2025/05/22

CIC bioGUNE joins the 10th edition of the international science outreach festival Pint of Science in Bilbao

Researchers from CIC bioGUNE, member of BRTA, actively took part in the 10th edition of the international science outreach festival Pint of Science, held in Bilbao on May 19th, 20th, and 21st, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of this global initiative that brings science into bars and other cultural venues around the world.

In this special edition, Bilbao hosted fifteen talks distributed across three bars in the city center - Hika Ateneo, Kubrick, and Da Vinci - demonstrating the city’s continued commitment to bringing scientific knowledge closer to the public in a friendly and engaging environment. This was achieved despite coinciding with peak visitor activity due to the UEFA Europa League final at San Mamés Stadium.

On the opening afternoon, May 19th at Hika Ateneo, CIC bioGUNE was represented by two researchers who presented their lines of research to the audience, as part of the thematic session “The Human Body.”

Researcher Aize Pellón delivered the talk titled “Friends to Remember: Innate Memory and Microbiota,” in which he explained the role of innate immune memory in generating long-term antimicrobial responses, and its relevance in interacting with the microbiota. His presentation helped highlight the importance of these processes both in fighting infections and in maintaining everyday health.

Edurne Berra, also a researcher at CIC bioGUNE, followed with her talk “Alert: Hypoxia!”, focusing on the cellular mechanisms of adaptation to oxygen deficiency. Using engaging examples, she illustrated how hypoxia poses a vital challenge to cells and what strategies organisms develop to survive under adverse conditions.

The Pint of Science festival was founded in 2013 in the United Kingdom with the aim of establishing direct dialogue between researchers and the general public. This 10th edition reached record numbers in Spain: over 1,000 events in 75 cities, with more than 600 volunteers involved in the organization and hundreds of partner institutions that made this science-focused, free, and public event possible.

CIC bioGUNE’s commitment to science outreach is reflected in its participation in initiatives such as Pint of Science, which fosters knowledge sharing and the inspiration of future vocations, aligned with the center’s mission to promote scientific culture, transparency, and engagement between biomedical research and society.

More information about the full program in Bilbao: https://pintofscience.es/events/bilbao

About CIC bioGUNE

The Centre for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA), located in the Bizkaia Technology Park, is a biomedical research organisation conducting cutting-edge research at the interface between structural, molecular and cell biology, with a particular focus on generating knowledge on the molecular bases of disease, for use in the development of new diagnostic methods and advanced therapies.

About BRTA

BRTA is an alliance of 4 collaborative research centres (CIC bioGUNE, CIC nanoGUNE, CIC biomaGUNE y CIC energiGUNE) and 13 technology centres (Azterlan, Azti, Ceit, Cidetec, Gaiker, Ideko, Ikerlan, Leartiker, Lortek, Neiker, Tecnalia, Tekniker y Vicomtech) with the main objective of developing advanced technological solutions for the Basque corporate fabric.

With the support of the Basque Government, the SPRI Group and the Provincial Councils of the three territories, the alliance seeks to promote collaboration between the research centres, strengthen the conditions to generate and transfer knowledge to companies, contributing to their competitiveness and outspreading the Basque scientific-technological capacity abroad.

BRTA has a workforce of 3,500 professionals, executes 22% of the Basque Country's R&D investment, registers an annual turnover of more than 300 million euros and generates 100 European and international patents per year.

Spanish version