Second Ricardo Echepare Lecture

Thanks to the support of the Department of Science, Universities and Innovation of the Basque Government, a new initiative named after Ricardo Echepare was launched as part of the 2024 UPV/EHU Summer Courses.

Ricardo Echepare (Irun, 1948) was a professor at the University of the Basque Country and director of the School of Technical Engineering in Donostia-San Sebastián. He also served as Mayor of Irun and as Gipuzkoa's Provincial Councillor for Culture. In the early 1980s, he promoted the creation of the UPV/EHU Summer Courses with the aim of bringing the newly established university closer to Basque society. He directed the UPV/EHU Summer Courses from 1981 to 2008, turning them into a must-attend event for leading academics, intellectuals, artists and politicians of the time.

Continuing Ricardo Echepare's commitment to education and the dissemination of knowledge, an annual lecture will be held. The lectures will address topics such as knowledge transfer and the social impact of scientific and technological research, higher education as a whole, dual education programmes in engineering, and quality university management, among others.

The Ricardo Echepare Lecture will take place in the Royal Dining Room of the Miramar Palace in Donostia-San Sebastián, where a commemorative plaque has been installed in recognition of Echepare's contribution.

Second Ricardo Echepare Lecture

On 24 September 2025, the Second Ricardo Echepare Lecture was delivered by José A. Lozano. Lozano is Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of the Basque Country (EHU) and Scientific Director of the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM). In 2024, he received the Euskadi Research Award.

Programme:

• Welcome address by the Academic Director of UIK.
• Lecture by José A. Lozano: Artificial General Intelligence: Myth, Goal or Threat?
• Address by the Basque Government's Minister for Science, Universities and Innovation.
• Address by the Rector of EHU.

Sponsor: