PNO INNOVATION SL

Their core work

PNO Innovation SL is the Spanish branch of the PNO Group, a European innovation consultancy that helps organizations manage EU-funded projects, drive business innovation, and bridge research results to market. Based in Barcelona, they provide project management, dissemination, exploitation planning, and innovation support services across a wide range of technical domains — from digital agriculture to advanced materials to transport logistics. Their value lies not in deep technical research but in orchestrating innovation processes and ensuring project results reach the right markets and audiences.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 period (2016–2019), PNO Innovation worked on material science and preservation topics — bioplastics from feathers, innovative packaging with metal organic frameworks, and cultural heritage conservation. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted decisively toward digital transformation, logistics, and health — digital innovation hubs for agriculture, autonomous shipping, federated logistics networks, and computational cardiac modelling. This evolution tracks the broader EU funding shift from materials research toward digitalization and green transport.

PNO Innovation is moving toward digital transformation services and green transport innovation, making them a relevant partner for projects needing ecosystem orchestration and market deployment support in these domains.

How they like to work

PNO Innovation never coordinates — they join as participant (10 projects) or third party (5 projects), always in a supporting role within larger consortia. With 414 unique partners across 30 countries, they operate as a high-connectivity node rather than a loyal-partner type, forming new relationships project by project. This pattern is typical of innovation consultancies that bring project management and exploitation expertise to many different technical teams rather than leading research agendas themselves.

Exceptionally broad network of 414 unique consortium partners spanning 30 countries, reflecting their role as a cross-sector innovation consultancy that connects to new partners with each project rather than building a tight recurring cluster.

What sets them apart

PNO Innovation's distinguishing feature is sector-agnostic innovation support — they can plug into a biotech consortium just as easily as a transport or digital project, providing consistent project management, dissemination, and business exploitation services. For consortium builders, this means a reliable partner who already knows the EU project machinery and can handle the non-technical workstreams. Their Barcelona base and PNO Group backing give them access to Southern European networks that many Northern European-led consortia lack.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BRAV3
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 458,750) and their most technically ambitious project — personalized cardiac tissue engineering with 3D printing.
• SmartAgriHubs
  Flagship Digital Innovation Hub project connecting agriculture with digital transformation across Europe, directly aligned with PNO's ecosystem orchestration strengths.
• NEMOSINE
  Second-largest funding (EUR 280,244) and an unusual niche — preserving 20th century film and photography using advanced packaging and MOF-based gas detection.