2025/10/17

New doctoral researchers complete an inspiring 2025 Introductory Week at CIC bioGUNE

CIC bioGUNE, member of BRTA, has successfully concluded the 2025 edition of its Introductory Week, an annual initiative designed to welcome new doctoral candidates and facilitate their integration into the scientific and training environment of the center.

Held from October 13th to 17th at CIC bioGUNE’s facilities, the program offered newcomers a comprehensive introduction to the center’s research areas, technological platforms, and collaborative culture, helping them to build connections and understand the multidisciplinary nature of the institute.

The opening session, held on Monday, October 13th, was chaired by Rosa Barrio, Principal Investigator of the Ubiquitin-Likes and Development Laboratory and member of the Training Committee, with the collaboration of Amaia Zabala, Marco Piva, and Ana Gimeno. During this first session, participants were introduced to the Doctoral Training Program and the PhD Committee, and the 15 new doctoral candidates briefly presented their academic backgrounds and research interests.

The session continued with an introduction to the “Visionary Research Projects” activity, coordinated by Maria Vivanco, leader of the Cancer Heterogeneity Group. Under her guidance, candidates began working in teams to develop creative and collaborative research proposals. The Scientific Director of CIC bioGUNE, Jesús Jiménez-Barbero, then provided an overview of the institution’s mission, strategic research lines, and commitment to scientific excellence. The morning concluded with a presentation by Donatello Castellana, from the Technology Transfer Unit and Reyes Núñez Franco, who explained the opportunities and support mechanisms available to promote innovation and collaboration with external partners.

Throughout the week, candidates visited CIC bioGUNE’s core scientific platforms, including bioinformatics, structural biology, molecular biology, metabolomics, and chemical biology, and met with Principal Investigators from various research groups, gaining insight into the center’s multidisciplinary research environment.

The week culminated with the presentation of the “Visionary Research Projects”, where the new doctoral candidates showcased imaginative and forward-thinking research proposals, hypothetically designed to compete for a 1.5M€ grant over four years. The presentations reflected creativity, teamwork, and scientific curiosity, and the most innovative ideas were recognized by the internal jury.

The 2025 Introductory Week once again proved to be a resounding success, offering new doctoral candidates an engaging and inspiring start to their journey at CIC bioGUNE. The Training Committee warmly welcomes the new cohort of researchers and wishes them a rewarding and productive experience at the center.

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