ProACCIÓ Green, innovation for a green and circular economy

By project PLASTIX

Published on 11 January 2024

Spain

Cataluña

About this good practice

The program is aligned with The SDGs and the European Green Deal, to tackle social and environmental challenges to combat the climate emergency with new technological solutions. The ProACCIÓ Green program offers seminars awareness and training days to incorporate environmental issues into business innovation.
Services include:
• Assessment.
• Sustainability orientation, to incorporate it into the company's strategy through the Enterprise Europe Network (ACCIÓ is a member)
• ACCIÓ Green Coupons, directed to the contracting of external assessment services for resolving mitigation issues and adaptation to climate change.
• Access to innovative solutions and opportunities through the ProACCIÓ Marketplaces and the Catalonia Open Challenges platform.
• Internationalization services that allow internationalize the company's sustainable solutions: access international public procurement or identify the most suitable markets with support from ACCIÓ's external offices.
• Grants to do environmental innovation projects: Nuclis d'R+D tool, in climate change and circular economy, with high-risk technological projects in collaboration with the Waste Agency of Catalonia. SMEs will be able to access funding for a TRL 3-7 R&D projects and TRL 7-9 for technological transformation.
• Financing for startups, with Startup Capital grant (up to 75.000 €)
• It has also created a catalogue of green technology solutions, which allows to share more than 120 cases of success related to sustainability.

Resources needed

Grants co-financed with the ERDF, to encourage R&D projects carried out in Catalonia. Projects must have an impact on result and technology internationalization and enable companies to access international R&D calls.
6 employees (managing the program) + consultants contracted.
€30 M budget

Evidence of success

Results 2023
265 R&D+I projects awarded
€16,5 M investment mobilised
€6 M in grants
1,628 professionals and 1,385 companies participating
149 SMEs advised
229 green opportunities
144 technological solutions
Satisfaction survey:
- Global scoring: 8,3/10
- Economic suport: 7,8/10
- Utility: 8,7/10
91% satisfied with the identification of opportunities
88% improved company capacity to carry out climate change projects
82% to increase investment in climate change
97% will implement recommendations

Potential for learning or transfer

ProACCIÓ Green is a program to adress main challenges related to climate change and sustainability, ranging from advice to implementation.
Collaboration between agencies such as ACCIÓ, and the Catalan Waste Agency allows the alignment of strategies and optimizing resources.
This is a good example of how a small boost (in the form of grants or vouchers) can help SMEs to take a step towards the circular economy and sustainability.
Collaboration between public entities and businesses is key to address global issues arising from climate change.
The good results harvested within ProACCIÓ Green can serve as inspiration and give rise to new innovation projects in the field of circularity and sustainability. These positive practices can be transferred and replicated in other regions, as the results show that for every euro of public investment, there is a much greater return in the form of business innovation, awareness of climate change and mobilised investment in the participating companies.