Tecnun celebrates 60th anniversary by doubling its research projects in five years

The director of Tecnun, Raúl Antón, has highlighted the 75 research projects in the field of Artificial Intelligence-Data Science, personalized medicine, energy transition, quantum computing, sustainability or Economics circular leading the School currently, "twice as many as five years ago, which supports its academic profile and researcher". 

Tecnun today held an event to commemorate its 60th anniversary. The Councilor for Economic, Sustainability and Environment development of the Basque Government, Arantxa Tapia, a former student of the School of Engineering, participated in the event along with director general of Vehicles in CAF and president of Solaris Bus & Coach, Josu Imaz, the co-founder of the start-up Naru Intelligence, Eider Sanchez and Professor Emeritus of Tecnun, Justino Fernandez .

All of them alumni have reflected, with the help of journalist Julio Diaz de Alda, on the evolution of the Gipuzkoa industry and the contribution of the university center during these six decades. The Igartza Palace of Beasain has hosted this meeting for being, in words of the director of the School, Raúl Antón, "scene of the first steps of the industrialization in Gipuzkoa" .

"From the beginning, the project was a perfect fit with the interest on the part of the @Gipuzkoa Provincial Council that #Donostia should have Engineering studies." #Tecnun60Unav pic.twitter.com/iiMJpELYwX

- Tecnun (@tecnun) January 26, 2022

 "On October 17, 1961, a far-reaching university project was launched, the results of which are now a brilliant reality, such as the 9,000 alumni and nearly 700 PhDs who occupy positions of professional relevance and have decisively intervened in social and economic transformation over the last half century," said Antón during his speech.

He also thanked all the institutions, companies, former and current students and professionals for "having been moving forward together for 60 years" . "We are very grateful for the support we have felt from the beginning, proud of the professors and students we have and of having been able to surround ourselves with researchers with the intuition to apply research to industrial production," he said. Specifically, he highlighted the 75 research projects in the field of Artificial Intelligence-Data Science, personalized medicine, energy transition, quantum computing, sustainability or Economics circular leading the School currently, "twice as many as five years ago, which supports its academic profile and researcher" .

Arantxa Tapia stressed "the responsibility of Gipuzkoa to train engineers in all areas in view of the digital and climatic challenge we are facing". In this sense, she said that it is a great advantage that in the campus of San Sebastian there is a "great applied research center with great impact on industry as is the Ceit, with a training center as Tecnun". As a former student, she acknowledged that "she takes with her great friends, the capacity for effort and work, and responsibility".

Likewise, Eider Sanchez, co-founder of the start-up Naru Intelligence, highlighted that "there are many companies founded in Gipuzkoa by alumni and that the culture of entrepreneurship is taking hold, something that fits very well in Gipuzkoa".

For his part, Josu Imaz, director of Vehicles at CAF, highlighted the role of the committee advisor of Companies at Tecnun which "is the ideal channel for channeling the needs of the industry and adapting the curricular contents".

Photo gallery of the event