants has grown year after year. Last year it brought together more than 500 young people with the aim of working on scientific and technological skills, awakening vocations and bringing people closer to the sector.

To carry out the Zientzia Azoka, Elhuyar has the support of the City of Bilbao, the Department of Education of the Basque Government, the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology FECYT, Euskaltel, Iberdorla and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.