The initiative 'Engineering services and industrial eco-innovation', winner of the New Innovative Initiative award, focuses on engineering services and industrial eco-innovation. The initiative, Amaia Mendoza and Arancha Agirrezabalaga, was born from the collaboration of the entrepreneurs with the GMT research group of the School of Engineering of Gipuzkoa. The Jury highlighted their know-how and specialisation in the field of microplastics.

The Manuel Laborde Werlinden Awards arise from the Entreprenari Programme, developed and managed by the Gipuzkoa Campus of the University of the Basque Country and the European Business and Innovation Centre BIC Gipuzkoa. Its aim is to promote entrepreneurial ideas and projects in the university environment. The applications submitted in this edition came from teaching and research staff of the University of the Basque Country, graduates, postgraduates or final year students of the University of the Basque Country and companies interested in exploiting the results of research carried out in collaboration with the University of the Basque Country through the creation of a new company.