Basque country

Presentation of the Region

The Basque Country is a region located in the north of Spain, known for its strong industrial base, high technological specialization, and an economy focused on high-value-added sectors. It is one of the most economically competitive communities in Spain, standing out for its advanced manufacturing, energy, biosciences, and business and research collaborations.(euskadi.eus)

Its economic history has been marked by industrial transformation and the adaptation to new technologies, positioning itself as an innovation hub in Europe where manufacturing represents a significant portion of its GDP, with a growing focus on digitalization, sustainability, and providing technological solutions for global markets.(euskadi.eus)

The Vanguard Initiative in the Basque Country

The Basque Country is an active member of the Vanguard Initiative, a European network of regions committed to industrial revival driven by smart specialization and interregional cooperation. This initiative, created in 2013, aims to mobilize and align resources across regions to develop innovation projects that address current and future industrial challenges.(spri.eus)

As a member region, the Basque Country actively participates in the working groups of the initiative through entities like the SPRI Group and the Basque Delegation to the European Union. Its involvement focuses on both political objectives—shaping European policies on innovation and industrialization—and technical goals, collaborating on concrete projects that promote innovation and competitiveness.(spri.eus)

Innovation Pilots

Within the Vanguard Initiative, the Basque Country contributes to several collaborative pilot projects, developed in partnership with other European regions to drive innovation in strategic areas:

• Efficient and Sustainable Manufacturing: participation in a European pilot to enhance sustainable and competitive industrial manufacturing processes, in collaboration with regions like Lombardy and Catalonia.(spri.eus)
• Advanced Manufacturing for Energy Applications in Harsh Environments: co-led with Scotland, this project focuses on advanced industrial solutions for the energy sector, with involvement from regional stakeholders like SPRI and the Basque Energy Cluster.(spri.eus)

These initiatives aim to create interregional value chains, facilitate technology transfer, and accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions in competitive markets, generating synergies between companies, technology centers, and universities from different European regions.(spri.eus)

Regional Specialization Priorities (RIS3)

The Basque Country integrates its participation in the Vanguard Initiative with its Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3), which defines priorities in areas such as advanced manufacturing, energy, and biosciences, supporting the productive transformation toward higher value-added and globally competitive sectors. This regional strategy guides innovation investments and strengthens the competitive position of the Basque Country within the European space of science, technology, and industrial development.(documents1.worldbank.org)