The nine Long-term Relations projects (nine-month collaborations) from the 2011 edition of Conexiones improbables officially ended their collaboration period on 1 February 2012, although at least six of them have decided to extend the experience for a few months.

CHALLENGES

Most of the research is concerned with seeking mechanisms/channels/devices to involve people/communities in innovation processes:

Within organisations:

• By generating a will to innovate in teaching staff (Lauaxeta Ikastola).
• By devising methodologies for managing innovation and instruments to disseminate these in vocational training centres (Tknika)

Within a much broader environment:

• By converting users of products and services into active agents at an international level, thus transferring cooperative values from a production area (local) to a commercial area (global) (Fagor Electrical Appliances).
• By achieving greater involvement from organisation member (Anesvad Foundation)
• By developing shared brand projects with clients or suppliers (Obe Hettich)

Two other research projects are about rethinking/creating new services:

• By devising a new interface for users of information systems (Grupo i68).
• By rethinking the role of cultural centres in a rural setting within a cloud cultur context (Germán Sánchez Ruipérez Foundation)

Two organisations will carry out research in the field of social innovation based on questions of gender in one case and linguistic practice in another:

• Bypromoting the vocation of women towards research in the field of EICTs and towards associated engineering degrees (DeustoTech)
• By encouraging the use of Euskera, or Basque, among young people (city councils of Ipar Uribe).