Connecting Catalonia’s Innovation Challenges with the UK Ecosystem

In an increasingly competitive and fast-moving global market, corporations are under constant pressure to innovate and solve complex technological challenges. To address this need, Catalonia Trade & Investment (Catalan: Agència per a la Competitivitat de l'Empresa, ACCIÓ), supports innovation opportunities between Catalan and international companies and organisations. Headquartered in Barcelona, it operates globally through a network of 40 offices all over the world. 

At the heart of this initiative is a simple but powerful idea: bring together innovation demand and solution in a structured, high-impact way. Corporations submit specific technological needs, which are then published on the Catalonia Open Challenges platform. These challenges are matched with startups and technology providers, who can propose tailored solutions. The process culminates in curated business meetings, either virtual or in person, often hosted alongside major international events such as Mobile World Congress and Integrated Systems Europe.

To expand its international reach, ACCIÓ partners with konfer, the innovation brokerage platform from the UK’s National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB). This collaboration enabled Catalonia’s innovation challenges to directly tap into the UK’s rich ecosystem of innovators in both universities and businesses. 

The impact

Between 2024 and 2026, konfer proved to be a highly effective channel for international engagement:

• 20+ qualified meetings were generated with UK-based startups and technology centres 

• Conversion rates more than doubled compared to traditional innovation scouting methods 

• A consistent pipeline of high-quality, relevant connections was established 

• Raised the profile of ACCIÓ with UK universities

These results demonstrate konfer’s strength in transforming posted innovation challenges into real, productive conversations, bridging geographical gaps and accelerating collaboration.

As Júlia Strubell, Senior Investment & Innovation Adviser at ACCIÓ, explains:

“Konfer has significantly strengthened our ability to connect with high-quality innovation partners in the UK. The platform consistently delivers relevant connections and has helped us turn clearly defined challenges into meaningful conversations much faster than traditional methods.”

Why it worked

The success of this collaboration lies in a combination of:

• Clearly defined technological challenges 

• Targeted exposure to a qualified UK innovation audience in universities and businesses

• Expert support in matchmaking and meeting facilitation 

• Integration with major global industry events 

Looking ahead

By combining the structured approach of the Open Innovation Challenge with konfer’s brokerage capabilities, ACCIÓ has significantly enhanced its ability to connect corporations with the right innovation partners, faster and more effectively than ever before.

As organisations continue to seek agile, scalable innovation solutions, this partnership stands as a strong example of how digital platforms like konfer can turn innovation needs into tangible opportunities.

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