TECNALIA, one of Europe’s leading Research and Technology Organisations and a core member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance, asked IDEA Consult to assess how its activities contribute to societal transitions in the Basque region. As an organisation dedicated to “transforming technology into GDP”, TECNALIA works across domains such as advanced manufacturing, digital transformation, energy transition, sustainable mobility, health and urban ecology. Understanding the societal value generated by this work is increasingly important, for internal strategic steering, accountability, and communication with stakeholders.

The challenge

TECNALIA wanted an evidence-based assessment of its social impact: how its research, technological development and innovation activities support progress on major societal transitions, and how these contributions align with the UN SDGs. This meant going beyond economic metrics to capture broader technological, social and environmental impacts.

Approach & results

1. Building a shared understanding of TECNALIA’s transition contributions. We organised a kick-off meeting and exploratory discussions with TECNALIA’s management to identify which SDG intervention domains were most relevant to their activities. This led to a mapping of priority domains across all of TECNALIA’s core areas of action.  
   
2. Applying recognised international frameworks. To ensure analytical rigour and comparability, we based the assessment on two established frameworks:
   • The Six Transformations for the SDGs to structure societal transition priorities;
   • The X-Curve of Transitions (DRIFT) to analyse TECNALIA’s specific roles in accelerating transitions, from creating urgency and mobilising experimentation to shaping new networks and consolidating emerging systems.  
     
3. Collecting in-depth qualitative evidence. For each selected transition domain, we combined: 
   • desk research (annual reports, strategic documents, policy notes); 
   • 2-3 targeted interviews with TECNALIA experts and relevant external stakeholders; 
   • additional interviews to develop illustrative case studies showing concrete impact pathways. This allowed us to identify the most relevant clusters of interventions rather than producing an exhaustive listing.  
     
4. Developing clear, communicable insights. For every transition domain, IDEA Consult delivered: 
   • a structured analysis of TECNALIA’s activities, roles and partnerships; 
   • a qualitative assessment of their contribution to societal transitions; 
   • a case study (1-2 pages) with narrative and visual elements to support broader communication efforts.