18 January 2016
This morning, the general director of Orkestra, of the University of Deusto, Mari Jose Aranguren and the general director of Innobasque, the Basque Innovation Agency, Txema Villate, have signed a strategic collaboration agreement that looks to evaluate competitiveness and innovation policies in the Basque Country and their impact on the Basque economy. Through this agreement, both institutions will promote the development of a systematic evaluation of public policies for science, technology and innovation and the Basque Innovation System, with regards to the objectives of the Euskadi 2020 Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (PCTI).
The agreement is focused on working together to drive and implement evaluation methodologies to make policies of higher impact in our territory. The aim is to help the public administration identify the main needs of the Basque Innovation System.
Innobasque will supply its knowledge with regards to policy evaluation as well as programmes and tools, based on its experience in the design and implementation of the PCTI, as well as contribute to the reorganisation process of the Basque Network of Science, Technology and Innovation (RVCTI). Orkestra, on the other hand, will contribute with its experience in the evaluation of territorial strategies, in smart specialisation strategies, and with policies and tools aimed at supporting competitiveness and innovation at a regional level.
Mari Jose Aranguren pointed out that this agreement “joins the capacities of both institutions in the field of evaluations and better responds to the needs of the Basque system in this field, contributing to the continual improvement of the competitiveness of our territory”.
Txame Villate highlighted “the need to move forward in building a greater culture of evaluation that allows us to know the real results and impacts of the investments in science, technology and innovation. What can’t be measured can’t be improved”.
The collaboration between Orkestra and Innobasque has been constant since both institutions stated in 2006 and 2007, respectively. In 2008, they signed an agreement to work actively in the impulse and development of the second economic transformation of the Basque Country.
