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The ISOT project launches 10 community-based pilot projects for social and labor inclusion
To gather insights and lessons learned from the process, the ISOT project continues to promote various opportunities for community listening and dialogue with the stakeholders involved. Evaluation and continuous improvement are integral to the initiative’s design, based on the understanding that the best solutions emerge and work best when they are developed collectively.
ISOT is a project co-financed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+). It receives methodological support from the Agirre Lehendakaria Center, which is responsible for the project’s formative evaluation, and from the University of Granada (UGR), which is in charge of developing the methodological guide and systematization.
A diverse, multisectoral space for co-creation
With the purpose of transforming the region’s challenges into real opportunities, a co-creation workshop was held on June 24 with more than 20 participants. The event stood out for the diversity of the participants, successfully bringing together key stakeholders from the area.
The breakout sessions brought together professionals from the Social Services departments of the City Council and the Provincial Council of Granada, students from the University of Granada’s Master’s Program in Psychopedagogical Intervention, and social organizations such as Provivienda, the Don Bosco Foundation, and CIC-Batá. The local business community was represented by leaders from the baking sector—such as the Alfacar Bakers’ Association, Zarina, and Sabor a Pan de Víznar—alongside the true protagonists: the students themselves enrolled in the project’s Bakery and Pastry courses.
This diverse ecosystem gave rise to 10 social innovation prototypes, which were distributed and developed across four working groups:
Table 1: Mobility and Generational Transition in the Bakery Sector
Challenge: Address the lack of adequate transportation for bakery workers to commute to their workplaces and training sessions.
1.-Accessible Individual Transportation Project: Agreements to provide bicycles or electric scooters (through loans or grants) to workers in rural areas without public transportation.
2.-“Let Me Get There Earlier” (Worker-Friendly Spaces): Negotiating flexible schedules with employers and setting up rest areas in public spaces for those who work early in the morning and lack bus connections.
3.-“Our Town, Our Bread”: An initiative in Alfacar focused on reviving and highlighting the town’s historical memory and baking tradition. Through this cultural revival, the goal is to ensure the next generation of artisans in artisan bakeries by bringing together master bakers and apprentices, complemented by campaigns to promote local products.
Table 2: Integration and Administrative Regularization
Challenge: Overcoming the challenges of social and labor market integration for people in the process of regularization.
4. Community Welcome and Counseling Fair: Regular, safe gatherings (fairs) that bring together in one place legal assistance, translators, help with basic administrative procedures, and support from migrants who are already familiar with the area.
5. Physical and digital resource guides: An easy-to-use tool (with maps, QR codes, and pictograms) to bring together all useful information on employment, housing, health, and administrative procedures.
6. Advocacy campaigns: Collecting signatures and mobilizing citizens to urge institutions to change the laws and regulations that hinder inclusion.
7. Awareness-raising in public spaces: Activities in streets and squares to break down prejudices in a hands-on way and improve coexistence among neighbors.
8. Comprehensive welcome program: Employment workshops and mentoring combined with a network where established migrants guide and support those who have just arrived.
Table 3: Overcoming the Language Barrier
Challenge: To facilitate Spanish language learning in training and workplace settings.
9. Pre-employment skills for all: Spanish classes and digital skills training within companies themselves (during breaks or work hours) using artificial intelligence to provide personalized support. The goal is for language learning to be a shared responsibility between the company and the participant, rather than the participant’s sole responsibility.
Table 4: Access to Affordable Housing
Challenge: Reduce the housing shortage and the additional barriers migrants face when renting.
10. “All or Nothing” (Housing Alternatives): Create temporary and permanent housing in towns and cities, using public or donated housing, and offer financial assistance or guarantees to facilitate renting.
Next Steps and Network Vision
These 10 solutions do not operate in isolation; rather, they are interconnected within a single ecosystem. As next steps, the proposals have been systematized within the Ktool digital tool to keep the process active and enable collaborative management. This platform will allow us to designate leaders for each proposal, map resources, and update the solutions based on the lessons learned.
Under the evolutionary evaluation approach, the goal is not to choose a single idea, but to test this set of solutions simultaneously. This will foster networked learning that allows us to quickly and collectively identify what works and what needs to be adjusted.
