CTA (Technological Corporation of Andalusia) has officially opened its new office in Brussels at an event attended by more than 50 people, with the participation of the Regional Minister for University, Industry, Energy and Innovation, Jorge Paradela, and Andrés Martínez Estévez, CDTI’s representative in Brussels (Innovation Policy Directorate). Gonzalo Arana, Managing Director of Andalucía TRADE, also attended the event. The new office will strengthen CTA’s permanent presence alongside the EU institutions and foster closer connections between the Andalusian innovation ecosystem and European opportunities, partners and programmes.
Regional Minister Jorge Paradela highlighted the need for “more Andalusian companies to take part in European projects and find opportunities here to grow, while also ensuring that Brussels gains a better understanding of what our region can contribute in terms of knowledge, technology, industrial capacity and solutions to major shared challenges”. Paradela explained that, with this aim in mind, the Andalusian Regional Government is working to strengthen connections between “universities, research, innovation and the business sector, particularly industry, in order to foster greater technology transfer, attract investment and create highly skilled jobs”. He linked this approach to European priorities and, in particular, to the Competitiveness Compass, a roadmap which, he noted, “calls for accelerating innovation, ensuring technological sovereignty and leading the decarbonisation process, opening up a range of opportunities for Andalusia”.
CTA President Beltrán Pérez stressed that “the Brussels office was established with the aim of helping innovative Andalusian companies incorporate a European dimension into their growth strategies, identify technology and business partners, and improve their access to innovation programmes and opportunities”. In his view, “this presence in Brussels is particularly relevant at a time when innovation is a top priority on the European Union’s agenda to ensure Europe’s competitiveness, alongside decarbonisation, digitalisation and the reduction of strategic dependencies”
For his part, CDTI’s representative in Brussels noted that the opening of the new office comes at a particularly timely moment, coinciding with the transformation of European research and innovation policies and their close connection with the European Union’s competitiveness agenda. He also emphasised that, now more than ever, efforts must be combined to lay the foundations for strong and sustainable European competitiveness, underpinned by research, innovation and knowledge generation. He also called on all Spanish stakeholders involved in European R&I programmes and initiatives to prepare for and adapt to the changes expected in the next 2028-2034 budgetary period, highlighting the full availability of CDTI and its Spanish Office for Science and Technology in Brussels (SOST) to support them throughout this process.
CTA’s new office, which began operating at the beginning of this year, is located in Etterbeek, next to the European Quarter and close to the buildings of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. From this strategic location, CTA will be able to engage more closely with EU institutions, hold meetings and activities with companies and international partners, and identify new opportunities for collaboration and funding.
The opening marks a further step in CTA’s internationalisation strategy and reflects the growing importance of European innovation and competitiveness policies for Andalusian companies. The aim is to bring European opportunities closer to Andalusia more quickly while, at the same time, increasing the visibility in Brussels of the region’s technological, business and scientific capabilities.
Extensive experience in European Commission programmes
CTA comes to Brussels with extensive experience in EU programmes. The foundation has participated in more than 70 projects funded by the European Commission and has collaborated with over 770 organisations from 57 countries.
Between January and September this year alone, 11 new European Commission-funded projects involving CTA were approved, two of which are led by the organisation. These projects represent close to €2.4 million in funding for CTA, in addition to €1.2 million that it will manage through cascade funding, to support SMEs and other innovative organisations through open calls.
CTA has experience in programmes including Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, Interreg SUDOE, Interreg Euro-MED, I3, POCTEP, Atlantic Area and Digital Europe, among others.
This track record has enabled the organisation to build strong expertise in preparing competitive proposals, participating in international consortia and connecting companies and organisations with complementary capabilities to jointly undertake innovation projects. In addition to its involvement in European Commission-funded projects, CTA is also expanding its international activities in the multilateral market.
About CTA
CTA is a public-private partnership organisation dedicated to accelerating innovation processes. In addition to its international activities, it supports companies of all sizes, public administrations, universities, research organisations and other innovation-driven entities.
CTA is a private foundation with more than 185 member companies and 20 years of experience. Originally promoted by the Regional Government of Andalusia and privately managed, it is dedicated to fostering regional R&D&I and technology transfer. CTA advises companies on developing their innovation strategies, from identifying R&D&I needs and designing projects to address them, to finding the right partners and securing the funding needed to implement them.
CTA has also developed a range of services to help companies, universities, technology centres, public administrations and other organisations turn innovation results into economic value and business opportunities.