Categoría Knowledge
“The technological dimension of social innovation”, conference organized by the CDTI in Madrid
On June 9, 2025, ALC participated in the conference “The technological dimension of social innovation”, organized by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) at its headquarters in Madrid. The meeting brought together representatives of the public administration, technology centers and organizations specialized in social innovation to reflect on how to integrate the social dimension in public policies for technological innovation.
The conference was opened by José Moisés Martín Carretero, Director General of the CDTI, and Patricia Bezunartea, Director General of Family Diversity and Social Services of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030. Both highlighted the importance of aligning technological innovation with the most urgent and complex social challenges.
During the session, Itziar Moreno, co-director of ALC, together with Berta González (Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Social Rights) presented the BIRDS project and the digital strategy of the Competence Centers for Social Innovation. In her speech, it was underlined that “the Competence Centers for Social Innovation are key structures that interconnect and mobilize capacities, knowledge and different actors and levels of government, using social innovation as a means to drive responses to the most complex challenges of our society and the transformation of public policies.”
A complex social challenge is a systemic, dynamic and multisectoral challenge that does not admit single or previously known solutions, but requires multiple responses based on transverse collaboration, collective experimentation and social innovation. To address them, integrative approaches are required, such as:
- Transversal and integral collaboration
- Co-creation and social innovation
- Adaptive solutions and deep structural transformations (systemic)
Innovation in social financing models, Birds Study Visit
ALC participated in the Birds Study Visit organized by Portugal Social Innovation, a European meeting that brought together representatives of key institutions and organizations in the field of social innovation to explore new financing instruments aimed at generating impact.
The two-day event was held in emblematic Lisbon venues such as BPI All in One, Casa do Impacto and Caixa Geral de Depósitos, and served as a platform for sharing experiences, lessons learned and strategies implemented in different European countries.
Gorka Espiau, director of ALC, participated as a speaker in the session Innovative Financing Instruments II: Case Studies: aligning finance with social innovation, sharing lessons learned on how to align financing and social innovation from a systemic logic.
This participation is part of the collaboration with the Ministry of Social Rights to advance innovation in social financing.
ALC supports the City Council of Galdakao in the activation of the Socio-Sanitary Forum with a community approach
Since May, we have begun to collaborate with the City Council of Galdakao in the implementation of the Socio-Sanitary Forum of the municipality. This initiative seeks to address the challenges of health and welfare from a community and systemic approach.
During this first phase, several working meetings have been held and a core group of about fifteen people, including health professionals, pharmacies, local associations and community leaders, has been set up. This team will play a key role in activating and energizing the forum.
We accompanied the core group in the design of a mapping system of agents and actions linked to the health and wellness ecosystem of Galdakao. This mapping will allow to visualize in real time the existing connections, opportunities and gaps, and will be systematized through K-tool for the analysis of narratives.
In addition, we will support the core group in the development of active listening, using tools such as rapid interviewing, observation and photography. The first collective interpretation session will be held on June 16.
The process will include deliberative spaces with local agents such as Osakidetza, pharmacies, neighborhood associations, schools, businesses and citizen groups. The aim is to co-create a portfolio of initiatives that combines projects already underway with new experimental proposals.
ALC, in collaboration with Bihar, will collect the lessons learned during the process in order to transfer this knowledge to future initiatives, such as the one that will be developed soon in Arrasate.
ALC and Rethink Ireland promoting systemic change in mental health
After the workshop held in Dublin on February 26-27, ALC and Rethink Ireland continue their collaboration to implement a systemic change approach in the field of mental health in Ireland.
During the meeting, facilitated by ALC, we worked with the Rethink Ireland team and key players in the sector on tools such as system mapping, deep listening, collective interpretation and co-creation. One of the key moments was the presentation of the K Tool, a platform for visualizing and analyzing narratives to better understand system dynamics.
This new phase of collaboration will focus on mapping the Irish mental health ecosystem, listening to stakeholders and beneficiaries, and co-creating new interventions that strengthen the collective impact of the sector. The entire process will be accompanied by ALC with a “learning-by-doing” approach, aimed at generating sustainable, people-centered impact.
