Formation 2007 Location Bilbao Scientific Director Prof. Fernando Cossío | Type Research Organization Products R&D | |
 | ||
Purpose To strengthen science in the Basque Country through programmes to attract and recruit researchers and to dynamise research, in cooperation with research centres and universities. | ||
Ikerbasque, the Basque Foundation for Science, is a foundation promoted by the Basque Government in 2007.
Contents
Mission
Ikerbasque aims to strengthen the Basque Science system through programmes to attract and recruit researchers in all the fields of activity to Basque R&D system; and to dynamise research, in cooperation with research centres and universities.
To achieve its objectives Ikerbasque works closely with the agents of the Basque Science, Technology and Innovation network within a long-term collaboration relationship that allow Ikerbasque Researchers to join research groups within these universities, research and technology centers.
Researchers
During its history, Ikerbasque has launched several programs to attract and recruit different researchers profiles.
Research Professors
The profile of Ikerbasque Research Professors is that of an experienced researcher capable of leading new research groups, or fostering existing groups, and opening up novel state of the art research topics within the Basque Science community.
In 2010, European Commission awarded Ikerbasque with a Marie Curie action - Cofund program fellowship of 5 million Euros, for co-funding this program.
Research Fellows
Ikerbasque Research Fellows are young researchers who have 3–10 years of postdoctoral experience, international experience and whose CV have been assessed as outstanding by the Evaluation Committee of Ikerbasque. They are assigned to Basque universities and research centres for a five-year period. By the end of 2015, 59 Research Fellows had joined Ikerbasque. The 2016 call of this program offered 15 positions.
Basque Excellence Research Centers
Ikerbasque assisted the Basque Government in launching the BERC Basque Excellence Research Centers: 3 of them have been created by the foundation (BC3 - Basque Center for Climate Change, BCAM - Basque Center for Applied Mathematics and BCBL - Basque Center for Cognition, Brain and Language), 3 were already existing centers which were given the BERC category and funding (Donostia International Physics Center, Material Physics Center and Biophysics Unit) and the last 3 were created in cooperation with the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) from leading research groups within the University (Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Polymat - Basque Center for Macromolecular Design and BCMaterials.