Inclusive Innovation in Manchester and Cardiff
In June, the Agirre Lehendakaria Center held a series of seminars in Manchester and Cardiff to gain an in-depth understanding of the inclusive innovation models being promoted in England and Wales. These meetings are part of a research project on 50 years of Basque policies in the fields of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) that the ALC is conducting under the scientific direction of Cristina Uriarte.
The first seminar took place at the University of Manchester, thanks to the efforts of Professor Elvira Uyarra (Alliance Manchester Business Research), and the second was held at Cardiff University, organized by Professors Kevin Morgan and Rick Delbridge (Center for Innovation Policy Research). Representatives from research groups specializing in the study of innovation, science, and technology systems participated in both meetings, as did management teams from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Cardiff Capital Region.
In Cardiff, the seminar was chaired by Adam Price, the new Minister for Enterprise and Energy in the Welsh government, who has announced his commitment to strengthening the relationship between his government and Basque institutions to launch a new scientific and technological development agency inspired by the Basque experience.
The First Inter-Neighborhood Meeting of Galdakao Zeugaz Was Held
On June 17, the first inter-neighborhood meeting of Galdakao Zeugaz was held. At this meeting, the results of a full year of work were shared, and participants were shown how the needs raised by residents in the various listening sessions had been addressed. These needs and aspirations were organized into three main themes: community connectivity, neighborhood-based work, and improving communication through digital tools.
During the event, updated profiles of the municipality were presented using K tool, ALC’s digital tool, to illustrate how the municipality’s social map has evolved. Progress was also shared on ongoing projects, such as the initiatives in the Bengoetxe and Tximelarre neighborhoods, the “death cafés,” the integration of digital participation tools, and the pilot program for the “community connector”—a role that is already proving its benefits and will continue to be developed in a new phase.
Collective interpretation
The session included a group workshop to compare perspectives and collaboratively address the following question: How can we create a more connected Galdakao using what we already have? The working groups identified the following key points:
- Table 1: Proposed fostering intergenerational interaction and reclaiming public spaces through daily outdoor activities, as well as focusing on working with children to address screen time.
- Table 2: Suggested physically locating the “conectora” in neighborhoods to serve as a “radar” for the area, coordinating monthly visits by the “conectora” to the health center, and using the Galdakao Zeugaz anniversary to publicize the proj
- Table 3: Emphasized the need to flesh out existing ideas, improve accessibility for the most vulnerable groups, involve local networks such as Aperribai, and actively work toward the inclusion of migrants.
One of the priorities identified in this session was the need to strengthen follow-up and feedback with everyone who has participated at any point in the process, communicating the progress and lessons learned in advancing the Galdakao Zeugaz movement, and maintaining an open listening process shared with the entire community.
To follow up on the various initiatives prioritized in these sessions, it was agreed to strengthen the steering group through the role of “community weavers,” who will work hand in hand with the community connector.
Collective action, community-based work, and narrative analysis with Carmen van Bruggen
Researcher Carmen van Bruggen of the University of Groningen is conducting her doctoral research on the phenomenon of auzolan (community-based work) in the Frisian region of the Netherlands (known as Mienskip) and is comparing these practices with their counterparts in the Basque Country. Although not widely known, this type of collective and supportive response to community needs is common in traditional cultures and has persisted over time, particularly in rural settings.
The purpose of the meeting with Carmen van Bruggen was to learn more about this research and to explore how it relates to other research projects and programs being carried out by ALC. Since it is not possible to promote transformative innovation processes that do not respond to the social and cultural dynamics of the region, we are interested in examining how we are currently interpreting these types of collaborative strategies and what form they are taking.
From the farmhouse to the Mondragon Cooperativism
In this context, the discussion focused on the historical relationship between the traditional farming community and cooperation, highlighting how its self-sufficiency did not preclude community collaboration for tasks that exceeded individual capacity. An analogy was drawn between this model and the Mondragon cooperative system: autonomous structures interconnected through a network, a balance that has historically fostered greater social resilience.
K Tool and the Guggenheim Case
From a methodological perspective, participants discussed the potential of K Tool, the digital community listening platform developed and used by ALC for large-scale qualitative data processing, referring to the extensive work conducted in connection with the public debate on the expansion of the Guggenheim Museum. During that process, more than 1,000 real-life narratives were collected to identify underlying patterns and conduct comparative analyses. Thanks to this tool, it was possible to structure different levels of interpretation and systematically cross-reference people’s stories with their everyday actions.
