CONFEDERACION DE EMPRESARIOS DE ALBACETE

Their core work

FEDA is the employers' confederation of Albacete province in Spain, serving as a regional business support organization that helps local SMEs access EU innovation funding and improve their innovation management capabilities. Through successive INNOVACTIS projects, they have acted as an intermediary delivering Key Account Management (KAM) services and European Innovation Management Certification (EIMC) to small businesses in the Castilla-La Mancha region. Their core function is bridging the gap between EU funding instruments (SME Instrument, EIC, FTI, FET-Open) and local companies that lack the capacity to navigate these programs on their own.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

FEDA's early participation (2015-2018) focused narrowly on core SME Instrument support through KAM and EIMC services — essentially helping local businesses write better innovation proposals and improve their management practices. From 2019 onward, their scope broadened to include guidance on FTI (Fast Track to Innovation), FET-Open, and the European Innovation Council (EIC), reflecting the EU's own restructuring of SME-facing instruments. This evolution suggests FEDA adapted its advisory services to keep pace with the shifting EU funding landscape rather than developing fundamentally new capabilities.

FEDA is expanding from narrow SME Instrument support toward comprehensive EIC advisory, positioning itself as a one-stop regional gateway for EU innovation funding.

How they like to work

FEDA has never coordinated a project, always participating as a regional delivery partner within the same INNOVACTIS initiative across four consecutive editions. With only 9 unique consortium partners all within a single country, they operate as a loyal local node rather than a networked European player. Working with FEDA means accessing a stable, regionally embedded intermediary — reliable for local SME outreach in Castilla-La Mancha, but not a source of broad European connections.

FEDA's network is narrow: 9 unique partners, all within a single country (Spain). This reflects their role as a regional delivery node within a nationally coordinated support program rather than a European networking hub.

What sets them apart

FEDA's value lies in deep regional embeddedness — as the employers' confederation of Albacete, they have direct relationships with the local SME base in a less-served Spanish province. For anyone needing to reach SMEs in Castilla-La Mancha with innovation services or EU-funded pilot programs, FEDA provides a trusted entry point that a generic consultancy cannot replicate. However, their experience is limited to CSA-type support actions, not technical R&D or demonstration projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INNOVACTIS 2020-2021
  Largest funding (EUR 21,755) and broadest scope, covering EIC, FTI, FET-Open, and SME Instrument advisory in a single action.
• INNOVACTIS 2015-2016
  First entry into H2020, establishing FEDA as a regional innovation support delivery partner — a role they maintained for six consecutive years.