ELHUYAR FUNDAZIOA

Their core work

Elhuyar Fundazioa is a Basque research and communication foundation that specializes in science dissemination, multi-actor engagement, and participatory approaches across diverse thematic areas. Rather than deep domain expertise in one field, they bring communication, social research, and community engagement capabilities to EU consortia — spanning food systems, gender equality in research, and education. Their consistent role as a participant across topically varied projects points to a transversal competency in bridging research and society, likely rooted in their experience with language promotion and science communication in the Basque Country.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Elhuyar's H2020 trajectory shows a clear shift from institutional change topics toward food systems and community engagement. Their earliest project (PLOTINA, 2016) dealt with gender equality and STEM culture in research organisations — a science policy topic. From 2020 onward, they pivoted heavily into food and agriculture (FOODLAND, LOWINFOOD) while also entering education and community-building (NEW ABC). The common thread throughout is participatory processes and engaging diverse groups — their method stayed consistent while the application domains broadened.

Moving toward applied food system transformation and participatory community approaches, making them a strong partner for projects needing public engagement and multi-actor coordination in agri-food or social innovation.

How they like to work

Elhuyar operates exclusively as a consortium participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project. Despite only 4 projects, they have worked with 77 unique partners across 25 countries, indicating they join large, diverse consortia rather than small focused teams. This pattern suggests they fill a specific transversal role (communication, engagement, dissemination) that large consortia need but domain-focused partners cannot provide.

With 77 unique consortium partners across 25 countries from just 4 projects, Elhuyar has an exceptionally broad network relative to its project count — averaging nearly 20 partners per consortium. Their reach spans most of Europe and extends into developing countries through the food security projects.

What sets them apart

Elhuyar's value lies in being a Basque research SME that combines science communication expertise with participatory social research methods. Unlike typical food or gender specialists, they serve as the engagement and dissemination backbone in large consortia — the partner that ensures research actually reaches communities, practitioners, and the public. For consortium builders, they fill the increasingly important gap between technical research and societal impact that EU evaluators look for.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LOWINFOOD
  Largest single grant (EUR 491,160) and focused on demonstrating real-world food waste solutions through multi-actor processes — their best-funded and most applied project.
• FOODLAND
  Addresses the complex intersection of food diversity, nutrition, gender, and smallholder agriculture across multiple countries — reflects their ability to handle socially complex, multi-stakeholder food system challenges.
• NEW ABC
  Most recent project (2021) and a thematic departure into education and migration, signaling expansion of their participatory methods into new domains beyond food and gender.