This has been a year full of interesting projects and events. Below we highlight some of Orkestra's most important milestones in 2025. All of them are the result of the activities we carry out with our partners and other agents.
Orkestra analyses international connectivity as a driver for industry with the support of the Basque Government
Through our competitiveness framework for wellbeing, we carry out a dynamic diagnosis of the Basque Country to identify its challenges. These are complex challenges, which is why tackling them requires collaboration and commitment by all stakeholders in the territory, from public administration, to business, academia and citizens.
In 2025 we have worked on 40 research projects aimed at:
Designing and implementing inclusive regional and urban strategies.
Developing the necessary skills and training to meet the challenge of talent.
Connecting the Basque Country and its business fabric with the international community.
Rethinking the role of clusters and value chains in the current context.
Implementing new strategies for the development of SMEs.
Analysing the functioning of energy markets to understand how they affect our competitiveness.
Fostering multi-level collaborative governance and addressing its challenges.
Understanding the challenges and opportunities presented by the major transitions: (1) the energy-environmental transition (2) the demographic-social transition, and (3) the digital-technological transition.
Multi-level collaborative governance
Multi-level collaborative governance has become a key element in improving the effectiveness of public policies and strengthening democracy.
This approach promotes cooperation between institutions, businesses, intermediary bodies and social organisations to design and implement shared solutions.
However, building new models of governance is no easy task. It involves overcoming institutional inertia, building trust among stakeholders with differing interests, and developing new capacities for collaborative working.
At Orkestra, using action research as our framework, we support various institutions and local stakeholders in these processes.
We design and facilitate collaborative governance processes
We support local institutions and stakeholders in creating spaces for collaboration that enable the analysis of shared challenges and the development of collective responses.
We help to activate programs and initiatives through collaborative governance
Collaborative governance processes are not only spaces for reflection; they also enable us to launch programmes and initiatives that address specific challenges.
We generate knowledge on collaborative governance
As we move towards more collaborative models of governance, we continue to learn about how these processes work and how they contribute to competitiveness and wellbeing.
During 2025, Orkestra worked alongside various institutions on research projects aimed at promoting multi-level collaborative governance and addressing the challenges it faces:
1. We design and facilitate collaborative governance processes
In 2025, the Basque Government, through the President's Office, launched a process in collaboration with various regional stakeholders to define its approach to collaborative governance based on three complementary principles: deepening democracy, strengthening the community, and promoting competitiveness in the service of wellbeing.
Building on this approach, we have collaborated on the development of a framework for analysing collaborative governance as a factor in competitiveness for wellbeing, using the framework for competitiveness for wellbeing developed by Orkestra as a reference.
The aim of this work is to move from a conceptual level towards an actionable framework that enables us to understand when and how collaborative governance processes can contribute to improving regional competitiveness and inclusive, sustainable wellbeing.
2. We help to activate programs and initiatives through collaborative governance
As part of this project, Orkestra has worked alongside the Basque Government to design a strategic reflection process aimed at analysing the role of collaborative governance in regional competitiveness.
The work has been carried out by combining conceptual analysis with learning from real-life governance experiences at different territorial levels in the Basque Country.
The analysis of these cases has enabled us to identify dynamics, mechanisms and lessons on how collaboration between institutions, businesses and other stakeholders contributes to the region’s economic development.
3. We generate knowledge on collaborative governance
The project has enabled the development of a conceptual and methodological framework for analysing collaborative governance from the perspective of competitiveness for wellbeing, which we have published in a report that will serve to guide the future work of this project.
Collaborative governance as a factor of competitiveness for wellbeing
1. We design and facilitate collaborative governance processes
Since 2009, we have been working with the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and regional development agencies to build a model of collaborative governance for territorial development based on action research. Through the Territorial Development Laboratory, facilitated by Orkestra, collaborative forums such as the Inter-regional Round Table have been established, where representatives from development agencies and the Provincial Council analyse territorial challenges and coordinate programmes aimed at SMEs.
