The 44th UPV/EHU Summer Courses in an ever-stronger position in knowledge transfer

The Summer Courses have once again shone as a forum for discussion, reflection, and knowledge transfer around the main concerns of today’s society. 14,330 people took part in the 170 activities organised.

The 44th UPV/EHU Summer Courses were highly successful and were further consolidated as a space for sharing knowledge and critical reflection on society’s great challenges. A total of 170 activities were organised and in which 14,330 people took part.

Juana Goizueta, Vice-Rector of the Gipuzkoa Campus of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), and Idoia Otagegui, the Academic Director of the UPV/EHU Summer Courses Foundation (UIK), thus took stock when they appeared before the press today at the Miramar Palace in Donostia-San Sebastián.

Spreading knowledge throughout the territory

The programme was mainly rolled out in Donostia-San Sebastián, Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bayonne, but it also reached out to many locations to bring knowledge to all citizens, including: Ataun, Auritz-Burguete, Azkoitia, Beasain, Elgoibar, Gernika-Lumo, Ispaster, Lekeitio, Lesaka, Zaldibia, Zerain and Zubieta. The courses were available in-person and online.

A current and diverse programme

As regards the academic content, the 2025 courses focused on matters of great social interest, such as Culture & Art, Society, Health, Education, Law, Economics & Business, and Science & Technology. Furthermore, cross-cutting issues such as coexistence, democracy, sustainability and artificial intelligence were also part of the discussions in the classrooms, reflecting the current geopolitical and social context.

Key lectures and moments

The official opening ceremony was held at the Miramar Palace on 2 July; it was chaired by the Lehendakari, the Basque Premier, and the keynote lecture was given by Miren Arzalluz, Director General of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, entitled ‘Art without Borders. Overcoming Boundaries, Exploring Languages’.

On 24 September, José A. Lozano, professor in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the UPV/ EHU and Scientific Director of the BCAM, gave the second lecture of the Ricardo Echepare series, when he critically analysed the future of artificial intelligence.

A broad and varied audience

The average number of participants per activity was 72, with over a hundred on a score of courses.

The profile of the students varied in age, gender, educational level and profession, underscoring that the Summer Courses are aimed at everyone.

The students’ global assessment was yet again excellent. UIK does not only consider that a fundamental indicator of the direction to be followed, but it also spurs us on our enthusiasm to continue.

Institutional commitment and special programmes

This year has bolstered the collaboration with the Basque Government’s Ministry of Science, Universities and Innovation and with its Ministry of Education. Thanks to this cooperation, special programmes were run for teachers, such as ‘Learning to Teach’ and ‘Ikasiz Hezi’, which have celebrated their 25th anniversary by gathering together hundreds of teachers to discuss pedagogical innovation, gender identities, emotional wellbeing and artificial intelligence.

Thanks to the support of Irizar, the partnership dating back to 2009 continued with ‘The Journey of Life’ programme, which this year involved courses on fashion and sustainability, along with contributions by José Miguel Barandiaran on archaeology, ethnography and Basque mythology.

UIK also works with institutions to implement new methodologies. Since 2020, the TopaGune courses, specifically designed to foster participation, have been rolled out together with Gipuzkao Provincial Government’s Good Governance and Political-Social Innovation Department. This year’s edition included 5 TopaGune courses and participatory methodologies were included in an ever greater number of courses, in response to the growing demand seen in the student feedback.

The 4th Cross-Border Summer Courses – driven by the partnership with the public universities of the Nouvelle Aquitaine-Basque Country-Navarre Euroregion, and with the support of the cross-border local authorities – were held in Bayonne to great acclaim. During five days, over 800 participants took part in nine courses, which made this space a benchmark in the sphere of social and academic cooperation of the Euroregion. Looking forward to 2026, the main challenges are the signing of a framework partnership agreement between the five public universities of the Euroregion and the course contents being published in a multimedia and accessible format.

A rich network of partners

From the organisational perspective, the Summer Courses are the outcome of the cooperation with many different entities. 70% of the courses were organised in conjunction with stakeholders outside the UPV/EHU: companies, associations and different collectives that believe organising the Summer Courses is a strategic approach. Apart from the academic knowledge, that allows experience and professional perspectives of different spheres to be incorporated, providing a rich and complex patchwork to update and transfer knowledge.

Acknowledgements

UIK wishes to thank all those people and entities who have made this edition possible, and invite them to continue collaborating in the future. Its deep appreciation goes to all the members of the organising committee – BBVA Foundation, Donostia-San Sebastián City Council, the Basque Government and Gipuzkoa Provincial Council –, to all the entities that support the project, to the members of the Programme Committee, to the Summer Courses directors and speakers, to the students, to the media that have disseminated the UIK contents and to the communication professionals, and to everyone who has worked behind the scenes in the organisation. Many thanks to each and every one of you for believing in this open forum of critical reflection and constant updating.

With the sights set on 2026

Even though this edition has only recently ended, UIK is already working on organising the 2026 Summer Courses. The period for submissions will be from 1 to 30 November. Idoia Otaegui, the UIK Academic Director, invites anybody interested in organising a course to send in their submissions. Submissions can be presented through the uik.eus platform.