CHAMBRE DE COMMERCE ET D'INDUSTRIEDE REGION NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE

Their core work

The Nouvelle-Aquitaine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) is a French public body that supports SMEs in South West France with innovation management services. Their core H2020 activity has been the long-running MAGIC SWF SMEs initiative, which helps regional businesses access EU funding instruments (SME Instrument, Fast Track to Innovation, FET) and build innovation capacity. They act as a bridge between EU research funding programs and the local business ecosystem, guiding companies through the application and innovation process rather than conducting research themselves.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2014-2016), the CCI focused on foundational innovation management and technology transfer, including spin-off support — building basic services for regional SMEs. From 2017 onward, their focus shifted significantly toward helping SMEs access specific EU funding instruments (SME Instrument, Fast Track to Innovation, Future Emerging Technologies), indicating a move from general innovation support to specialized EU funding navigation. The MAGIC program matured from a basic advisory service into a deeper, instrument-specific coaching operation.

They are deepening their specialization in helping SMEs access increasingly diverse EU funding instruments, making them a valuable partner for projects needing regional SME engagement and dissemination in South West France.

How they like to work

The CCI has never coordinated an H2020 project, always participating as a partner — consistent with their role as a regional support body rather than a research performer. With only 7 unique consortium partners across 3 countries, their network is compact, likely reflecting repeated collaboration with the same partners across the MAGIC series. They are a reliable, low-maintenance partner suited for regional deployment and SME outreach tasks within larger consortia.

A compact network of 7 partners across 3 countries, likely concentrated among fellow Chambers of Commerce or enterprise support organizations participating in the recurring MAGIC consortium. Geographic focus is firmly on France and nearby EU member states.

What sets them apart

Their value lies in six years of continuous, hands-on experience helping South West France SMEs navigate EU innovation funding — few organizations have this depth of regional SME engagement sustained over such a long period. For consortium builders, the CCI offers a ready-made channel to reach hundreds of SMEs in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. They are not a research performer but an implementation and dissemination partner with genuine business community access.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MAGIC SWF SMEs II
  Largest funded project (EUR 53,699), representing the peak investment phase of their flagship SME innovation management program.
• Spin-off growth
  Only project outside the MAGIC series, focused on peer learning for technology transfer — shows broader interest in commercialization support.
• MAGIC SWF SMEs 20-21
  Most recent iteration covering the widest range of EU instruments (SME Instrument, FTI, FET), showing the program's evolution to full-spectrum funding advisory.