Their aim is to recognize projects featuring innovative and/or technology-based business initiatives
As part of the INIZIA DAY event, the awards bearing its name were presented during a ceremony presided over by the Vice-Rector of the Álava Campus of the University of the Basque Country (EHU), Ixone Fernandez de Labastida Medina. The event was also attended by Director of BIC Araba David Montero de la Torre, Mireia Martínez Herrero and Jorge Tejedor Núñez.
Moreover, we had the oppotunity to listen to Izaskun Orive, AidTec Solutions startup’s cofounder. She inspired us presenting the 7 keys to entrepreneurship while sharing their goals and challenges.
The awards are part of the INIZIA Arabacampus Program, which promotes entrepreneurial culture and is jointly organized by the Álava Campus of the University of the Basque Country and BIC Araba. Their aim is to reward projects that include innovative and/or technology-based business initiatives.
The awards feature two categories. The “New Innovative Initiatives” category is aimed at graduates, postgraduate students, and students from any cycle of the University of the Basque Country; EHU teaching and research staff; and promoters using technology developed as the result of research carried out within the Basque public university.
In this category, the winning project was “NeoSegMed – Artificial Intelligence Platform for the Automatic Segmentation of Biomedical Images and Personalized Surgical Planning” by Fouad Al-Hamik Khalak. The platform is conceived as an artificial intelligence-based solution designed to automate the segmentation of medical images and facilitate their integration into clinical practice. It emerged as an initiative that transforms scientific knowledge into a technological solution with direct impact on the healthcare system. The system enables the automated transformation of raw medical images into three-dimensional digital models ready for use in clinical workflows such as guided surgery or the production of surgical guides through 3D printing.
The second prize went to the project “ElikaBide” by Ireide Astoreca Verdugo. The initiative arose from identifying that many companies in the food sector address waste management mainly from a regulatory perspective, without integrating a strategic vision aimed at genuinely reducing waste or valorizing generated by-products. The project connects food waste management with innovation and technological development, providing a more strategic and results-oriented vision, while seeking to prevent food waste (loss reduction) and revalue by-products by creating new business opportunities.
Awards for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Thesis Projects
In the category “Bachelor’s Final Projects, Master’s Final Projects and Doctoral Theses,” one of the awards went to Ana Urresti Mendia for her work “Potential Application of the PPARγ Receptor as a Downstream Effector of PLCβ1-Mediated Lipid Signaling During Neuronal Differentiation.” The results of this basic research project open several development pathways in terms of products, processes, and services capable of generating solutions applicable to real needs in the biomedical field.
Another award in this category went to the project “Bi dimentsiotako perovskita hibridoen propietate optikoen modulazioa metodo kimikoen bidez” by Leire Rodriguez Igartua. Her work is closely linked to entrepreneurship due to its ability to transform generated knowledge into high value-added technological applications. Specifically, it lays a solid foundation for the future development of advanced LED devices based on two-dimensional PSK emitter systems.
A third award went to Alvaro Acera Ciriano for his work “Energy Optimization Algorithm for Trajectory Calculation in Robotic Systems.” The project has clear entrepreneurial potential and is estimated to be at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4–5. The work aims to optimize the competitiveness of industrial companies through improvements in energy efficiency and the energy costs of robotic installations, aligned with Green Deal commitments.
Finally, due to the high technical level of the submitted projects and their connection with possible future entrepreneurial ventures, a fourth award was granted this year to the doctoral thesis project presented by Andoni Elizondo Donado entitled “Appkour: Parkour Performance Assessment Tools.” The project stems directly from an ongoing doctoral thesis in the field of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences at the University of the Basque Country, focused on measuring parkour performance, as there is currently no scientifically validated tool for evaluating practitioners. The thesis led to the development of two original assessment instruments that address a real community need while making them accessible and portable for all users through a mobile application.
During the award ceremony, Vice-Rector Ixone Fernandez de Labastida Medina congratulated all participants, stating that “entrepreneurship is not only about creating companies. Entrepreneurship is also about asking questions, seeking solutions, and having the courage to do things better. That is why we speak about entrepreneurial culture, and that is precisely what we aim to promote through initiatives like this.” She added that universities, in addition to producing knowledge, must also promote its transfer. “Your projects demonstrate that innovation is not only technology; innovation also means bringing new perspectives, connecting different disciplines, and contributing to society,” she emphasized.
This year’s edition received 7 projects in the “New Innovative Initiatives” category and 9 in the “Bachelor’s Final Projects, Master’s Final Projects and Doctoral Theses” category.
