Joan Manuel Fernandez receives the Ikerbasque Research Fellow diploma to develop research in the field of the circular economy and sustainable development at Mondragon Unibertsitatea.

On 26 November, the Ikerbasque diplomas were handed out in Lehendakaritza (Vitoria-Gasteiz) to the new Ikerbasque Research Fellows, Ikerbasque Research Associates, and Ikerbasque Professors. The conference was attended by Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu; Cristina Uriarte, Minister of Education; Amaia Esquisabel, Research Director; Miren Artaraz, Director of University Policy and Coordination; Fernando Cossío, the Scientific Director of Ikerbasque; and other assistants with relevant positions from the Basque Government, Ikerbasque, CIC, BERC, Technology Centres, and Universities. Vicente Atxa, Dean of Mondragon Unibertsitatea, and Roberto Uribetxeberria, Research and Transfer Coordinator of Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa, were also present.

Among the Ikerbasque Research Fellow winners of 2019 was Joan Manuel Fernandez, who works as a researcher at Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa, developing research in the field of the circular economy and sustainable development, specifically the development and application of innovative tools for the design of new products and industrial services, eco-technologies, and business models.

The Ikerbasque Research Fellows are aimed at young scientists and scientists and offer the possibility to evolve into the position of research staff and independent research. Individuals selected as Fellows should be able to acquire the skills necessary to become scientific leaders in the future. This year, more than 50 independent evaluators from 14 countries participated in the evaluation under the coordination of the Scientific Committee of Ikerbasque, an agency that adheres to the European Charter for Researchers. This implies a commitment to improve the evaluation process of the research career to ensure a transparent, open, equal and internationally accepted selection system.

In this call, 124 applications were evaluated that met the necessary requirements to apply for a Research Fellow position. The scientific committee chose 20 of these 124 candidates (16%) based on:

• Scientific merits and research trajectory
• Interest of the Research Statement of the application
• Relevance of the research line and most recent publications
• Alignment with the research capabilities of the Basque Country

We would like to congratulate Joan Manuel for the challenge of investigating the circular economy and sustainable development!