The Ministry of Industry presents this year's CEIN programs, which focus on promoting high-impact entrepreneurship and tech startups
Companies in Navarre will be able to collaborate with startups affiliated with the public entity to develop solutions to their challenges.
Mikel Irujo, the Regional Minister of Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition and chairman of the public entity European Business and Innovation Center of Navarra (CEIN), presented the public entity’s financial results for the past fiscal year this morning.
The councilor noted that, throughout 2025, the organization’s technical team advised on a total of 414 business projects, resulting in the creation of 90 new companies that generated 110 jobs at the time of their incorporation. In addition, the 50 innovative startups operating in the Innovation Incubators employed 296 people and created 45 new jobs during the fiscal year, representing a 20% increase in employment.
Irujo also noted that CEIN obtained the official EU|BIC certification “in recognition of its commitment to excellence in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, as awarded by the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN). Also at the European level, he announced the approval of three projects in which he will participate—in one of them as a leader—to strengthen entrepreneurship ecosystems in the agri-food, digital, and circular economy sectors.
For her part, CEIN’s managing director, Uxue Itoiz, outlined the services the organization will offer this year, including the second edition of the open innovation program, which is now being expanded following its first year as a pilot project. As she explained, “This year we are opening the program to large companies, not just SMEs, to define challenges of all kinds, although we want to pay special attention to promoting sustainability in companies.” “We will provide guidance to all participating companies to help them define their challenges and assist them in connecting with startups that can solve them. Interested companies can contact us now,” she concluded.
Sector-specific entrepreneurship and deep tech
In addition, the Digitech Accelerator (for launching digital businesses) and Digitech ScaleUp (to support the growth plans of tech and digital startups) programs are now open; these are part of the CEIN Digitech sector-specific track. The project acceleration and startup scaling tracks focused on healthcare (CEIN Health) and agri-food (CEIN Agrofood) also remain in place.
As Itoiz noted, in 2026 CEIN will step up the work it has already been doing to promote entrepreneurship and the creation of new companies in the deep tech sector, through the services and facilities it will offer at Hirugarrena, the new space located in the El Sario building that is set to open soon.
Startup Leaders launched its third call for applications with the aim of training and developing leaders in emerging and innovative companies. Initiatives such as Impulso Emprendedor, the Iníciate Awards, and the University Business Creation Laboratory (LUCE) will also be carried out this year.
Similarly, the Innovation Incubators will continue to provide innovative startups with support as they grow and scale their operations, helping them become stronger and more sustainable, expand their reach, and create quality jobs.
New website and brand identity
CEIN has also unveiled its new brand identity and website. A concept based on visual thinking, a technique widely used in the world of entrepreneurship to generate ideas and projects. This concept serves as the framework for an image that conveys dynamism, innovation, and creativity.
This revamp is accompanied by a new website focused on entrepreneurs. There, you can find all the services and programs that CEIN offers to help you start a business, grow it, and provide you with a space to carry out your work. All content is available on the CEIN website (www.cein.es).
