This year, CEIN is participating in three European projects aimed at strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems
They focus on the agri-food, digital, and circular economy sectors, and in one of these sectors, the organization—which has received the EU|BIC quality seal—leads the consortium
CEIN (the European BusinessandInnovation Center of Navarra), a public entity under the Government of Navarra’s Department of Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition, is participating this year in three European projects through three consortia with the aim of strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystems and startups in the agri-food, digital, and circular economy sectors of the participating regions.
In this context, it is worth noting that CEIN has received the official European EU|BIC certification in recognition of its commitment to excellence in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation. This certification means that CEIN has become a certified member of the EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network), a nonprofit organization that serves a European community of individuals who promote innovative startups as a driver of regional economic development. There are more than 110 certified BICs and over 60 associate members supporting more than 36,000 innovative companies in more than 37 countries.
In one of the projects mentioned, called RECRE-AD, the organization leads the consortium, which also includes the Economic Development Agency of La Rioja (Ader), the Aragonese Institute for Development (IAF), the Toulouse Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Neste Barousse Community of Municipalities (Occitania), along with eight partner organizations representing nine territories in the cross-border area.
RECRE-AD (approved under the second call for proposals of the POCTEFA 2021–2027 program) aims to develop a cross-border network that fosters collaboration, mutual understanding, and joint initiatives among agri-food and digital SMEs and startups in the participating regions, with the goal of accelerating the transfer of R&D results to the market in these key sectors.
As for the INKUBA SAREA 2 project, which is part of the “Euroregional Innovation” 2025 call for proposals issued by the New Aquitaine–Basque Country–Navarre Euroregion, it will offer selected startups in the agri-food and foodtech sectors intensive training, cross-border immersion, and free incubation at the partner organizations’ incubators.
In addition to CEIN, AZTI (a science and technology center specializing in the marine environment and food in the Basque Country) and Agour (an agri-food company based in Iparralde) are also participating in this project.
Finally, the RECEBA project (under the call: ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PEX-COVE) will establish business labs where SMEs and students will collaborate on real-world challenges and training programs related to the circular economy. In the Autonomous Community of Navarre, CEIN will lead, together with the Public University of Navarre (UPNA) and Orekan (Environmental Management of Navarre), business acceleration efforts, supporting SMEs in adopting circular models, coordinating the Circular Business Labs, and connecting with the regional innovation ecosystem.
The ultimate goal of this initiative is to establish a Center of Excellence in Vocational Training in collaboration with 16 organizations from Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Bulgaria, Albania, and Ireland.
