The Navarre-based consultancy, specialized in securing regional, national, and European funding for innovation projects, now has over 1,000 clients—30% more than in 2019. Between 2023 and 2024, it secured nearly €53 million in grants for its clients, a milestone for the firm led by Javier Baztarrika. Today, Iniciativas Innovadoras works with companies and entities from Navarre, the Basque Country, La Rioja, Castilla y León, Galicia, Aragón, and southern France. It also participates in international consortia with partners from over twenty European and African countries.
Iniciativas Innovadoras celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, breaking records. The firm expects to exceed one million euros in revenue after growing by 20%. Between 2023 and 2024, it secured nearly €53 million in regional, national, and European grants for its clients—the highest figure since its founding in 2000, according to managing director Javier Baztarrika.
Most of its clients are based in Navarre, the Basque Country, and La Rioja, though the firm also works with entities in Castilla y León, Galicia, Aragón, and southern France. The consultancy has surpassed 1,000 clients, 30% more than in 2019. “Our portfolio is consolidated and diversified, ranging from public administrations and agencies to universities, technology centers, foundations, associations, companies, and SMEs. Some have been with us for over twenty years,” says Baztarrika, a native of Olazagutía.
The team has grown steadily to 13 people, seven of whom are partners and part of the newly renewed Management Committee. These professionals form “a multidisciplinary team, specialized in various fields, fluent in languages, and with extensive international experience.”
The company plans to add a new team member before the end of the year. “Our goal has always been to create value for clients and generate quality jobs. Today, we can say we’ve reached a very solid level of stability,” Baztarrika emphasizes, outlining the firm’s three business lines: European Projects, Business Innovation Funding, and Business and Public Administration Consulting. “We help turn ideas into projects and make them a reality by securing funding and supporting management and communication,” he adds.
To mark the anniversary, Iniciativas Innovadoras recently held a reunion at the Fábrica de Gomas, attended by around forty people, including current and former staff. “It means a lot that people who’ve worked here came to this event. It seems we’ve fulfilled one of our founding goals: to offer quality jobs under good conditions,” Baztarrika notes.
Business Model
Its revenue model combines direct client billing with participation in European projects, where it handles administrative coordination, dissemination, communication, and results transfer. “When our turnover was between €800,000 and €900,000—typical in recent years—about €700,000 came from billing. The rest came from our involvement in EU R&D projects,” he explains.
The firm, a member of the Navarre Association of Social Economy Companies (ANEL) and the Navarre Technology Companies Association (ATANA), expects to reach at least €950,000 in direct billing this year and a total turnover of €1.13 million. “And we may exceed the one-million-euro billing mark because we have the capacity and opportunities to take on more projects,” Baztarrika adds.
A key factor is the ongoing support provided to clients, who often approach Iniciativas Innovadoras with a project or new business line and seek European partners or public funding. The consultancy evaluates the novelty of the initiative and the client’s ability to carry it out. “From there, we identify the most suitable funding and draft a project defending the initiative,” he explains.
European Presence
Over time, Iniciativas Innovadoras has built a strong European network, enabling it to support clients in key calls. In just the past two years (2023–2024), it secured nearly €53 million in regional, national, and European grants for them. “It’s the most significant figure in our history,” the company’s director emphasizes.
Among the projects the consultancy is involved in, Baztarrika highlights IntercropVALUES, which aims to leverage crop intercropping to design productive, profitable, and sustainable agricultural systems. “The lead partner is a French international agricultural research center, but there are about twenty partner entities. Besides drafting the project, we co-coordinate administrative and financial management and are responsible for communication, dissemination, and results exploitation,” he summarizes.
Renewed Strategy
Looking ahead, the consultancy is undergoing a strategic reflection process to chart its roadmap for the coming years. Its upcoming goals include increasing activity with industrial clients, leveraging new EU reindustrialization programs, and boosting participation in the Horizon Europe 2028–2034 and PRIMA programs. “For them, we are a strategic partner,” Baztarrika says. The firm has around 100 partner entities in over twenty countries, with which it has collaborated on such initiatives.
It also aims to strengthen its presence among companies in Navarre, the Basque Country, and La Rioja, and help increase participation of universities and technology centers in European projects. “These are highly competitive funding programs that require the knowledge and experience our company offers,” Baztarrika concludes.