The Ministry of Industry participates in the launch of the INKUBA SAREA 2 cross-border project, aimed at agri-food and foodtech startups, in which CEIN is a partner

The Department of Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition of the Government of Navarre has participated in the launch of the cross-border project INKUBA SAREA 2, in which the public enterprise European Center for Business and Innovation of Navarre (CEIN) is a partner; the project is aimed at startups in the agri-food and foodtech sectors. 

The initiative is part of the “Euroregional Innovation” 2025 call for proposals by the New Aquitaine–Basque Country–Navarre Euroregion and was presented today by Garbiñe Basterra (Director General of Energy and Digital Transition, Business R&D&I and Entrepreneurship at the Government of Navarre), Peio Etxeleku (Head of Agour in New Aquitaine and lead partner), Carolina Najar (Director of the Food Market at the AZTI Technology Center in the Basque Country, also a partner), and Leyre Azcona (Director of the New Aquitaine–Euskadi–Navarre Euroregion).

Basterra emphasized that CEIN’s participation as a partner in this second edition of the program “brings proven expertise in incubating and accelerating innovative startups in Navarre, particularly in the agribusiness sector through its CEIN Agrofood program Agrofood the Tudela Agri-Food Innovation Incubator.”

INKUBA SAREA 2 aims to accelerate the commercial development of startups in the agri-food and foodtech sectors on a cross-border scale through direct connections with stakeholders and companies in the Euroregion, facilitating their validation and business growth.

In this context, the consortium formed by CEIN, Agour, and AZTI will, in the first phase, conduct an analysis of sector-specific needs to align the startups’ projects with the actual demands of local markets. Subsequently, the startups with the greatest potential will be selected. They will participate in an intensive training program designed to help them generate innovative ideas—based on real-world challenges—that can be transformed into viable business models, as well as receive six months of free incubation at the partner organizations’ facilities. The project also includes a tour of the three regions to explore neighboring entrepreneurial and economic ecosystems and expand opportunities for collaboration.

Ultimately, the goal of INKUBA SAREA 2 is to support agri-food and foodtech startups from the three territories as they grow and expand into neighboring markets, and to generate a lasting economic and social impact in the participating regions—all through a collaborative approach. Its total budget amounts to €150,000, 50% of which is funded by the Euroregion through the “Euroregional Innovation” call for proposals.

CEIN's participation in this project is part of the CEIN Agrofood program, through which it offers specialized services to promote, accelerate, and scale up innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives in the agri-food sector in our region.