Thanks to this track record, Gipuzkoa now has a well-established model of cooperation between levels of government that allows economic development policies to be adapted to the needs of the region.
The Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and local agencies strengthen cooperation through Action Research for Territorial Development
2. We help to activate programs and initiatives through collaborative governance
The collaborative governance model established in Gipuzkoa has made it possible to launch a range of initiatives designed to ensure that the region’s public policies on economic development reach SMEs in Gipuzkoa.
ETE Digitala
More than 250 SMEs have received support to map out their digitalisation roadmap.
Lanaren Zentzua
An initiative designed to help organisations reflect on the meaning of work and its impact.
BETEK
A programme to drive technological innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises.
Barnekintzailetza
An initiative aimed at fostering intrapreneurship.
3. We generate knowledge on collaborative governance
The experience gained in Gipuzkoa has provided valuable insights into how to build and sustain models of collaborative governance in the long term.
This knowledge has resulted in a number of academic publications on action research for territorial development; methodological guides to facilitate collaborative processes between institutions and local stakeholders; and contributions to international debates on governance for regional development.
1. We design and facilitate collaborative governance processes
Since 2022, Orkestra has been the research partner of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia in the “Bizkaia with the talent” initiative. This ecosystem, based on a collaborative governance model, aims to mobilise various stakeholders across the region to tackle the shortage of STEM talent.
The Orkestra team participated in the design and launch of this talent ecosystem by providing analysis of the STEM training provision in Bizkaia and facilitating coordination between companies, universities, clusters and associations of vocational training centres.
“Bizkaia with the Talent”, an ecosystem to address the shortage of STEM talent in Bizkaia
2. We help to activate programs and initiatives through collaborative governance
Currently, 43 organisations from the public and private sectors are working together on various initiatives aimed at generating, attracting, developing and retaining STEM talent in Bizkaia.
In 2025, our role has focused on monitoring the initiative’s progress and designing a system of indicators to systematise the results of the 20 projects that make up the initiative.
“Bizkaia with the talent” provides talent training to 200 companies, digital skills training to 700 people, and attracts 90 STEM professionals
3. We generate knowledge on collaborative governance
The launch of the “Bizkaia with the Talent” ecosystem has yielded valuable insights into the key elements required to build a skills ecosystem and the challenges involved in ensuring its long-term sustainability. Among these, particular emphasis is placed on the importance of developing a collaborative governance model that encourages initiative from those involved in the ecosystem and promotes the co-creation of projects that address the identified challenges.
The keys to building the ecosystem "Bizkaia with the Talent" to promote STEM talent in Bizkaia
1. We design and facilitate collaborative governance processes
Bilbao Next Lab is the urban competitiveness policy laboratory launched by Orkestra in partnership with Bilbao City Council and Bilbao Ekintza in 2013, aimed at promoting a deliberative, multi-stakeholder and consensus-based approach to public policy design. Since 2023, the project has focused on the design and evaluation of a collaborative governance model for advanced services, facilitating action research processes that generate practical knowledge and strengthen the City Council’s technical and policy capacities.
Bilbao Next Lab, 10 years of the urban competitiveness policy laboratory in Bilbao
2. We help to activate programs and initiatives through collaborative governance
In June 2025, Bilbao City Council launched the ‘Bilbao Advanced Services’ forum, a new platform for collaborative governance set up in partnership with Orkestra to address one of the city’s strategic priorities: advanced services.
Thanks to this platform, facilitated by Bilbao Ekintza, 50 public and private sector stakeholders are working across four key areas to strengthen the competitiveness of advanced services.
Bilbao is adopting a collaborative approach to governance to strengthen the competitiveness of KIBS
3. We generate knowledge on collaborative governance
Bilbao Next Lab has become a highly valuable learning space that positions Bilbao as an international leader in urban competitiveness policies based on collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Collaborative governance for urban competitiveness | Lessons from Bilbao Next Lab
We apply scientific methods to address real problems and contribute to the academic community through our research. All this aims to ensure that the knowledge we generate is useful for the key actors that contribute to the Basque Country's competitiveness.
