The Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka Fair of 2025 is already underway. It started today at 11:00, following the official inauguration. During the inaugural ceremony, the sponsors of the fair participated, along with the agents of the Basque Network of Science and Technology that collaborate in the initiative, among them:Eider Inunciaga Serna, Delegate of Euskera, Citizen Care and Participation, Agenda 2030 and International Affairs of the City of Bilbao; Isabel Sarrionères-Ibarra Fernandez, Head of the Business Promotion Service of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia; Eneko Elorriaga Olaastigarraga, Director

During the four days of the fair, young people between the ages of 12 and 18 will show the over 160 STEAM projects developed throughout the school year. A total of 640 boys and girls will participate in this edition. Besides young people from the educational centers of the Basque Country, winners will also participate in other fairs both in the Spanish and international scope: 9 other groups that come from Vila-real (Valencian Community), Catalonia, Burgos, Galicia and Italy.

The drivers of the 160 projects have each associated with sustainable development goals (SDGs), such as Health and Well-being, Responsible Production and Consumption, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and, finally, Climate Action. They have reflected on global challenges and proposed solutions from their closest environment. This approach has allowed students not only to deepen their curricular content, but also to become aware of their role in the construction of a more just and sustainable future.

We will also have in the Arenal de Bilbao with researchers who will evaluate young people’s projects. Once all the data is collected, the award distribution will take place on the same Saturday, 31 May, at 13:00. The awards ceremony will bring the winners together with the authorities and representatives of various institutions that will deliver them, including the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the Basque Government, the City Council of Bilbao and Elhuyar. The awards will consist of study grants and trips to attend other fairs both in Spain and abroad. Presenters will be exerted by actor Joanes Echeveste Dernet and researcher Sara Alicante Martínez, who will also show some scientific experiments. On the other hand, stays in research centers collaborating with the initiative will be drawn daily.

In addition to young students, Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka also includes research centres and universities in the Basque Country. It is also important to highlight the commitment of all of them to this project, a commitment that they renew year after year: thus, at the beginning of the school year, 94 researchers (51 women and 43 men) from universities and technology centers offered to work with students throughout the course and evaluate the work after completion, and during the course 73 researchers (45 women and 28 men) have carried out evaluation work.

Erronka Garbia

Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka has won the Erronka Garbia seal from IHOBE. The events that apply the Erronka Garbia methodology obtain this mark, whose objective is to mitigate the negative impacts that the organization of events produces for the environment and to raise the awareness of the attendees in this sense.

Along these lines, Elhuyar has set itself the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing energy consumption and the consumption of energy from renewable sources, reducing the environmental impact of purchases and leased infrastructure and reducing the impact of waste. It shall promote, inter alia, the use of public transport and renewable energy, the procurement of local suppliers and the selective collection of waste. Once the fair is finished, the indicators will be analyzed and the environmental impact of Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka will be measured.

Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka for the remainder of the year

The objective of Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka is to offer young people experiences related to science, as well as to promote and disseminate scientific culture, not only at this fair that is held in Arenal, but also throughout the year.

Since its first edition in 2013 to date, nearly 4,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 have presented their projects at the Elhuyar Zientzia Azoka fair in Bilbao. In total, more than 1,000 research or technological projects have already been submitted.

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