ELHUYAR-ZUBIZE SL

Their core work

Elhuyar-Zubize is a Basque science communication and knowledge transfer company, best known for maintaining the Elhuyar dictionary and producing science content in the Basque language. In H2020, they contributed to gender equality and institutional change initiatives in research organisations, and later to a food systems project focused on nutritional diversity and agro-biodiversity in smallholder farming contexts. Their practical contribution lies in translating research into accessible communication, training materials, and tools — bridging scientific findings with practitioners, educators, and the public. They bring a distinctive combination of science communication expertise and gender-aware research culture promotion to European consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2016-2020), Elhuyar-Zubize was firmly positioned in the gender equality and institutional culture space — working on gender equality plans, STEM inclusion, and tools for research organisations. By their second project (2020-2025), the thematic focus shifted substantially toward food systems, nutritional diversity, agro-biodiversity, and smallholder farming — though gender remained a thread. This suggests the organisation is expanding its science communication remit into food and sustainability topics, likely leveraging its Basque regional identity and interest in local food diversity.

They appear to be broadening from institutional gender reform work into food sustainability and agro-biodiversity communication, making them a potential partner for projects needing public engagement or knowledge dissemination in those domains.

How they like to work

Elhuyar-Zubize has never coordinated an H2020 project, participating once as a consortium member and once as a third party — a pattern consistent with a specialist contributor rather than a project driver. Their 40 unique consortium partners across 18 countries, despite only two projects, reflects participation in large, multi-partner consortia. This suggests they are brought in for a specific, bounded contribution — most likely science communication, dissemination, or training materials — rather than leading technical work packages.

Despite only two H2020 projects, Elhuyar-Zubize has connected with 40 unique partners across 18 countries, indicating participation in large international consortia. Their network is broad rather than deep, with no evidence of repeated partnerships.

What sets them apart

Elhuyar-Zubize is one of very few private SMEs combining science communication in a minority language (Basque) with active EU research project participation — giving them a distinctive regional outreach capability that few other organisations can replicate. For projects requiring engagement with Basque-speaking communities, educators, or regional food and agriculture networks in the Basque Country, they offer access that no generic dissemination partner can provide. Their dual expertise in gender-aware institutional culture and food systems communication also makes them a flexible dissemination partner across two otherwise unrelated thematic areas.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PLOTINA
  Their only funded H2020 project (EUR 206,625), focused on systemic gender equality reform across research institutions — an unusual topic for a private SME, signalling a strong track record in institutional change communication.
• FOODLAND
  A longer-horizon project (2020-2025) addressing food and nutritional diversity in a global smallholder context, where Elhuyar-Zubize's role as third party suggests targeted dissemination or translation expertise.