HENKO NET 2025: Innovation and Community in Palliative Care
On May 14th, we took part in the HENKO NET, BILBAO 2025 workshop, organized within the framework of the European Interreg Sudoe program at the headquarters of the General Assembly of Bizkaia. More than 180 participants—both in person and online—came together to reflect on the future of more human, innovative, and community-centered palliative care.
Our colleague Itziar Moreno presented the K-tool, an adaptive governance proposal designed to strengthen innovation through participation and deeper connection with community processes.
The event highlighted that technology must be an ally, not a substitute, for human care, and that the community plays a key role in moving toward a more holistic, anticipatory, and dignified model.
In line with our work, the workshop confirmed that transforming care is only possible when built on listening, collaboration, and shared values.
Gorka Espiau shares ALC's approach at City Science Lab Gipuzkoa Talks
On May 16th, City Science Lab Gipuzkoa (Tecnun, University of Navarra) hosted a new edition of its Talks series, with Gorka Espiau from ALC.
The session, focused on ALC’s approach to structured listening as a foundation for social innovation. The speakers presented a digital tool developed by the center (K Tool) that captures and analyzes the narratives, perceptions, and lived experiences of communities, offering new ways to understand and respond to complex social dynamics.
Participants had the opportunity to see a demonstration of how this methodology is being applied in collaboration with local and international institutions to integrate community voices into decision-making processes.
The event is part of the initiative led by MUBIL in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, positioning City Science Lab Gipuzkoa as a key space for rethinking the future of cities.
ONKO-ON and co-creation workshops: a step towards a integrated cancer support system
Organized by Euskampus Fundazioa and The Care Lab, the co-creation workshops held on May 6 and 7 in Bilbao and Donostia brought together more than 40 people from the health, social, associative and research fields, as well as people with direct experience of cancer. The objective: to exchange learning and explore, from multiple perspectives, new concrete opportunities for action to improve the quality of life of those living with this disease.
From ALC we had the occasion to participate and contribute our vision on the processes of systemic transformation and the importance of integrating values, narratives and diverse experiences in the design of shared solutions.
The ONKO-ON Mission seeks to build an integrated support system in the Basque Country that incorporates physical activity, nutrition and emotional well-being in all phases of the cancer process, from suspicion to life after cancer or chronic cancer. Through evidence and innovative proposals, the aim is to offer those affected the necessary resources and tools to face each stage with greater dignity and support.
As one of the participants expressed, “it is necessary to create a common language, to build bridges of trust between different disciplines” in order to achieve real integration in the accompaniment of people affected by cancer.
Presentation in Gernika of the Technical Aspects of the Busturialdea-Urdaibai Listening Process
Gernika, May 23, 2025 - This morning a working breakfast organized by Agirre Lehendakaria Center took place in the Elkartegi of Gernika, in which the technical and methodological aspects of the listening process being developed in the region of Busturialdea-Urdaibai were presented.
During the session, aimed at journalists and the media, the qualitative approach of the process, its structure, the tools used and the next steps planned were explained in detail. Unlike a survey or a conventional participatory process, this initiative is based on semi-structured interviews through snowball sampling, with the aim of collecting and understanding in depth the experiences, perceptions and stories of citizens about the main challenges of the territory, incorporating voices that are usually outside the formal spaces.
To manage and analyze this information, ALC has developed Ktool, a digital tool that makes it possible to visualize the ecosystem of local initiatives, explore the narratives collected and follow the evolution of the analysis in real time. To date, more than 250 narratives have been collected - with the goal of reaching 500 by the end of August - and they are being transcribed, anonymized and analyzed to identify shared patterns of perception.
The first report is expected to be published in July. In this sense, the ALC has invited the media to contribute to the process by avoiding simplifications and helping to promote an informed debate on the future of the region.
Finally, the ALC reminds that this presentation has only explained the methodology, and that the analysis will begin later; therefore, conclusions should not be drawn nor should the data be interpreted as representative.
