17 February 2025
Bilbao Campus
The GEM Global 2025 Conference turned the city of Bilbao on February 17, 18 and 19 into a global point of reference by bringing together leading academics, institutional representatives, entrepreneurs and business leaders to discuss the future of entrepreneurship. The institutional opening of the conference took place on February 18 in Bizkaia Aretoa. This opening ceremony was attended by Juan José Etxeberria, Rector of the University of Deusto; Aileen Ionescu-Somers, Executive Global Entrepreneurship Monitor; Andoitz Korta, Deputy Minister of Industrial Promotion of the Basque Government; Juan Mari Aburto, Mayor of Bilbao; and Elixabete Etxanobe, Deputy General of Bizkaia, among others.
More than 400 influential people in the world of entrepreneurship from more than 52 countries participated in this meeting. In addition, GEM was attended by representatives of all its delegations in Spain. While the 17th and 19th were closed meetings for members of the GEM network, on the 18th an open program was organized for the entrepreneurial ecosystem both in Spain and the Basque Country. The Conference offered a full program with presentations, round tables and practical workshops, designed to address the main trends and challenges of global entrepreneurship.
This event was conceived as an activator and accelerator of the entrepreneurial community, with a view to fostering international collaboration, innovation and knowledge exchange among the various players in the ecosystem. In this sense, it became a key meeting point for leading academics in the field of entrepreneurship, with the presence of the three universities of the Basque Country: University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, University of Deusto and Mondragon Unibertsitatea.
The GEM Global 2025 Conference was organized by EEB-OVE, Basque Entrepreneurship Observatory, in collaboration with GEM Global and GEM Spain, and was supported by the main institutions of our environment: Bilbao City Council, Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Basque Government (through SPRI). In addition, the event has the support of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism (ENISA) and the aforementioned universities of the Basque Country.
More information: www.gemconferencebilbao.org.