Following this first meeting in Bilbao, Carmen van Bruggen will continue her research in Gipuzkoa over the coming days.
Collective intelligence responding to emergency situations
Agirre Lehendakaria Center welcomed Jayne Engle, a Senior Fellow at the center and an adjunct professor at McGill University in Montreal. During the meeting, Jayne Engle shared the experience of Polity, a cooperative that supports efforts to deepen democracy in digital environments.
Among other initiatives, Polity has collaborated with Engaged California through its digital platform, Ethelo. Engaged California is a platform for collaborative response between public institutions and civil society to the emergency situation that arose last year in California due to the wildfires that devastated the state. This tool allows users to visualize the complexity of different perspectives and response suggestions so that participants can prioritize proposals, weigh them, add comments, and see in real time how their opinions influence decision-making by public institutions.
Understanding science, technology, and innovation policies in the Basque Country from the perspective of an experimentation portfolio
This collaboration combines ALC's portfolio-driven approach with the “Relational Infrastructure” approach developed by Kateryna Pereverza to examine how shared narratives and interrelationships are key to understanding how the science, technology, and innovation ecosystem in the Basque Country has evolved over the past 50 years.
ALC continues its research on public policies for science, technology, and innovation in the Basque Country, covering the period from 1980 to 2030, while exploring new methodologies to address systemic transformations. To this end, the team has been working in Bilbao alongside Kateryna Pereverza, a researcher at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm), to delve deeper into how to apply the portfolio approach to the analysis of public policies.
The central goal of this joint effort is to move beyond the traditional view that sees science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies as a collection of isolated initiatives. Instead, the collaboration proposes understanding the “STI ecosystem” as a dynamic and much broader system that integrates interventions at multiple levels, mapping of stakeholders, and, crucially, social narratives.
Relational infrastructure and emerging portfolios
To structure this work, the research incorporates the “Relational Infrastructure” methodological framework developed by Pereverza. Through a longitudinal analysis of the qualitative data collected by ALC, aided by artificial intelligence tools, the study examines the historical evolution of the Basque STI ecosystem from the 1980s to the present.
One of the study’s most innovative findings is the existence of an “emerging portfolio.” Unlike approaches where collaboration and learning are designed in a top-down, corporate manner, the Basque case suggests that mechanisms for transformation emerged organically through informal structures, networks of trust and learning among stakeholders, and a strong culture of cooperation.
From Project to Portfolio: The Evolution of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Public Policies in the Basque Country (1980–2030)
Research shows that the evolution of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in the Basque Country cannot be understood solely through specific programs or policies. Over the course of five decades, the development of the ecosystem has been guided by shared narratives that gave meaning, direction, and legitimacy to collective action.
This perspective offers a complementary view of international debates on mission-oriented policies. While these approaches typically examine how missions are defined and driven by public institutions, the Basque case suggests that strategic direction can also emerge from society, based on a shared vision of the future and a strong capacity for collective action.
The main innovation of this research is that it analyzes the evolution of the Basque Country as a portfolio of interconnected policies, organizations, and initiatives, rather than studying isolated interventions. It also analyzes these elements in relation to the narratives and social dynamics of each historical period. This allows us to understand how collaboration, learning, and co-evolution among the various elements (actors, initiatives, policies, and narratives) have contributed to building a unique innovation ecosystem.
Presentation at EuSPRI 2026: International Conference on Transformative Innovation Policies
ALC and Kateryna Pereverza will present the findings of this study at the EuSPRI 2026 international conference, to be held on June 10, 11, and 12 in Valencia. There, they will share with the scientific community on transformative innovation policies (TIP) how the use of social narratives can transform the evaluation of innovation policies. In addition, they will demonstrate the potential of the K Tool, the digital platform developed by ALC to analyze and visualize portfolios based on community listening; a key tool in this research for managing innovation policies more dynamically and projecting them into the future.
The European Initiative: The New Center of Excellence in Social Innovation
This commitment to working with portfolios rather than isolated projects coincides with the launch of the New Center of Competence in Social Innovation (NCCS), a European initiative in which ALC participates alongside six ministries of the Spanish government, the CDTI, and the CSIC.
