FUNDACIO EURECAT

Their core work

Eurecat is Catalonia's largest applied research and technology centre, delivering industrial R&D across digital technologies, advanced manufacturing, sustainability, and environmental engineering. They bridge the gap between lab-stage research and market-ready solutions — developing AI systems, robotic platforms, circular economy processes, water treatment technologies, and smart building tools for European industry. With strong capacity in both coordination and technical execution, they function as a full-spectrum technology partner capable of running complex multi-partner projects or contributing deep domain expertise in areas like machine learning, digital twins, and resource recovery.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2017), Eurecat focused heavily on energy efficiency in buildings — heating, cooling, low-exergy systems, PVT panels, and building energy management — alongside foundational digital tools like decision support systems, NLP, and interoperability platforms. By 2019–2022, their portfolio shifted decisively toward circular economy, AI/ML, robotics, and digital innovation hubs, reflecting both Europe's Green Deal priorities and Eurecat's own strategic pivot toward applied AI and sustainability. The emergence of governance and ecosystem keywords signals a move from purely technical contributions toward orchestrating broader innovation networks.

Eurecat is converging its AI and environmental capabilities — expect them to increasingly focus on AI-driven circular economy solutions, smart resource management, and digital innovation hub coordination.

How they like to work

Eurecat operates comfortably in both leadership and partner roles: they coordinated 35 projects (28% of their portfolio) while participating in 88 others, showing they can run large consortia but are equally willing to contribute as a technical partner. With 1,549 unique consortium partners across 48 countries, they are a genuine network hub — one of the most connected research centres in Southern Europe. This breadth means they bring not just their own expertise but also a vast contact network, making them particularly valuable as a consortium anchor for new proposals.

With 1,549 unique partners across 48 countries, Eurecat has one of the widest collaboration networks among European research centres. Their partnerships span virtually all EU member states and extend well beyond Europe, though their densest connections are within the Western European research ecosystem.

What sets them apart

Eurecat combines the breadth of a large technology centre with genuine depth in both digital (AI, robotics, NLP) and environmental (circular economy, water, resource recovery) domains — a rare dual strength that most centres cannot match. Their 59 Innovation Action projects (nearly half their portfolio) demonstrate an unusually strong orientation toward market-ready solutions rather than purely academic research. For consortium builders, Eurecat offers a one-stop partner that can handle AI development, pilot-scale manufacturing, environmental technology validation, and dissemination — reducing the need to recruit multiple specialist organizations.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Optintegral
  Largest single-project EC contribution (EUR 1.55M) as coordinator — hybrid in-mould integration for advertisement displays, showcasing advanced manufacturing leadership.
• CONNECARE
  EUR 905K coordinated project on connected healthcare for chronic patients — demonstrates Eurecat's ability to lead complex health-tech initiatives combining AI with clinical workflows.
• PREVIEW
  Coordinated project combining IoT wireless sensors with predictive AI for injection mold manufacturing — a textbook example of their digital-meets-manufacturing crossover capability.