DOMINION held a new meeting in Bilbao for the BQUO programme, its open innovation and entrepreneurial talent attraction initiative, which since its launch in 2023 has established itself as a key platform for promoting innovative projects and strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Basque Country.
The meeting was attended by Mikel Barandiaran, CEO of DOMINION, and Patricia Berjón, Director of Corporate Development and head of the BQUO programme, who shared the progress made in the third edition and reflected on the evolution of the programme and its growing impact in the region.
A programme with real appeal and growth potential
Edition after edition, BQUO has demonstrated its ability to attract high-potential entrepreneurial talent. The number of applications has risen from 64 in the first call to more than 230 in the current edition, with proposals coming from more than a dozen countries.
During the meeting, this growth was directly linked to collaboration between companies, institutions and the Basque entrepreneurial ecosystem as a lever for generating projects with global ambition from the Basque Country.
Projects moving towards market launch and generating local value
Since its launch, BQUO has promoted initiatives that have already made the leap to the market. This is the case of ADSOL, a project from the first edition specialising in decentralised technologies for efficient and regenerative water management, which has set up a company in Bizkaia and maintains a shareholding and commercial relationship with DOMINION.
The projects from the second edition continue to advance in their technical and commercial validation, while several of the participating talents have joined different DOMINION teams in Spain, Mexico and Peru. The company highlights that all participants have continued to develop their professional initiatives, generating returns and what they define as "talent with a Basque stamp".
Innovation with real impact
During the meeting, the projects selected for the third edition of BQUO were also presented, focusing on areas such as sustainability, the circular economy and smart grids. This edition consists of four projects and two talents, who will develop their initiatives following the programme's immersive model, combining executive mentoring, personalised training and access to corporate resources from DOMINION's headquarters.
“We want BQUO to also serve as inspiration for other companies. Businesses play a fundamental role in creating opportunities through innovation and attracting and retaining entrepreneurial talent. The richer the network, the more value we will generate for the company and society.”
Patricia Berjón
| Director of Corporate Development and Director of BQUO
Looking ahead: a more collaborative ecosystem
DOMINION also announced its intention to expand the BQUO programme in partnership with other companies, with the aim of continuing to build a more collaborative, competitive and internationally-oriented entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Basque Country.
The conference concluded with a call for the sharing of initiatives that strengthen collaboration between the business community, the entrepreneurial community and institutions, as a way to strengthen the competitiveness and global impact of the Basque business ecosystem.
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