Basque agricultural foundation facilitating EIP operational groups, multi-actor learning, and collaborative circular approaches to reduce food waste across the agri-food chain.
HAZI Fundazioa is a Basque Country foundation that bridges farm-level agricultural practitioners with innovation networks, research actors, and advisory services. In EU projects they have functioned as a facilitator and intermediary — running multi-actor learning processes, connecting farmers through EIP (European Innovation Partnership) operational and thematic groups, and translating research outputs into practical farm applications. More recently they have extended this facilitation capacity to collaborative circular food systems, working to reduce food waste and losses across the agri-food chain through multi-partner approaches. Their core value to any consortium is access to the Basque agri-food sector combined with proven experience running joint learning processes between heterogeneous actors.
AGRISPIN (2015–2017) positioned HAZI as a facilitator of innovation support systems, EIP thematic groups, and EIP Operational Groups connecting farm actors with researchers and advisors.
AGRISPIN keywords include multi-actor learning and joint learning, indicating HAZI ran structured learning processes between farmers, extension advisors, and research partners.
FOODRUS (2020–2024) focused on an innovative collaborative circular food system to reduce food waste and losses in the agri-food chain, with HAZI as a participating partner.
FOODRUS keywords include circular economy, bioeconomy, and sustainability, reflecting HAZI's contribution to applying circular principles to food production and waste streams.
Digital technologies appear as a FOODRUS keyword, suggesting HAZI has begun engaging with digital tools for food chain monitoring or waste management, though depth is unconfirmed from available data.
In their first H2020 project (2015–2017), HAZI focused entirely on agricultural innovation infrastructure: building EIP operational groups, structuring multi-actor learning, and creating platforms for joint knowledge exchange between farmers, advisors, and researchers. By their second project (2020–2024) the focus had shifted decisively to circular economy, food waste, bioeconomy, and digital technologies — the systemic sustainability agenda that came to dominate EU food policy in the late 2010s. The connecting thread across both phases is their role as a practical intermediary: the substance of what they facilitate moved from innovation processes to sustainability outcomes, but the facilitation model itself appears consistent.
HAZI is moving toward circular bioeconomy and digitally-enabled food chain management, likely carrying their multi-actor facilitation model into the EU sustainability and farm-to-fork agenda — making them a relevant partner for future Horizon Europe projects in those areas.
HAZI has participated in both H2020 projects as a partner, never as consortium coordinator, which suggests they contribute specialist regional or sectoral knowledge rather than drive project design and management. Despite a small project count, they have accumulated 52 unique partners across 17 countries — roughly 26 partners per project — indicating they join large, multi-actor consortia typical of EIP and circular economy projects. This pattern fits an organization that serves as a regional node, bringing Basque agri-food sector access and facilitation capacity into broader European partnerships.
52 unique partners across 17 countries from only 2 projects is a wide footprint for a small foundation, suggesting participation in large pan-European consortia that bring together farm actors, researchers, businesses, and advisory services. No single dominant country cluster is identifiable from available data.
HAZI is one of the few Basque agri-food organizations with direct EIP operational group experience from EU-funded research, giving them credibility with both on-the-ground farming communities and European research networks simultaneously. Their two-phase trajectory — innovation facilitation in the 2010s, circular food systems in the 2020s — means they can connect sustainability research to farm-level practice, a combination that is harder to find than either skill alone. For consortia targeting food waste, bioeconomy, or participatory multi-actor approaches, they offer regional agricultural sector access in the Basque Country backed by an established European partner network.
