CONFEDERACION DE EMPRESARIOS DE ARAGON

Their core work

CEOE Aragón is the main employers' confederation for the Aragón region of Spain, representing businesses across sectors. Within H2020, they served as a regional delivery partner for the INNOVACTIS program — providing Key Account Management (KAM) and innovation management coaching to SMEs that received EU SME Instrument funding. Their role was to help local companies build internal innovation capacity and navigate EU funding instruments such as SME Instrument, FTI, FET-Open, and eventually EIC. They act as a bridge between EU innovation programs and the regional SME ecosystem in Aragón.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2014-2016), CEOE Aragón focused narrowly on Key Account Management and innovation management coaching specifically for SME Instrument beneficiaries. From 2019 onward, their INNOVACTIS projects expanded to cover a broader range of EU funding instruments — adding FTI, FET-Open, and EIC to their advisory scope. This reflects the EU's own evolution from the SME Instrument toward the unified European Innovation Council, and CEOE Aragón adapted its support services accordingly.

They are expanding from narrow SME Instrument coaching toward comprehensive EIC advisory services, positioning themselves as a full-scope EU innovation funding support hub for Aragón's SMEs.

How they like to work

CEOE Aragón has participated exclusively as a partner, never leading a project. With only 9 unique partners across a single country, they operate within a tight, nationally-focused network — likely a fixed consortium of Spanish regional business associations delivering INNOVACTIS together across different Spanish regions. This is a loyal, repeat-consortium pattern rather than a broad networking approach.

Their network is compact: 9 partners all within one country (Spain), reflecting a stable national consortium of regional business organizations delivering the same program across Spanish regions.

What sets them apart

CEOE Aragón provides direct access to the SME ecosystem of the Aragón region — an area anchored by Zaragoza with strengths in energy, logistics, and automotive manufacturing. For consortium builders, they offer a credible regional delivery channel for SME-facing innovation support activities in northeastern Spain. Their value is not technical expertise but rather trusted relationships with local businesses and a track record of coaching SMEs through EU funding processes.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INNOV-ACTIS
  The original 2014 pilot with only EUR 1,445 in funding — shows how the program started small and scaled up over six consecutive editions.
• INNOVACTIS 2020-2021
  Largest funding (EUR 27,375) and broadest scope, covering EIC, FTI, FET-Open, and SME Instrument support in a single project.