The best practical example of this approach is the VIDAS Portfolio. With an investment of 156 million euros, this ecosystem—in whose design and evaluation ALC is involved—connects 95 innovations from 143 organizations in real time to transform the community care system. It proves that coordinating and integrating initiatives generates far greater impact than launching projects separately.
A Consolidated and Scalable Approach
This collaboration with researcher Kateryna Pereverza reinforces a methodological approach that ALC already applies on a large scale in various national and international projects. The portfolio approach currently underpins large-scale initiatives such as those developed in partnership with Acción Contra el Hambre (ACH) to create four experimentation portfolios on child malnutrition in different regions of Spain, the Work for Progress ecosystem promoted by the “la Caixa” Foundation, and the European COPOLAD program, which launched five laboratories for the design of public policies more closely aligned with social dynamics. Likewise, at the local level, this model forms the basis of the care experimentation portfolio in the Basque Country, which features active social innovation processes in municipalities such as Galdakao (Galdako Zeugaz), Getxo (Getxo Zurekin), and Gasteiz (Lakua Arriaga).
Results of the Urdaibai Listening Process, what now?
Urdaibai has everything it needs to become an advanced learning space for the sustainable human development of Basque society. In addition to the characteristics of the environment, institutional and social efforts to promote a new transformation of the territory and, above all, the commitment of its citizens, make it possible to attract talent and investment to test a set of specific initiatives that can subsequently be scaled up to the entire Basque Country.
This report compiles the findings of the listening process in Busturialdea-Urdaibai on the possible expansion of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum in the region and complements the previous report published in July 2025. During the 10 months of this process, 1,002 individual narratives were collected and verified through seven collective interpretation sessions. All this information was verified and enriched at the international seminar held at Ekoetxea on December 1 and 2, 2025.
Now that Basque institutions have decided not to proceed with the museum expansion project in Urdaibai, this document remains valid for enriching the debate on how Basque society can tackle the necessary socio-ecological transition in the region.
During the listening process, five narrative patterns emerged that reflect the different ways of positioning oneself in relation to the initiative and the future of the region. As we have pointed out, it is not possible to speak of majorities or minorities, but rather of prevalences, understood as trends with greater presence, density, argumentative maturity, or repetition over time. The interpretation of prevalences has been possible thanks to the volume, frequency, and intensity of narratives and the seven contrast sessions held during 2025, as reflected in the preliminary report on narrative patterns. The narratives identified reveal cross-cutting effects between conservation, tourism, housing, employment, and mobility. Therefore, the narratives have reflected that the debate is not only about the expansion of the museum, but also about how to address the socio-ecological transition of the region and what role each agent in the region can play.
There are differences, but also broad consensus on the development of the region. Based on the narratives gathered, no one questions the need to combine environmental protection with the socio-economic development of Busturialdea-Urdaibai, or the framework of the biosphere reserve. As was evident at the international seminar, there are not many similar conflicts in which such broad consensus exists. This consensus provides a unique foundation for building a shared future in the region based on diversity.
Regardless of whether participants rejected the project, supported it, or had doubts, they agreed that the region needs to act, move forward, and make strategic decisions as a pioneer of green development in a biosphere reserve. The initial Not In My Back Yard attitude (in which many people who rejected the project viewed it favorably in other places) has evolved into a more nuanced position focused on the future of Urdaibai. The process itself has made it possible to highlight and compare different ways of viewing the project and the development of the region. Thanks to this exercise in public dialogue, all positions have introduced nuances that did not previously exist in their discourse, and common elements have been made explicit.
Once the decision was made not to proceed with the museum expansion project, the concerns and suggestions of those organizations that opposed it were acknowledged. At the same time, the institutions that facilitated this process, taking political and electoral risks that are normally considered excessive, were able to see how their commitment to the development of the region was enriched by very specific contributions. All the efforts of these social and institutional actors should be recognized. Instead of a win-lose confrontation, the listening process has made it possible to envision a future scenario in which the entire region can win.
What now?
