Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competitiveness

Orkestra is a research Institute created as a result of a collaborative effort by the University of Deusto, public administrations and major firms in the Basque Country. Its mission is to generate knowledge to improve competitiveness and wellbeing in the Basque Country.
Since its beginning it has been an example of success in public-private cooperation. It works with a large number of networks, businesses, governments and institutions on numerous projects. So, aside from being an agent of change to drive competitiveness for inclusive and sustainable wellbeing in the Basque Country, it has become an international reference in the analysis of regional competitiveness in a global environment.

Our two main objectives are:
-To improve competitiveness in the Basque Country with the ultimate goal of increasing the socio-economic wellbeing of its citizens
-To produce new knowledge on competitiveness for sustainable wellbeing

We develop transformative research processes that take place alongside other territorial actors and within Deusto University as well. Those processes draw from our diverse research methodologies, among which dialogical methodologies like action research play an important role in addressing the territorial challenges jointly defined with other actors across the territory.

Our activities are organised around 5 transformative research labs. They are living labs that encompass a wide range of activities, such as: research projects with other actors across the territory (public administrations, firms, clusters…); training programs; teaching in graduate and postgraduate courses at the University of Deusto; supervision on PhD dissertations; Publications (working papers, papers, books and reports); Publication of the Basque Country Competitiveness Report (every other year since 2007 and yearly since 2018); dissemination and uptake activities (conferences, workshops, seminars, social media and innovative dialogical approaches to dissemination).

The research labs are the following:

-Public Policy and Institutions Lab: Focuses on the system formed by actors and the governance relationships that underscore group strategies promoted to reach sustainable territorial competitiveness. The lab conducts research and work with other system actors to analyse and improve institutions, governance and public policies.

-Enterprise Lab: Studies business strategies and behaviour to understand and address the challenges faced by firms of different sizes and characteristics related to their competitiveness. Work and research are conducted with firms and other actors in the system to analyse these challenges and improve the ways they are addressed.

-Wellbeing Lab: Focuses on conceptualising and measuring key aspects related to people's wellbeing and on understanding how the strategic policies and decisions made and promoted by business, government and other territorial agents, impact and can be used to improve it.

-Digital Economy Lab: Works on identifying the challenges posed by good development of digital transformation in the Basque Country.

-Energy Lab: The Basque energy sector and its related value chains play a key role in the Basque economy. We research to generate knowledge on energy challenges and their implications for the Basque Country and in the global scope. Transformation of the energy system is a key element in the fight against climate change. This involves technology, regulatory, industrial and behaviour changes for the key economic agents. Efforts are placed on promoting efficient consumption and use of more sustainable and competitive energy sources, both in industry and home use.