Everything, absolutely everything, has led you to this moment and to this place. A simple change in that sequence of events would’ve taken you to another time. But that wasn’t the case... you’re here, so let’s celebrate. Take a seat.

A TRAIL OF BREADCRUMBS

Chaos theory can be defined as a branch of science that studies complex systems and nonlinear dynamic systems, in which small variations in initial conditions can entail large differences in future behaviour.

What at first glance seems like a mere definition, is actually life itself. In fact, it’s the plot of Sliding Doors (yes, Hollywood always has a film for any idea you might choose). In the film Gwyneth Paltrow is in a hurry to catch a subway train. Suddenly, her life splits in two: that of the woman who manages to catch it, and the one who is still on the platform when the doors close, missing it. In an instant, everything changes; two different universes that evolve in different ways.

Each and every decision – not only our own, but those made throughout history – has led us to this moment. Actually, a small change, a slight deviation, would’ve changed everything. Maybe if D-Day hadn’t been a success, and the Red Army hadn’t fought for every inch of land, the series The Man in the High Castle would be the real world and not a dystopian fiction.

Science is, likewise, no stranger to this phenomenon. According to Karl Popper´s Postulates, and here we’re going to be big “Popperists” (yes, we made up that word), scientific knowledge is progressive and cumulative. When we humans stood up straight and freed our hands up to do things, everything changed. There began a trail of breadcrumbs like Tom Thumb’s, a strand from a giant ball of yarn that we’ve been gathering throughout history. In every place, every second, we picked up just the right amount of yarn. Not too much, and not too little. That led us to the next point – at the perfect time and in the right direction.

FROM KNOW-HOW TO KNOWING HOW

No one gets up in the morning and says, “Let’s build a particle accelerator on the France–Switzerland border today”. No, things don’t work like that. Undertaking large research projects is the result of hundreds (or even thousands) of years of scientific evolution. It’s as if we only saw the tip of the iceberg, but below there’s a huge mass of ice holding it up.

It could be said that for thousands of years we lived in the age of technique, until we reached the age of modern science. Knowledge flowed from generation to generation, through repetition and know-how; from that caveman who managed to tame fire, to the person who decided to put a log under a stone to move it more easily.

Of course, some might say that there was already science in the pyramids of Egypt, or the Mayans’ lunar calendars – and very advanced science at that. And they’d be right, but it wasn’t structured or systematised to progress in a certain direction. It was accumulated knowledge and, in the best of cases, handed down in writing, but it wasn’t organised.

Knowledge arose and existed. There was know-how, but there was no scientific methodology able to tell us in a unified way how or which way to turn; “knowing how” was not fully defined yet.

Show me the money

What does Money Heist have to do with this? Well, the origins of Big Science – a more comprehensive way of approaching projects – is very similar to that script, as it involved very different yet organised people, and paper money was essential.

The story of Big Science began in Germany with the dyes that were needed to manufacture paper money. Long story short, around 1870 Great Britain was the Usain Bolt of the industrial race, and this was true in the chemical sector as well. It had everything: factories, trains, knowledge… everything was in its favour to come out on top. Or so it seemed.

Germany had just begun industrialisation, but in just a few years it turned the game around and made good on that old adage that says, “Football is a simple game: 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and, in the end, the Germans always win”. They knew they were technologically behind Britain, so they did what the Germans do well, even today: they maximised efficiency. They improved the productivity of their industry and strongly encouraged applied research in the field amongst their scholars. Large corporations, businessmen, the chemical sector, and German investors were able to see the potential and worked together, coordinated, to achieve a goal.

In short, their pooled knowledge, and all the social players’ involvement in the scientific process, played a fundamental role for Germany. The typical Big Science success story had unfolded for the first time.

PUTTING THE PEDAL TO THE METAL

World War II changed science – and life – forever, not only because of the millions of lives it claimed, which mustn’t be forgotten, but because there was a technological leap that had never been seen before. It could be said that in order for us to annihilate each other, we really pull out all the stops – whether it’s with a flint axe or an AK-47.

The Manhattan Project, for the development of the atomic bomb, is considered the first scientific mega-project, as well as a clear example of Big Science. We went from many people doing many things, to many people rowing in the same direction and collaborating on a common idea. This was something that allowed us to face great challenges on unimaginable scales, and that accelerated everything.

As early as 1962, John F. Kennedyk said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard”. But good old John was not stupid. He knew that science was at a point of maturity that made this goal, which before had seemed unattainable, relatively feasible. Of course, much of the success was due to the fact that, for 14 years, more than 400,000 scientists cooperated on the Apollo programme. It was the sum of their talents that made such a landmark achievement possible. Kennedy knew about the paradigm shift, and he knew that, without it, it never would’ve been possible to set foot on the Moon.

In recent decades, we’ve hit the gas, putting the pedal to the metal. They say that this is a great time for Big Science. Projects like the CERN particle accelerator reconcile us with knowledge. Many countries boast a lot of talent seeking to discover the unknown.

Even though the Higgs Boson may sound to the public like a character from The Lord of the Rings, and we may not yet know how to define its importance exactly, we’re glad that its discovery is the result of everyone’s collaboration. Because, indirectly, a little bit of us is there: through the institutions that represent us, through the countries that collaborate based on the idea that the sum of all these individual efforts made can become something much bigger.

BISCAY, WITH A ‘B’ FOR “BIG SCIENCE”

Here we are. Here and now. A moment gleaned from chaos. A moment to celebrate, one that we’ve reached with a large suitcase full of accumulated knowledge; one that weighs more and more, though here we’re not charged for excess baggage. On the contrary, carrying a heavy suitcase can actually take us a long way. But, as at any airport, all this knowledge must go through the x-ray machine of academic institutions before it reaches its destination, society, filtered and refined.

Because scientific research arises out of and for citizens. The aim is to be able to create a scientific/technological culture that makes us more critical and responsible, in order to make better decisions. And it’s the job of the institutions to transmit this culture so that we don’t flock mindlessly, like sheep.

Thus, there’s only one way for large projects to be understood: collaboratively. To this end, at the Government of Biscay we have it crystal clear. There’s no science or success or great results without shared knowledge. This is why we’re part of one of the most exciting Big Science projects today: the Quantum Flagship, the EU project to lead quantum technology, and Biscay is one of its nodes. A place where players can contribute and bring together talent with an overarching, common goal.

Without medals, without egos, but with a determination that is unwavering. We are sure that we’re a well-organised group with an organisational structure and leadership that we share with our many colleagues, all of which are rowing in the same direction. Because only in this way – viewing science and research as an accumulation of organised talent – will we meet great challenges and achieve great goals. Let’s celebrate getting here. Let’s celebrate the chaos.