Representatives of the twelve entities that make up the SCAIRA consortium met on 1 and 2 July in the French town of Rochefort for the project’s fourth in-person meeting. Thanks to funding from the European regional development instrument Interreg SUDOE, the project is implementing an acceleration programme aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and technological innovation in Spain, France, and Portugal.
The meeting agenda, which unfolded at the facilities of the project partner CARO (Communauté d’agglomération Rochefort Océan), was structured around two main thematic blocks: the development of the first acceleration programme and the closure of the project’s second call.
Day 1: Capacity building session and technical tour
Following a formal welcome by the host partner, participants had the opportunity to exchange views with Michael Turbe, a member of the consultancy firm La Business Kitchen. In his presentation, Turbe explained how his team provides comprehensive support to entrepreneurs and start-ups in areas such as business model design, fundraising, market expansion, and scalability. This capacity-building session offered valuable external and expert insights to enhance the acceleration programme being developed by SCAIRA.
The day concluded with a guided visit to the Airbus Atlantic plant, also a project partner, and a tour of the iconic Rochefort transporter bridge — a remarkable feat of engineering completed in 1900 that links both banks of the Charente River.
Day 2: Project follow-up and third call for proposals
The second day was dedicated entirely to analysing the project’s action plan and reviewing the progress of the various work packages. The partners first assessed the status of the first acceleration programme, which currently includes four participants (Raúl Segura, Aguinello DiGreennu, Javier Carrillo y Kevin Mandrick) selected in the first call.
Next, they discussed the closure of the second call — whose deadline was extended to facilitate the registration process — and outlined a preliminary timeline for the third and final call of the European project, scheduled for late 2025 and early 2026. The meeting concluded with a session focused on addressing administrative and financial matters among the project partners.
CTA, a key actor in the field of entrepreneurship
CTA, which is also involved in other European projects focused on entrepreneurship and the green transition, plays a cross-cutting role in SCAIRA. In this initiative, it is responsible for designing and implementing the communication strategy, managing the calls for proposals, and leading Service 14, which involves organising B2B meetings between startups and industrial companies, as well as B2F meetings between startups and investors.
The Foundation was represented by Clara Fernández, Project Manager, and Manuel Silva, Communications Officer.
