The annual digs at the Sierra de Atapuerca sites —conducted systematically since 1978— run through the second half of June until the end of July. During these six weeks, most of the Foundation team are busy at the excavation sites themselves or organising the logistics, communications, special visits, institutional events and outreach work related to the digs and the ART’s requirements. The team now numbers 300 professionals, most of them PhD holders and graduates in human evolution-related fields.
The Foundation supplies the ART with the necessary material, equipment and logistical services for its excavation and research work in the Sierra, supplementing the support provided by the Government of Castilla and León Government, which holds responsibility for the digs.
Thanks to the particularly generous support by the Foundation's patrons and collaborators during this period, the excavations operate at peak efficiency.