The Social Impact, Scientific Education & STEAM Mentorship initiative brings together CIC bioGUNE’s key efforts to connect research with society through knowledge transfer, science education, and talent development. This comprehensive line of action reflects the center’s commitment to fostering a culture of scientific curiosity, social responsibility, and inclusive innovation.

In line with this commitment, CIC bioGUNE has recently joined the Basque Government’s newly launched Social Knowledge Dissemination Project (Jakindari), an initiative aimed at promoting scientific culture, public engagement, and inclusive access to knowledge throughout the region.

Through active collaborations with schools, vocational centers, patient associations, and major international science outreach events, CIC bioGUNE promotes accessible, participatory science. Throughout the year, researchers take part in public talks, classroom visits, laboratory tours, and community programs, including international events such as Pint of Science and Science is Wonderful, bringing research directly to diverse audiences and real-world contexts.

A central pillar of this initiative is the promotion of STEAM vocations and scientific mentorship, especially among young people and women. CIC bioGUNE actively participates in well-established programs such as Inspira STEAM, Volunteers for Science (AECC Bizkaia), ASEICA’s Women in Cancer Research “Conócelas”, and Emakumeak Zientzian, a regional initiative promoting gender equality in science.

The center also collaborates with the Fundación de Ciencias de la Salud in its Science and Research Area, whose mission is to bring society closer to the most pressing challenges and breakthroughs at the frontier of biomedical science, from fundamental discoveries to applied research. This collaboration includes three core areas: interviews with a new generation of scientific leaders in fields such as biomechanics, synthetic biology, and public health; conversations with leading female researchers through the series Shedding Light on Biology and Biomedicine: A Woman’s Perspective; and public debates on the current meaning of science and technology in democratic societies, covering topics like health equity and the governance of artificial intelligence.

By embedding education, mentorship, and public dialogue into its mission, CIC bioGUNE strengthens the social relevance of science and contributes to building a more informed, engaged, and equitable future.