K-Tool: Digital Innovation to Address Complex Social Challenges
In an increasingly interconnected world full of global challenges, such as ecological, social and digital transition, traditional solutions are no longer enough. A more collaborative, adaptive and data-driven approach is needed. With this goal in mind, Agirre Lehendakaria Center has developed K-Tool, an advanced digital tool designed to transform the way we tackle the most pressing social problems.
K-Tool is a digital platform that allows to visualize, evaluate and manage in real time Social Innovation Platforms. Since its creation in 2021, ALC has worked in collaboration with Bestiario, the Directorate of Prospective of the Cabinet of the Presidency of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center to develop this innovative digital infrastructure.
Key Functionalities
- Visualization:
It allows to visualize agents, existing initiatives, the different perceptual segments, the cross-referencing of perceptions with existing initiatives and collaboration spaces.
- Evaluation:
It allows a developmental evaluation to be carried out from the beginning, sustained over time, qualitative and with the possibility of introducing corrections and changes throughout the process.
- Management:
Real-time management, through an evaluation dashboard fed by various data insertion modules that allows several organizations to work simultaneously.
An adaptive and anticipatory governance system
K-Tool incorporates a governance system that promotes collaboration and anticipation, allowing:
- Mapping. Networks and relationships in complex ecosystems.
- Listening. Deepening democracy and the cultural dimension of social innovation.
- Co-creation. Risk Management & Experimentation Portfolio.
- Collective interpretation. Democratic deepening of the process in real time.
- People-centered Portfolio.
To learn more about K-Tool and explore its functionalities, visit: K-Tool - Agirre Center.
Neighbourhood identity, the key to tackling unwanted loneliness?
Zumarraga Town Council leads a process of community participation to revitalise the upper neighbourhoods of the town
In recent years, Zumarraga Town Council has worked to promote active ageing and tackle unwanted loneliness through programmes such as ELKARZAINDUZ or Tau-Taupadak. However, neighbourhood harmony, unwanted loneliness and the lack of community involvement in the neighbourhoods of the upper area continued to be a concern. Therefore, the City Council decided to activate a new process with a focus on social innovation and adaptive governance, in collaboration with ALC, to complement existing efforts. Within this framework, ALC and Zumarraga City Council, led by the social services and equality area, designed a participatory process that included a listening phase in the neighbourhoods and co-creation to develop new projects.
Challenges identified during the listening process
The listening process confirmed some of the perceptions held by the City Council: a significant part of the elderly population suffers situations of unwanted loneliness. In addition, the need to create new spaces for dialogue about the loss of loved ones was identified. One of the narratives most often repeated by people in the neighbourhood was the large number of deaths that have occurred in recent years (not only due to COVID). As one participant noted: ‘In a short time, many people have died in the square’. These losses have created new family realities, and unwanted loneliness is perceived as one of the biggest challenges in the area: "Last Wednesday we were in gymnastics. Out of 18 of us, there were nine of us, and it just so happened that all nine were widows. I saw that they needed to talk". Another important narrative that emerged during the process is related to neighbourhood identity. The upper neighbourhoods of Zumarraga were built in the second half of the 20th century, during the industrialisation of the municipality, thanks to migration, mainly from Spanish provinces. Many people interviewed recalled the old neighbourhood festivals, which used to be even more relevant than Zumarraga's main festivals, reflecting the active life of that time. Today, however, these celebrations have disappeared, and several people pointed out that they feel that the identity of the neighbourhood has been lost. This has led to a feeling of abandonment and disrepute for part of the population: ‘We started looking for a house and an opportunity came up to buy a flat in the Leturia square (...) It is true that our environment was a bit like <<Ups, how are you going to go up there>>’.