The challenge from now on is not to close the debate, but to restart the discussion and give it new content, preventing the void that has been created from turning into paralysis or disaffection. Instead of proposing new specific solutions, the narratives collected call for strengthening the current strategic plan with new initiatives that complement the necessary investments in infrastructure that have already been committed to. These initiatives should address the different topics gathered during the listening process (Housing, Transportation, Culture, Employment, Tourism, Culture, and Ecology) rather than focusing all efforts on a specific area. In this context, it is suggested that we explore what other specific contributions the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao could make to the region, now that the decision has been made not to continue with the expansion project.
Considering the above, the listening process could be kept active (integrating other existing participation processes) as a stable space for public debate and feedback, reinforcing its educational nature and its role in generating advanced knowledge. This would involve continuing to incorporate new voices—especially young people, migrants, and residents of small municipalities—promoting intergenerational and territorial dialogue, and exploring tools capable of simulating new development scenarios. Far from being exhausted in a specific discussion, the listening process could be transformed into a strategic tool for managing tensions between protection and development, articulating a collective project that combines identity, sustainability, and well-being.
Based on this experience, we can affirm that Urdaibai meets all the conditions to become an advanced learning space for the sustainable human development of Basque society. In addition to the characteristics of the environment, institutional and social efforts to promote a new transformation of the territory and, above all, the commitment of its citizens, make it possible to attract talent and investment to test a set of specific initiatives that can subsequently be scaled up to the whole of the Basque Country.
Third meeting of the Transis Lab project
From November 19 to 21, 2025, ALC participated in the third meeting of the Transis Lab project, held at FICOBA, in Irun, bringing together all the consortium partners to evaluate progress and strengthen cross-border cooperation in social innovation for longevity.
On November 19, the First Transis Lab Transfer Seminar took place, where the project's objectives and interim results were presented, as well as FRAGILAB pilot experiences. Transfer workshops were held to explore opportunities for adopting these initiatives in urban and rural environments.
On November 20 and 21, the third meeting of the Transis Lab consortium took place, bringing together all the partners to take stock of the project's progress and coordinate the next steps of this cross-border initiative.
Itziar Moreno, from ALC, explained the methodology to develop the TransisLab Agenda. This methodology combines literature review, interviews with social policy managers, and workshops with cross-border entities, with the aim of designing a cooperation framework that promotes innovative solutions, a cross-border ecosystem of social innovation, and a shared training and experimentation infrastructure. The agenda will serve to implement six pilot projects that connect family and local social and health systems, improving the lives of 400 frail elderly people in rural areas.
We participated in the 13th European Forum on Experiences and Trends in Innovation for Inclusion
On Wednesday, November 26, ALC participated in the 13th European Forum on Experiences and Trends in Innovation for Inclusion, organized by the European Network for Innovation for Inclusion and led by Acción contra el Hambre in Madrid.
Gorka Espiau participated in the session “The goal of systemic change,” sharing how ALC works in open social innovation and community transformation, and how collaboration between citizens, institutions, and other actors can generate more inclusive and sustainable solutions.
In this edition, the forum showed how to connect evidence with political decision-making, combining theory with concrete experiences. It highlighted initiatives that, thanks to the joint work of public institutions, companies, and social organizations, are driving systemic change, transforming communities, and promoting inclusive employment and entrepreneurship.
The event, which was broadcast live on YouTube and LinkedIn, established itself as a key space for inspiring more inclusive and resilient policies across Europe.
ALC presents K-Tool at the 2nd Catalan Citizen Science Congress
ALC presented K-Tool, its digital tool for promoting systemic and collaborative innovation processes, at the 2nd Catalan Citizen Science Congress, held on November 18 at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB).
In the 37th Microtalk, entitled “K-Tool (Digital Tool). From a systemic vision to shared innovation to address complex challenges,” Beth Espinalt (DOER) and Raimon Mirada (Bestiario) showed how this platform facilitates the observation of complex social realities, the identification of narratives and opportunities for transformation, and the shared management of knowledge.
K-Tool reflects the ALC's experience in open social innovation and community transformation processes, integrating qualitative data, multiple perspectives, and advanced visualizations to support decision-making and the co-creation of solutions.
The 2025 Citizen Science Congress left a clear conclusion: the country is undergoing a paradigm shift. Research is no longer conceived solely in laboratories, but through collaboration between institutions, citizens, schools, businesses, and administrations. It is a path that requires time, stability, and strategic vision, but one that is already generating a new collective imaginary, in which citizens not only observe science, but actively construct it.
