History

Very few public bodies have a background as extensive and productive as we have at NEIKER. Today’s Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development planted its roots in Arkaute in the year 1851. That year the Provincial Council of Araba decided to create the Model Agriculture Farm to boost agricultural and livestock activity by means of innovative crop growing systems which were either local or came from other countries such as France and the UK.

From 1948 onwards, the Potato Improvement Station, created in 1934 in the Iturrieta hills, assumed management of the Arkaute Model Farm. From then on, and until the 80s, the centre focussed its activity on improving the genetics and health of potato growing and on improving animal genetics. These facilities were complemented in 1975 with creation of the Basque Livestock Laboratory in Derio (Bizkaia).

In 1981 the competences in agricultural research were transferred to the Basque Government and, with them, infrastructures such as the Arkaute Model Farm and the Livestock Laboratory in Derio.

This change in management prompted the updating and modernisation of structures and facilities, as a result of which the Potato Improvement Station became the Centre for Agricultural Research and Improvement (CIMA), while the Livestock Laboratory in Derio was given the name of Agricultural Research and Improvement Service (SIMA).

Meanwhile, a transformation process was set in motion to improve these bodies’ R&D activities, ending in 1998 with constitution of the public society NEIKER, which assumed the management of all of the activities developed until then by the CIMA and SIMA centres.

In 2001 NEIKER became a member of the Spanish Office for Plant Varieties’ Seeds and Nursery Plants Service, and at the end of 2006 it joined the technology corporation Tecnalia, whose purpose is to contribute to economic and social development by fostering technological innovation.

Today NEIKER is a public company belonging to the Basque Government with notable international presence. In late 2006 NEIKER joined the technology corporation Tecnalia, whose purpose is to contribute to economic and social development by fostering technological innovation.

In 2019 NEIKER became a member of BRTA, the Basque Science and Technology Consortium. The core purpose of BRTA is to guarantee a dynamic of cooperation for dealing with the technological and industrial challenges facing the Basque Country and improving its international position.