Ane Izulain defends her doctoral thesis on the role of social values in the construction of a shared vision of competitiveness for wellbeing in the Basque Country
We have also developed diagnosis tools that allow us to explore and monitor the Basque Country’s competitive situation in various areas.
Regional Competitiveness Observatory
It compares the situation and evolution of European regions through 40 key indicators using the most recent data available. The aim of this tool is to foster improvement in the study of regional competitiveness by offering a starting point for different regional analyses that are conducted both within and outside the Institute.
We work on a daily basis with the agents that can have a direct impact on the challenges of competitiveness and wellbeing in the Basque Country. We have the support of the following entities, which provide stability to the institute and significantly collaborate in its development.
In addition, we collaborate with a global network of expert actors and we participate in international conferences, forums and meetings with a twofold objective: to highlight the Basque competitiveness and wellbeing model and identify best practices to be applied in the Basque Country.
Click to see more information about our new collaborations
Presentation of the Iñigo de Loyola Initiative at the annual meeting of the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools (IAJBS) in Colombia
Ainhoa Arrona shares Orkestra's experience with action research for territorial development at an event organised by the SIRI Platform (Swedish Platform for System Innovation Research in Interaction)
Jaime Menéndez presents his research on the transformation of industrial clusters and business models for the Oil & Gas sector at the NBM 2025 conference
This programme is based on a collaboration between the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, regional development agencies, Innobasque and Orkestra. Thanks to this collaborative governance, since 2021, more than 250 SMEs have received support to map out their digitalisation roadmap, and the regional development agencies have strengthened their facilitation capabilities.
Lanaren Zentzua
Lanaren Zentzua is an initiative designed to help organisations reflect on the meaning of work and its impact on key areas such as staff engagement, attracting and retaining talent, and reducing absenteeism.
This programme combines capacity-building activities for all stakeholders and reflection sessions within organisations.
An institutionalised focus
Since 2025, 'the meaning of work' has been an institutionalised focus within the Eskualdeak programme run by the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.
13 agents
Representatives from 10 regional development agencies, Asle, the Gipuzkoa Chamber of Commerce and Tknika have developed the capacity to work with companies on improving 'the meaning of work' in order to address key challenges such as talent retention and absenteeism.
+77 companies
More than 77 companies have benefited from the “Lanaren Zentzua” process.
Lanaren zentzua: " Individual and company objectives influence one another"
BeTEK aims to drive technological innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises through collaboration with a network of stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem: BRTA, technology centres, Tknika and vocational training centres, Innobasque, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, local development agencies and Orkestra.
Our contribution focuses on methodological design and the creation of a space for learning and reflection based on the real-world experience of the pilot programme.
19 SMEs
19 SMEs have taken part in the process between 2024 and 2026, drawing up personalised technological innovation roadmaps to improve their competitiveness.
6 projects in development
At least 13 companies have planned technological innovation projects and at least 6 have already started or are currently developing specific projects.
In the initial pilot, 8 companies that took part in the initiative shared their experiences
Barnekintzailetza is an initiative aimed at fostering intrapreneurship within companies through a shared methodology based on collective learning and practical experimentation. More than ten regional development agencies and various stakeholders from the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem (Tknika, Gipuzkoako Ganbera, ASLE, AFM Cluster, Saiolan, SPRI and BIC Gipuzkoa) have collaborated in a process of collaborative governance to promote this initiative across the region.
At Orkestra, we have participated in co-creation and coordination workshops to design and validate the programme’s approach and strengthen collaboration between the various stakeholders.
Strengthen the capacities
The process has also helped to strengthen the capacity of development agencies and ecosystem stakeholders to support corporate intrapreneurship initiatives.
15 companies
Local intermediaries plan to work with at least 15 companies, supporting them in identifying and developing intrapreneurship initiatives.
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Click to see more information about our new collaborations