Zumarraga Town Council leads a process of community participation to revitalise the upper neighbourhoods of the town
Community sessions and co-creation
These perceptions, gathered during the listening process, were contrasted in various sessions open to the community. The aim of these sessions was to understand the different visions of the neighbourhoods and to explore possible responses to the challenges raised. Between 20 and 40 people from different backgrounds participated in each session: technicians and councillors from the City Council, users and managers of the senior citizens' centre, bar and shop owners, leisure and free time monitors, people linked to the church or the mosque, pharmacy staff, professionals from the Argixao senior citizens' centre, workers from the health centre and members of different associations. The community sessions discussed the findings of the listening process and underlined the importance of responding simultaneously to different needs, such as those of older people living alone and those of newly arrived families, or young people in the neighbourhood. Reflections such as these emerged during the sessions:
- It is true that there is a lack of prestige. This area used to be the Spanish-speaking area
but migration was not understood in a pejorative way. Now there is a feeling that migration
is understood as if they were second class".
- Children don't play together. There is division according to culture. - "This is an independent republic. We are quite neglected. The city council has to raise the road upstairs as well."
- We have to think about how to welcome people coming from outside. A popular meal could be an opportunity to do this".
- "We haven't had time to say goodbye to the people. It is necessary to recognise the people who have left and who built this neighbourhood. That mourning still has to be gone through."
- "I'd rather be signed up for everything than be alone. But I see a lot of people who are very lonely and don't want to leave."
In order to respond to the challenges mentioned above, two co-creation sessions were held. In these sessions, by decision of the participants in the process, three thematic areas were established: unwanted loneliness, grief and loss of the deceased, and new activities for the neighbourhood that build bridges. In each of these thematic areas different prototypes have been co-created and the aim will be to start developing them during 2025. To this end, a driving group has been created, made up of people from different associations or organisations, and its aim will be to give impetus to the portfolio of initiatives that has been proposed:
Unwanted loneliness; prototypes:
- Solidarity café for people who feel lonely.
- Story bank for people who want to share time with others.
- Chain of favours for people who live alone in their homes and have difficulties in carrying out tasks and meeting some of their day-to-day needs.
- Prototype to interconnect existing initiatives for people and organisations that promote and participate in activities in the neighbourhood.
- Mourning Café for the whole community who have had a bereavement through death.
- Memory tree for the whole neighbourhood, to bear witness and pay tribute to people who have died, responding to the narrative, ‘many new people are coming, but we haven't had time to say goodbye to our dead’.
- Multicultural talk on mourning and death for all ages.
New activities
- Pintxopote for people who live in the neighbourhood and also for the rest of the citizens.
- Popular/cultural meal for people who want to share time with other people and meet with neighbours.
- Portfolio of activities aimed at all residents and citizens.
Final learnings and conclusions
Throughout this process, the broad participation in the proposed community sessions has been remarkable. This reflects the need in society for spaces that allow for collective construction. Zumarraga Town Council promoted this process when it realised that previous programmes and projects were not achieving the desired impact, nor was it possible to find the key to addressing the challenges effectively. For example, some participants pointed out that one of the problems was the lack of knowledge of what was on offer: ‘we don't need new ideas, we need to reinforce what already exists and connect it better’. In this context, the implementation of an active listening process and openness towards co-creation, based on the neighbourhoods' own interests, has sparked a renewed interest in participating and activating the community.
A key learning from this process has to do with the role of the City Council, a scalable model for other public institutions seeking to generate community processes. On the one hand, there is the administrative, bureaucratic and organisational difficulty faced by public bodies in responding to complex challenges such as this. On the other hand, given the magnitude and complexity of the problems, the usual tendency is to fragment them into individual projects, with each one seeking to have its own impact and then trying to generate spaces for collaboration. However, this process demonstrates the need to address different issues simultaneously and in a connected way. What began as a conversation about unwanted loneliness ended up encompassing issues such as migration and neighbourhood identity.
All of these intersections make sense in a single context, and responses must be interconnected to bring about real change. It is important to recognise that this process, initiated in 2024, cannot immediately reverse the situation. However, it sets out a way forward that emphasises the need to create spaces for interconnectedness. Collaboration between different actors (organisations, communities, neighbours, etc.) does not arise spontaneously; it needs to be worked on and trained. On the other hand, this process also shows the complicated mission of maintaining the balance of responsibility for the process. It is very complicated to generate a community project from an institution, due to the very concept we have as a society of public institutions, and there are risks when it comes to understanding who this type of process depends on and what the role of each actor in the process is.
