This morning the new season of the Teknopolis programme, dedicated to science and technology, has been presented. In fact, it will leave this weekend, ETB1 Saturday and Sunday at ETB2, both at the same time: 13:30 hours.

This is undoubtedly a coronavirus season, and it is ready to respond to this situation. The presenter will be Iñaki Leturia Yurrita, and the directors will be Nagore Rementeria Argote and Leturia.

At the press conference Leturia explained that this health crisis has highlighted the need for programmes such as Teknopolis. People are asking for truthful, accurate and reliable information, and this year's main challenge will be to meet that need. As on previous occasions, Leturia has stated that he will faithfully fulfill the function that emerged in this 23rd edition: “Teknopolis must be there and be there to answer people’s questions.”

To this end they will count on the collaboration of Ana Galarraga, member of the Elhuyar Scientific Unit. And that is that Galarraga is closely monitoring covid-19, with a special chapter. It will offer the latest news, news and basic information about coronavirus. There will be no shortage of the usual scientific and technological topics in the session.

In the press conference some of the topics being discussed have been advanced, such as the decline of insects, rowing technology or reports on a group of cyclists performing altimetry.

The presentation took place in Tknika, the Centre for Applied Research of the Basque FP. Amaia Esquisabel Alegre, Research Director of the Basque Government, has highlighted the functions of science, technology, education and research: “In the current context, especially in which we are immersed, no one questions the role of science and technology, education and research for the future and development of our society. Teknopolis opens on weekends the doors of our universities and research centers, as well as our researchers, to make society known scientific and technological news and make it more accessible and improve the perception and understanding of science.”

Xabier Aurrekoetxea Basañez, Deputy Director of ETB1 Programmes, has also confirmed what Iñaki Leturia said. For him, this new pandemic situation we live in today has brought Teknopolis to a current center. The program has also praised its brilliant trajectory in ETB programming, making the dissemination of science and technology attractive and necessary.

For his part, Garazi Andonegi Beristain, director of Elhuyar’s scientific unit, stressed that Teknopolis is the speaker of the scientific community: “Another year, Teknopolis brings us home to the innovation, technology and scientific news of Euskal Herria and all over the world. And we want to be more than ever the speaker of this scientific community: to disseminate what they do in an informative way, to highlight their need, to deepen an ethical and critical vision and to highlight the need to influence scientific policies.”

Finally, Andonegi thanked the sponsoring and collaborating entities of the new edition of Teknopolis for their collaboration: EITB, Department of Sustainable Economic Development and Environment of the Basque Government and Department of Education, University of the Basque Country, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Public University of Navarra, TKNIKA, research and innovation center applied to Professional Training, Basque Energy Agency and FECYT, Spanish Foundation for Science.

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