AGENCIA DE CIENCIA COMPETITIVIDAD EMPRESARIAL E INNOVACION ASTURIANA

Their core work

SEKUENS is the regional science, innovation, and competitiveness agency of Asturias, Spain. It operates as a public funding body that co-finances ERA-NET programs in advanced manufacturing and materials research, and delivers innovation management services (KAM — Key Account Management) to SMEs across the region. Its core function is bridging European research funding with Asturian businesses — helping local SMEs access innovation diagnostics, technology assessments, and international R&D collaboration networks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2014-2018), SEKUENS focused heavily on direct SME innovation management through repeated KAM service delivery and launched its first ERA-NET co-funding activities in manufacturing (MANUNET) and materials (M-ERA.NET). From 2018 onward, the portfolio broadened significantly — adding agri-food SME support, FET Flagship partnering, and most notably pivoting its materials work toward batteries, circular economy, and Green Deal priorities through M-ERA.NET3. The trajectory shows a regional agency expanding from basic SME diagnostics toward strategic European research funding coordination.

SEKUENS is shifting from pure SME service delivery toward strategic co-funding of green transition technologies, particularly battery materials and circular economy research.

How they like to work

SEKUENS always participates as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with its role as a regional funding agency joining European coordination networks rather than leading research. With 91 unique partners across 39 countries from just 10 projects, it operates in very large consortia typical of ERA-NETs and CSA actions. This makes it a well-connected node in European funding networks, valuable for its ability to channel regional co-funding into transnational calls.

Despite its modest project count, SEKUENS has built a remarkably wide network of 91 partners across 39 countries — a direct result of participating in large ERA-NET consortia that bring together funding agencies from across Europe and beyond.

What sets them apart

SEKUENS occupies a dual role that few organizations combine: it is both a hands-on SME innovation service provider (through KAM diagnostics) and a co-funding agency in ERA-NET programs for manufacturing and materials. For consortium builders, this means SEKUENS can both contribute regional co-funding to transnational research calls and mobilize its network of Asturian SMEs as end-users or demonstration partners. Its particular value lies in connecting northern Spanish industrial SMEs to European advanced manufacturing and materials research.

Highlights from their portfolio

• M-ERA.NET3
  Their largest ongoing commitment (EUR 174K), marking a strategic pivot into battery technologies, circular economy, and Green Deal-aligned materials research through 2026.
• MANUNET III
  Second-largest funding (EUR 180K) and their deepest investment in advanced manufacturing ERA-NET co-funding, directly supporting transnational SME manufacturing research.
• FLAG-ERA III
  Unusual departure from their manufacturing/SME core — connecting to FET Flagships (Graphene, Human Brain Project) and signaling ambition beyond regional innovation services.