CONSELL GENERAL DE LES CAMBRES OFICIALS DE COMERC INDUSTRIA I NAVEGACIO DE CATALUNYA

Their core work

The General Council of Catalan Chambers of Commerce is the coordinating body for all official chambers of commerce, industry, and navigation in Catalonia, Spain. Their core H2020 work centers on helping Catalan SMEs strengthen their innovation management capabilities and access EU funding instruments like the SME Instrument and EIC Accelerator. They operate as part of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), providing hands-on business support services including innovation assessments (using the IMP3rove methodology), key account management, and guidance through Horizon 2020 funding pathways. In practice, they are a regional business support organization bridging EU innovation programs and local small businesses.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their focus has remained remarkably consistent across all four project cycles (2015-2021), centered on SME innovation support through the INNCAT program series. The early period (2015-2018) emphasized broad innovation management and SME Instrument preparation, while the later period (2019-2021) shows an expanded scope adding FET-Open, FTI, and EIC Accelerator services — reflecting the EU's own shift from SME Instrument to the broader EIC framework. The keyword shift from generic "SMEs" to specific instrument names like "Accelerator services" suggests they matured from general innovation support toward more targeted EU funding navigation.

They are expanding from SME Instrument-focused support toward broader EIC Accelerator and FET-Open advisory, positioning themselves as a one-stop EU funding gateway for Catalan SMEs.

How they like to work

They participate exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, across all four projects — suggesting they operate as a regional delivery node within larger EU support networks rather than as a project initiator. With only 2 unique consortium partners in 1 country, they work within a tight, recurring partnership structure, likely the same Catalan/Spanish EEN consortium renewed across successive funding periods. This makes them a reliable, low-risk partner for anyone needing regional SME outreach in Catalonia, but not a consortium architect.

Their network is narrow — only 2 unique partners across a single country (Spain), reflecting their role as a regional delivery partner in a recurring national EEN consortium. This is typical for chamber of commerce organizations that serve a defined geographic territory rather than building diverse international networks.

What sets them apart

As the umbrella body for all Catalan chambers of commerce, they offer unmatched access to the Catalan SME ecosystem — one of Spain's most dynamic business regions. Their value is not in technical research but in their ability to reach, assess, and support hundreds of SMEs through established EEN and IMP3rove frameworks. For any consortium needing a credible regional partner to deliver innovation support services to Spanish SMEs, they are a natural choice with a six-year track record in exactly this role.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INNCAT2021
  The most recent and evolved edition, expanding scope to include EIC Accelerator services and broader funding instrument coverage beyond the original SME Instrument focus.
• INNCAT1516
  The founding edition that established the INNCAT program model — a template successfully renewed three more times, proving the approach's sustainability.