UPTEK ADVANCES NEW SESSIONS OF ARABA EKIN AND GIPUZKOA EKIN TO PROMOTE TECHNOLOGICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AMONG VET STUDENTS

UPTEK has launched new sessions of the ARABA EKIN and GIPUZKOA EKIN programmes, developed in collaboration with TKNIKA and the territorial BICs, with the aim of fostering technological entrepreneurship among Vocational Education and Training (VET) students. The Araba edition began on 11 November at the BIC Araba facilities, where 30 students from different centres took part in a session focused on Industry 4.0 technologies and artificial intelligence. The event featured the entrepreneurial experiences of Lasa Dynamics, ThePulse, and Eywa Space, along with insights from last year’s winner, Uhma Aitana Sánchez Peñas.

Meanwhile, the Gipuzkoa Ekin programme held its second session of the 2025/2026 edition, bringing together 60 students from Gipuzkoa’s VET centres for a day dedicated to technological entrepreneurship in the field of extended reality (XR). Companies Scott & Irwin and IMMERSIA shared their journeys and showcased how their solutions bring innovation and added value to the industrial sector, complemented by hands-on demonstrations of augmented, virtual, and mixed reality technologies.

In both sessions, UPTEK’s director, Juanjo Gómez Giraldo, highlighted the crucial role of startups and technology-based companies in the transformation of the industrial sector, as well as the importance of connecting young talent with the wider AFM Cluster ecosystem. Both ARABA EKIN and GIPUZKOA EKIN continue to strengthen their position as key initiatives for inspiring students and presenting real opportunities for entrepreneurship linked to advanced manufacturing.