EURAXESS TOP III Study Visit to bizkaia:talent

On the 25th of October 2016, the member of EURAXESS Spain bizkaia:talent opened its doors to fellow colleagues from other EURAXESS national networks in the framework of a study visit of the H2020 project EURAXESS TOP III.

Along 3 days, EURAXESS members from Estonia, Poland, Greece and Hungary had a first-hand experience of the ecosystem for the promotion of a knowledge, innovation and technology based industry within which bizkaia:talent works.  A key element of such an ecosystem is the attraction of highly skilled staff in the knowledge and innovation process, and this is where bizkaia:talent’s services are essential.

Apart from learning about the activities of the organization -such as the Relocation and Be Basque Dual Career Centre, their international networking events, or the Talentia programme for last year university students- the study visit participants had the opportunity of visiting several partners of bizkaia:talent to have a direct feedback on how this collaboration works:

• Parke is the organization in charge of all the Technological Parks of the Basque Country, including the one of Biscay where bizkaia:talent has its premises. This visit allowed the participants to learn about the role of the technological parks in fostering a knowledge and technology based industry across the region.
• BTEK is the interpretation centre of the Science and Technology Park of Biscay, and apart from helping in bringing together science and technology with society, it also offers the possibility to the organizations in the park of communicating their results.
• Tecnalia is Spain’s largest private centre for applied research, and the fifth of Europe. Through this visit the participants learned about some of the current research projects being done at the Bilbao headquarters, and meet some of the research staff employed there who had benefited from bizkaia:talent’s services and support.
• The Automotive Intelligence Center (AIC) managed by ACICAE Automotive Cluster is a unique value-generation center for the automotive sector based on a concept of open innovation in which companies improve their competitiveness through cooperation. This implies a high level of multidisciplinary work, as well as the coordination of highly skilled staff, a labour in which bizkaia:talent provides its support.
• IDOM is a multinational company that offers professional integrated services in engineering, architecture and consulting, and is a key player in remodelling Bilbao. Its multinational dimension implies a strongly international staff which can benefit from the services offered by bizkaia:talent.
• Mondragon University’s Bilbao Berrikuntza Faktoria (BBF) is a pioneering learning, innovation and entrepreneurship project in the spirits of further fostering knowledge and technology based industry. 

FECYT as national coordinator of EURAXESS Spain, and as partner of the EURAXESS TOP III project, has supported bizkaia:talent in the organization of this study visit, which has offered the participants the possibility of experiencing the work of  an EURAXESS centre providing services to highly skilled workers beyond the traditional academia environment.