Launch of Jakiunde, Basque Academy of Science, Arts and Humanities

This thursday, 25th of October, Eusko Ikaskuntza will set up Jakiunde at the Guipuzkoa Council. There, will be Lehendakari Juan José Ibarretxe, and also Xabier Retegui, President of Eusko Ikaskuntza, and Pedro Miguel Etxenike, both who will give a speech. The event will be held on Thursday 25th October at 10.30 am and can be followed live on the Internet via streaming technology on Eusko Ikaskuntza and EuskoSare webs.

Eusko Ikaskuntza- Sociedad de Estudios Vascos has launched this new Advisory Body in order to cober future needs of basque society in fields like scientific and artistic comunnities, but also in society, in general. The new top-level Advisory Body of Eusko Ikaskuntza will stimulate the activities on the previously mentioned three fields.; will help and advise the Presidency, the Academic Committee and the Permanent Committee; will favour a forum for reflection, on which academics coming from different fields could give their common and from multiple fields vision.

This way, the work that should be done will be: investigate and elaborate researchs, informs and reports asked from EI-SEV, so as from another entities or institutions publics or privates; helpd and advise the Borad of Administration from EI-SEV on the definition of the strategic lines and action plans on scientific and artistic level, taking also de responsibility of the control of its development and evaluation; promote and support courses, congresses, exhibitions, competitions, conferences and another scientific and artistic meetings organization; define and supervise the scientific content of the whole works asked from the Presidency or the Academic Committee, so as evaluate the cuality of their informs; create the best experts group of a top-level to agree to all the queries and assignments; advise and evaluate EI-SEV on its publishing way, also promote a bigger spreading of the works done; and collaborate on cultural projects and take part on the debates taht could appear on the scientific community and on the academic forums, at the state or international levels.

The first work for this Academy will be "search for external influences of what we want to do, analyze what kind of models are in the world and see what are the more dinamic ones" as Xabier Retegui said, president of Eusko Ikaskuntza- Society for Basque Studies.

Jakiunde will be formed by 26 members, but could rise up to 31 members. These will include holders of the Euskadi Research Prize from the seven teritories of Euskal Herria, Príncipe de Viana Prize and Eusko Ikaskuntza Prize. Elected members are so important people as Javier Aguirresarobe, Film Photography Director; Jesús Altuna, Anthropologist; Montxo Armendariz, Film maker; Iciar Astiasarán, Pharmacist; José María Asua, Chemical Engineer; Bernardo Atxaga, man of letters; María Bravo, Soprano; Juan Colmenero, Material Physicist; José Luis de la Cuesta, expert on Criminal Law; Javier Echeverría, philosopher; M. Carmen Gallastegui, Economist; Juan José Goiriena de Gandarias, Doctor; Félix Goñi, Biochemist; Gurutz Jauregui, Expert on Constitutional Law; Maite Lafourcade, Law Historian; Mariasun Landa, Women of Letters; José Antonio López de Castro, Biochemist; Jon Marcaide, Astronomer; Rafael Moneo, Architect; Gregorio Monreal, Law Historian; Miguel Sánchez Ostiz, Man of Letters; Inma Shara, Orchestra Conductor; Jesus Mari Ugalde, Chemist-Physicist; Juan Uriagereka, Linguist; Enrique Zuazua., Expert on Applied Mathematics, will work together on their common reflection.

First President of the Academy will be the physicist Pedro Miguel Etxenike, member of the Scientific Committee of the FBBV, Excellence Committee of Eusko Ikaskuntza and Three-side Committee.

Jakiunde will have some kind of members: Number Members, Super-number members, "Emerito" members, Honorary Members and Corresponding Members.

As it is said on the aproved rules, members will have to meet three times a year in plenary sessions with the objective of approving the work carried out throughout the rest of the year by the specialised commissions. It will be the academics who make up these commissions, with the support of experts in their specific areas when they consider it necessary.

Having the intention to rise, the institution will develop under the help from Eusko Ikaskuntza, to become, in the future, on a own legal body that works in the long term. It also made reports by its own way, as same as the ones coming from an external petition from institutions or organizations that required its advise.