CONSTRUCCIONES JUAN ZORZANO BLANCO SL

Their core work

Construcciones Juan Zorzano Blanco is a Spanish construction SME based in La Rioja that developed and commercialized INSUPanel, an energy-efficient insulation system for buildings. Their core business is construction, but they pivoted into product innovation by bringing a proprietary insulation technology through the full EU SME Instrument funding cycle — from feasibility study to market deployment. Their practical contribution is in applying construction-grade insulation solutions that reduce building energy consumption, positioned as a "green building" alternative. They are builder-innovators: a company that both constructs and develops the materials behind energy-efficient structures.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects cover the same technology — INSUPanel — at successive development stages, so there is no lateral shift in focus. Between 2015 and 2020, the organization moved from validating the business case (SME-1 feasibility study) to executing full-scale commercialization (SME-2 market deployment). This is a depth-over-breadth trajectory: they doubled down on one product rather than diversifying. No keyword data is available to detect finer thematic shifts within the insulation domain.

Their trajectory points toward market-ready building insulation products rather than further R&D — a potential supplier or licensing partner for construction firms and real-estate developers seeking energy-performance solutions.

How they like to work

Construcciones Zorzano operated as a solo coordinator on both projects, with no consortium partners recorded in the H2020 data. This is consistent with the SME Instrument model, which is designed for single-company innovation. There is no evidence of co-development with research institutions or industrial partners, suggesting they prefer to own and control their technology independently rather than co-create it within a broader consortium.

No consortium partners or international collaborations are recorded across their two H2020 projects. Their H2020 footprint is entirely self-contained, with no documented network of co-innovators.

What sets them apart

Construcciones Zorzano is unusual in that it is a traditional construction SME that successfully used EU funding to develop and commercialize its own insulation product — a path few contractors take. Their INSUPanel technology was validated and scaled with over €1M in EU backing, giving it a credibility that self-funded construction products rarely have. For partners in green building or renovation, they offer both the proprietary technology and hands-on construction know-how in one company.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INSUPanel (Phase 2)
  With €1,016,525 in EC funding, this is the core commercialization push for their insulation technology — the largest single investment in their H2020 history and the project that defines their market identity.
• INSUPanel (Phase 1)
  The Phase 1 feasibility study (€50,000) that de-risked the business case and unlocked the larger Phase 2 grant — a full SME Instrument cycle completion, which fewer than 10% of applicants achieve.