As part of our SOILL series celebrating women driving innovation in environmental science and sustainability, we are pleased to present this interview with Itziar Vidorreta, Living Lab Manager of the Basque Soil Health Living Lab under the Horizon Europe Mission Soil iCOSHELLs project.
With a background in Environmental Sciences and Environmental Engineering, as well as extensive experience in international project coordination, strategic planning, and collaborative innovation at GAIA, she works at the intersection of environmental sustainability, technology, and community engagement.
In this conversation, Itziar reflects on the importance of interdisciplinarity, the role of creativity and participation in environmental preservation, and her experience leading collaborative initiatives that connect science, technology, and local communities.
Your background bridges Environmental Sciences with technology and collaborative innovation at GAIA. As the Living Lab Manager for the Basque Soil Health Living Lab (under the iCOSHELLs project), what first inspired you to merge environmental research with technology and community-driven projects?
My background in Environmental Engineering has always been rooted in understanding complex natural systems and the urgent need to protect them. Early in my career, I realised that traditional environmental approaches alone were not sufficient to address the scale of today’s challenges. That is what led me to explore the role of technology as an enabler – particularly digital tools that can support better decision-making and monitoring.
However, what truly inspired me to merge these fields was the realisation that technology only becomes transformative when it is connected to people. Through my work at GAIA and later in Living Labs, I saw how innovation becomes much more impactful when it is co-created with communities. The Living Lab methodology allows us to bring together science, technology, and citizens in real-life contexts, ensuring that solutions are not only technically sound but also socially accepted and meaningful.
This combination – environmental science, technology, and participatory approaches – is what drives my work today, especially within the Basque Soil Health Living Lab under the iCOSHELLs project.
With over a decade of experience coordinating international projects and driving innovation in a tech-heavy sector, what has been one distinct challenge and one deeply rewarding moment you’ve experienced as a woman leading environmental and technological initiatives?
One of the most significant challenges I have faced has been positioning myself at the intersection between science and society without following a traditional research career. As an environmental engineer, I am deeply connected to scientific knowledge, but my role has evolved more towards facilitating, translating, and activating that knowledge rather than producing it in an academic sense.
This "in-between" position is not always easy to navigate. There is often a tendency to label professionals as either researchers, technologists, or communicators, and I have not always felt fully represented by any of these categories. At times, this has made it more difficult to define my role and to be immediately understood by others.
However, this same space has also become one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. Being able to bridge science, technology, and society – to translate complex concepts into meaningful experiences and to engage communities in processes like Living Labs – has allowed me to contribute to real, tangible change.
One particularly rewarding aspect is seeing how people connect with topics like soil health through creative and participatory approaches. In those moments, I feel that this hybrid role is not only valid, but necessary to address today’s environmental challenges.
You also work closely with the Basque District of Culture and Creativity. Do you find that cultural diversity and creative thinking play a role in how we approach environmental preservation and soil health?
Absolutely. However, I believe it is important to move beyond the idea of culture and creativity as mere tools for awareness or communication of scientific knowledge.
In my experience, particularly through my work with the Basque District of Culture and Creativity, culture and science should evolve together as part of a shared development process. Creative practices are not only a way to translate environmental challenges – they actively contribute to how those challenges are understood, framed, and addressed.
Artistic and cultural perspectives bring different ways of thinking: they question assumptions, explore uncertainty, and open space for alternative interpretations of reality. When combined with scientific and technological approaches, this creates richer, more inclusive, and often more innovative solutions.
This is especially relevant in areas like soil health, where complexity, invisibility, and long-term impact make it difficult to engage people through conventional approaches. By integrating cultural and creative actors from the very beginning – not as communicators, but as co-creators – we can shape new narratives, new methodologies, and ultimately new ways of relating to the environment.
In that sense, cultural diversity and creativity are not complementary to environmental work – they are an essential part of how we design and implement it.
You navigate across several very distinct professional environments, from the tech and ICT sector at GAIA to the environmental, cultural, and creative spheres of the Living Labs and BDCC. How do you feel the role of women is perceived differently across these fields, and what have you learned from bridging them?
Working across the ICT sector, environmental research, and cultural and creative industries has given me a unique perspective on how the role of women is perceived.
In the technology sector, there is still progress to be made in terms of representation and visibility of women in leadership roles. In contrast, the cultural and creative sectors tend to be more balanced and, in some cases, even led by women. Environmental fields often sit somewhere in between.
Bridging these environments has taught me the importance of adaptability and the value of diverse leadership styles. It has also shown me that women often bring strong facilitation, communication, and systems-thinking skills – qualities that are essential when working in collaborative frameworks like Living Labs.
Ultimately, I believe that diversity – gender diversity included – is not just about fairness, but about improving the quality and impact of innovation.
In your role managing the Basque Soil Health Living Lab in Urdaibai, you interact with a wide range of local stakeholders, from policymakers and industry leaders to local landowners. How do you find women experts and leaders are perceived by these diverse communities when attempting to drive systemic, on-the-ground change?
In my experience within the Basque Soil Health Living Lab in Urdaibai, the perception of women experts is evolving positively, especially in collaborative and community-based environments.
When working with local stakeholders – ranging from policymakers to landowners – credibility is often built through engagement, transparency, and the ability to listen and connect different perspectives. In this sense, many of the leadership qualities traditionally associated with women, such as empathy and facilitation, become real strengths.
That said, biases can still exist, particularly in more traditional or technical domains. Overcoming them requires consistency, confidence, and, importantly, visibility. The more women take on leadership roles in these spaces, the more normalised it becomes.
What I find encouraging is that in Living Lab environments, where co-creation and participation are central, leadership is valued not just for authority but for the ability to bring people together – and in that sense, women are increasingly recognised and respected.
What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career in environmental sciences, particularly those interested in the intersection of technology, sustainability, and collaborative models like Living Labs?
My main advice would be to embrace interdisciplinarity and not be afraid to combine different interests – whether it is science, technology, creativity, or social engagement. The most pressing environmental challenges require exactly this kind of hybrid thinking.
I would also say that not fitting into a single label should not be something to fear. In my experience, some of the most meaningful and impactful roles emerge precisely in those undefined spaces. What really matters is coherence – being consistent with your values, your work, and the way you engage with others.
At the same time, it is essential to approach this field with humility and respect. Working at the intersection of disciplines means collaborating with people who bring very different expertise, and recognising the value of each perspective is key. Respect and collaboration are what allow us to build bridges, generate innovative ideas, and create truly competitive and resilient ecosystems.
Ultimately, I believe this is not a question of gender, but of mindset. Respect, openness, and the willingness to collaborate are what will shape the future of environmental innovation – and we need more people, especially women, who are ready to lead from that perspective.