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La Fundación
About the fundation
The Iñaki Goenaga (FCT-IG) Technology Centres Foundation is a private non-profit entity created in 1995 to promote and spread the innovation culture through the specialization of young graduates and the training of people who want to become investigators.
The fundamental objective of the Foundation is to create and manage grant programmes aimed at the scientific and technological training of young investigators in the Basque Autonomous Community.
Besides, the Foundation collaborates at the following actions:
- Investigation awards.
- Courses and seminars.
- Actions that contribute to improve the innovation and technology culture.
- Activities to improve the mobility of investigators and professionals of the R+D+I field.
History
The history of the Foundation started at the beginning of the 80's, when the technology centres of the Basque Autonomous Community decided, as one of their main objectives, to train young graduates to complete their technological knowledge, helping them enter in companies through grants developed in the centre or given by the Official Bodies of Industrial Engineers of Biscay, Alava, Gipuzkoa and Navarre.
In order to support the grant programme, the 23rd March 1995, THE TECHNOLOGY CENTRES FOUNDATION TO BOOST TECHNOLOGY was created by the following:
- CEIT
- GAIKER
- IKERLAN
- INASMET
- LABEIN
- ROBOTIKER
- TEKNIKER
- Official Body of Industrial Engineers of Biscay
- Official Body of Industrial Engineers of Alava, Gipuzkoa and Navarre
Later, two other technological centres joined the Foundation (ESI and LEIA). Besides, the Official Body of Industrial Engineers of Alava, Gipuzkoa and Navarre segregated, so the Official Bodies of Alava and Gipuzkoa also became members of the Foundation.
Moreover, after the creation of the Basque Science, Technology & Innovation Network in 1997, the Foundation opened its announcements to the agents of the Network, so they could take part at the programmes of the Foundation.
In December 2002, the members of the Foundation decided to change their name in memory of Mr. Iñaki Goenaga Lumbier. The new name was FUNDACI?N CENTROS TECNOL?GICOS ? Iñaki GOENAGA.
The management of the tasks of the technical secretariat have been carried out, during all these years, by EITE (Basque Association of Technological Investigation Centres) and Saretek. Since 5 July 2007, Innobasque (Basque Agency of Innovation) assumes those functions and thus, boosts the synergies between investigation and innovation.
From the beginning, the grant programmes of the Foundation had the support of the Industry, Commerce and Tourism Department of the Government of the BAC; it financed the amount of the grants as it included them in the generic investigation projects (Research, Innovation and PhD grants) and strategic investigation projects (Etortek grants).
Along the 29 announcements, 4,240 grants have been given. Thanks to that, lots of graduates have had the opportunity to increase their training and to find a job easier.
Board
The Board is the Government Body of the Iñaki Goenaga Technology Centres Foundation. They meet periodically to decide over the programme of activities, according to the founding principles.
- President:
- Alejandro Bengoa - Tekniker Foundation
- Vice presidents:
- Joseba Jauregizar - Tecnalia Foundation
Jose Miguel Erdozain - IK4 Association - Secretary:
- Jose María Villate - Innobasque. Basque Innovation Agency
- Board members/members:
- Fernando Espiga - Labein Foundation
Josu Sagastagoitia - Official Body of Industrial Engineers of the Basque Country
Iñaki Goenaga
Iñaki Goenaga joined the Gunmaking School of Eibar in October 1967, to launch what was then known as the Steels Analysis Laboratory, which had the task of using the limited resources assigned to the students' practical training to provide local firms with the kind of quality control customers were beginning to demand.
After several years of working with very limited resources, the Laboratory received an incentive from the Association of Fine Steel Manufacturers. That support enabled the Lab to improve its technical resources under Iñaki's enthusiastic and expert management. Its activity increased and so did its clients. Thus, it was consolidated as a long-term project.
During that period at the Gunmaking School, Iñaki Goenaga played a major role in hosting and taking part in the meetings held in 1977 and 1978 between the management staff, who would later become directors of the technology centres and members of the future Basque Government, to prepare a catalogue of the region's technological requirements.
In June 10st 1981, a Constituent Assembly created a Research Association called TEKNIKER, so Iñaki Goenaga's project acquired autonomy and its own legal identity. In 1982, the Association was taken under the Basque Government's tutelage decree and it started its I+D activities.
In the mid eighties, showing a great sense for business and an a quite unusual concern for innovation at that time, Iñaki Goenaga picked up on the imminent changes in technology and decided to reorient TEKNIKER towards manufacturing technologies. From that moment on, those manufacturing technologies have been the backbone of the centre's activity.
Over the years, TEKNIKER continued to expand. As the space in the Gunmaking School was limited, its general manager decided to build the centre's own headquarters, which was inaugurated by the then regional president José Antonio Ardanza, in 22 June 1990.
Iñaki Goenaga was also the first person to perceive that the legal situation of associations was not favourable, so he decided to change it and turn it into a Foundation in January 1st 1996. In the 90's, Goenaga pioneered business promotion from technology centres and, from the earliest years of the decade, he began to work with other entrepreneurs on setting up new technology-based companies. The effects of his original ideas survive to this day - TEKNIKER itself has contributed to and participated in the creation of more than 20 new organisations.
Goenaga's concern with entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs spilt over into the technological side of things. After some timid but successful joint experiences with the Spanish Metrology Centre, in 1992 he became aware of the future relevance of precision engineering and microtechnologies, and started to work on what was originally known as "TEKNIKER Micro Machining", today embodied in its Micro and Nanotechnologies Department.
Despite a painful illness, Iñaki Goenaga continued to run the centre until his death on the 22nd April 2002, after a 35-year professional career devoted to TEKNIKER, to technology, business and progress in the Basque Country.
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