• BIZITEK is the name of the exhibition that highlights the history and achievements of IKERLAN and invites visitors to experience technology.
• The exhibition will be open to the public at the Kulturate centre in Arrasate-Mondragón until 13 November.
• The inauguration ceremony was also attended by representatives of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, Arrasate-Mondragón town council and MONDRAGON Corporation.

The IKERLAN Technology Centre is concluding its programme of celebrations to mark its 50th anniversary until 2024 with the BIZITEK exhibition, 50 years of living technology, inaugurated today by the President of the Basque Government, Imanol Pradales.

During the ceremony, the President of the Basque Government congratulated IKERLAN on its long and fruitful trajectory and thanked the centre for the important role it plays in improving the competitiveness of Basque industry. ‘You were forerunners and today we have been able to see that you are still looking to the future. It is not easy to remain competitive for 50 years and continuously offer solutions to industry’, he said. He also highlighted the impact that this centre has on Basque industry. ‘Your work has a direct impact on our business and industrial fabric. An impact that makes us more competitive and better’.

For his part, IKERLAN's managing director, Ion Etxeberria, thanked the institutions for their continued support in the creation of this unique socio-business project, which has served as a model for many other technology centres. “The MONDRAGON co-operatives were created to change the world, to try to improve it and make it a little fairer. The people and organisations that created IKERLAN 50 years ago were seeking the same objective through technology transfer, and they were able to join forces and create a unique socio-economic project. Today we are prouder than ever to be part of a collective project that puts people first, offers its customers commitment and rigour, and aims to leave the best possible future for future generations”.

BIZITEK is the name of the exhibition that highlights the history and achievements of IKERLAN, with its projects and initiatives, and aims to pay tribute to the thousands of people who have contributed to making IKERLAN today a technology centre at the forefront of research and transfer.

During the visit, the authorities and other guests visited the five areas that make up the exhibition: History, People, Impact, Technological Development and Future.  Through information panels, photos, audio, video and a selection of some of the most representative technological developments, they were able to experience the past, present and future of IKERLAN first hand. In short, the experience of a technology centre that traces its history from its creation in 1974 to meet the needs of the cooperatives in the area, to its consolidation as a benchmark technology centre at the service of all the country's companies in cutting-edge technologies such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, energy or mechatronics.

The exhibition reserves a special place for the real protagonists of the project, the people, with testimonies from different people who have been part of IKERLAN over the decades. In addition, visitors are invited to retrace the history through the most important milestones, such as the creation of the first industrial robot in Spain, the journey into space with NASA, ORONA IDEO's commitment to energy research or the recent ENAC accreditation of its cybersecurity laboratory, a pioneer in the international arena.

There are also curiosity spaces where you can find out which famous presenter started her career at IKERLAN or take a trip back in time in a time capsule to the year 2074.

The exhibition, which will be open from Monday to Saturday from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm until 13th November at the Kulturate cultural centre in Arrasate-Mondragon, marks the end of a year of celebrations during which IKERLAN has shared the milestones, developments and experiences of these five decades with the people who are or have been part of the technology centre, as well as with customers, collaborating organisations, public authorities and society in general.

A benchmark at home and abroad

The centre, which achieved a record turnover of 30,8 million euros in 2023, is a leader in technology transfer to companies and a key player in their competitiveness in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, robotics and industrial automation, embedded systems, mechatronics and electrical energy storage and conversion.

It has a diversified portfolio of more than 140 clients, including major companies such as ORONA, CAF, ULMA, FAGOR or INGETEAM in the local area, and major multinationals such as GENERAL ELECTRIC, NESTLE, TELEFONICA or ACCENTURE in the international area.

In addition, IKERLAN collaborates annually with more than 80 local SMEs in more than 160 projects, which represents more than 50 % of its client portfolio and 20 % of the centre's total turnover.

It is also worth noting its close relationship with the local and national education network and its significant investment in people, with the aim of training, attracting and retaining talent capable of responding to the future challenges of the centre and society, something that the more than 400 people who are currently part of the IKERLAN project are already working on.

In addition, IKERLAN is making a significant contribution to the regeneration of the country's economic fabric through the creation of new companies based on cutting-edge technology. A clear example of this are the three new business initiatives it has helped to create in 2023 (one in cybersecurity, another in energy storage and another in artificial intelligence applied to sport).
 

About IKERLAN

IKERLAN's mission is to contribute to the sustainable economic and social development of our environment by creating jobs and wealth through the generation and transfer of technological solutions and specialised people to companies and the creation of new technology-based business initiatives. It offers integral solutions combining different technological domains in three main areas: digital technologies and artificial intelligence, embedded electronic systems and cybersecurity, and mechatronic and energy technologies. It currently has a team of 420 people and offices in Arrasate-Mondragón, Donostialdea and Bilbao. As a cooperative member of the MONDRAGON Corporation and the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), IKERLAN represents a sustainable, competitive business model in permanent transformation.

 

The exhibition proposes an interactive, audiovisual and participative journey to discover the history, the people, the technological developments and the impact generated by IKERLAN, and gives a nod to the technological future.