2010
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The Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country was created in 2010 thanks to an agreement between the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the EHU. At the time of its creation, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, professor of the EHU, was appointed director.
Over the years, the Chair has had a team of collaborators from the EHU, mostly professors and researchers. Initially, these people were Marta Macho, Raúl Ibáñez, Aitor Bergara, Marian Iriarte, José Ignacio Royo, Juan Carlos Odriozola and Pedro Alegría. Professor Marta Macho, professor Raúl Ibáñez and retired professor Eduardo Angulo continue to collaborate today. Professor Miren Bego Urrutia and Ikerbasque researcher Jaume Navarro, on the Gipuzkoa campus, complete the list of current collaborators.
2011
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The first initiatives of the Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country were, mainly, conferences, talks and meetings on the scientific issue, sometimes related to television programmes (Escépticos ETB, Órbita Laika). In 2011, the Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country began collaborating with the Naukas platform to organize a large scientific festival lasting several days in Bilbao. Since then, it has been held annually in September, with the sole exception of 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost every outreach event organized by the Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country is broadcasted live via streaming, thanks to the collaboration of EiTB. Besides, the recordings are available on the Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country’s platforms.
Along with live activity, the Chair carries out extensive scientific dissemination on the internet. This activity began in 2011 with the creation of the blog Cuaderno de Cultura Científica. This blog has been edited by César Tomé López since November 2012. Articles and other materials are published daily in the blog, always ensuring the necessary scientific rigour.
2012
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In 2012, Mapping Ignorance was created, and in this case, too, the editing work is in the hands of César Tomé López. It is an English-language research blog aimed at the international arena. As a research blog, the level is slightly higher than that of Cuaderno de Cultura Científica.
2013
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In 2013 Zientzia Kaiera was created to disseminate all kinds of scientific content in Basque language to the general public. Uxune Martinez Mazaga edits the blog. The main audience are teachers and people with secondary or higher education.
2014
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2024
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The fourth digital medium created was Mujeres con Ciencia, in 2014. The editor is a collaborator of the Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country Marta Macho Stadler. In this blog, women’s contributions to scientific knowledge throughout history and today are reported. The blog publishes articles, chronicles, biographies, interviews, lectures, etc.
All of these media have a strong presence on social media, with the aim of reaching out to the widest public possible.
In addition to classic face-to-face outreach activities and internet initiatives, the Chair has developed a wide variety of activities. Art and Science, Evidence in Education, Darwin Day, Science Clip, Crystallography at School, Frontier Interviews, Science +, summer courses, exhibitions, Naukas Kids…
All of this has been possible thanks to the fact that over the years, professionals specializing in communication, event management and the science have joined Euskampus’ Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit to form the current five-person team, plus the two EHU professors and researchers.
The mission of the Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country, however, could not be performed without the assistance of the collaborators involved in the various actions. Be it scientific lecturers, content review professionals, institutions providing technical assistance, etc.
Over the years, the Chair has launched a number of initiatives. Some have disappeared after their goal was reached and others, such as Naukas or Darwin Day, remain active since the beginning. Whatever the case, any activity that has been carried out has been primarily aimed at sharing scientific and technological knowledge. Because the Chair of Scientific Culture of the EHU was created to promote the scientific culture.
The Rector of the EHU, Eva Ferreira, appointed Iker Badiola Etxaburu as the new academic director of the Chair of Scientific Culture of the EHU on September 18th, 2024; as the former director, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, was appointed in June Counsellor for Science, Universities and Innovation of the Basque Government.
2025
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On 17th October 2025, the Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country (EHU) celebrated its 15th anniversary with a commemorative event that brought together officials and key figures who have supported the Chair throughout its history. The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress made over the years and the challenges that lie ahead.
In this context, Iker Badiola, the Director of the Chair of Scientific Culture of the University of the Basque Country (EHU), reaffirmed his commitment to bringing scientific knowledge to the whole of society, particularly to those audiences and spaces it has not yet reached. To this end, among other initiatives, the Chair will continue to foster collaboration with social partners in its community, whilst promoting the development of more engaging formats of design to spark young people’s interest in science.
2026
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In line with this new strategic direction, the Chair has forged new partnerships with various social stakeholders in its local community to make science communication more accessible, inclusive and relatable. Notable among these are the collaboration agreements with Gertu Kultura and Lectura Fácil Euskadi (Easy To Read Association Basque Country), which aim to facilitate access to scientific culture for people with diverse needs and circumstances.
The Chair has also launched a Partnership with the Eroski Foundation to promote healthy lifestyles based on scientific evidence through the publication of popular science articles on its website, Consumer.es.
In the audiovisual sphere, the Chair contributes to the ‘Zientzia Piztia’ programme on EITB’s children’s and youth platform, Makusi, by carrying out a scientific review of the scripts to ensure the rigour and quality of its content. It also continues its collaboration with RTVE on the scientific review of scripts for the programme ‘Órbita Laika’ and with the Euskal Wikilarien Kultura Elkartea (EWKE) on the educational project ‘Ikusgela’.
These initiatives reflect the consolidation of a new phase focused on bringing scientific knowledge to every corner of society, through innovative formats, strategic partnerships and new forms of participation.