Fundación Cote

What Fundación Cote does

Fundación Cotec para la innovación is a private non-profit foundation established in 1990 in Madrid, Spain, that works to make innovation an engine of economic and social development. It operates as a knowledge-generation and policy-influencing foundation rather than a technology product company, convening large Spanish corporations (Telefónica, Indra, CaixaBank, Repsol, Ferrovial, Navantia), regional governments, and research institutions to produce authoritative research on Spain's innovation landscape. Its core outputs are research tools and publications — the Mapa del Empleo Tecnológico, Índice Local de Complejidad Económica (3,739 municipalities, with Orkestra), Índice Local de Innovación, Observatorio de Empresas Gacela, the annual Anuario Cotec, and the Social Perception Survey on Innovation — alongside working groups on responsible AI, technological sovereignty, security and defense, and digital ethics.

The foundation's business model rests on recurring membership dues from a broad multi-stakeholder base, supplemented by the PIA (Programa de Innovación Abierta) open-call program that distributes grants of up to €40,000 per selected project. A growing product line is the Certificado PGI, Spain's first certification for innovation professionals. Distribution is entirely free and non-commercial: reports, indexes, and interactive data dashboards are published on cotec.es; flagship outputs are presented at the annual Gala Cotec (presided by the King of Spain) and the rotating Cotec Europa Summit; the 2026 Anuario was released as a physical newspaper at 27 Spanish newsstands; and multimedia content is distributed via Spotify, iVoox, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. The foundation is governed by a board led by President Cristina Garmendia, with Director General Jorge Barrero overseeing operations and a headcount of 11–50 employees.

Name

Fundación Cote

Legal name

Fundación Cotec para la innovación

Website

https://cotec.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fundación Cotec is a private Spanish non-profit foundation (est. 1990, Madrid) that convenes corporations, governments, and researchers to produce authoritative research and policy recommendations advancing innovation in Spain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Policy Research

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Innovation policy research
• Research and development
• Innovation management training
• Technology employment analysis
• Innovation advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Foundation Membership Dues: Cotec generates revenue through membership fees paid by its member organizations — large corporations, public institutions, and academia that join the foundation to participate in working groups, access research, and engage in the Spanish innovation ecosystem.
2. Project Grants and Collaborative Funding (PIA Program): Through its Programa de Innovación Abierta (PIA), Cotec provides selected projects with funding of up to €40,000 per project, acting as a grant distributor and collaborative partner rather than a direct revenue-generating entity. The foundation also collaborates with CDTI to provide access to databases for selected research.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fundación Cotec para la innovación is a private non-profit foundation that promotes innovation in Spain through independent research, publications, training programs, certification, and grant programs. It produces data tools and indexes (Mapa del Empleo Tecnológico, Índice Local de Innovación, Índice Local de Complejidad Económica), trains innovation professionals, and convenes corporations, public institutions, and academia around innovation policy.

Product overview

Fundación Cotec para la innovación is a non-profit foundation that promotes innovation as a driver of economic and social development in Spain. Rather than offering a unified tech product, Cotec's portfolio consists of knowledge programs, research tools, publications, and professional certifications. Key offerings include the Convocatoria PIA (Open Innovation Program) funding innovation projects, the Certificado PGI (certification for innovation professionals), various research tools like the Mapa del Empleo Tecnológico and Índice Local de Complejidad Económica, publications including the annual Anuario Cotec and El Europeo newspaper, and multimedia projects such as the podcast 'Hombre muerde a perro' and the 'Periodismo, Tecnología y Democracia' research project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program (Socios Cotec) Annual membership program that allows companies, public administrations, and institutions to join the foundation, contribute dues, and access research, networking, and convening activities on innovation.
• Convocatoria PIA+ (Open Innovation Grant Program) Public open call that funds and supports innovation projects led by individuals, research teams, startups, and SMEs. Applicants submit projects that can receive grants, mentoring, and visibility.
• Certificado PGI+ (Innovation Management Professional Certification) Professional certification for individuals working in innovation management within organizations. Validates competencies in managing innovation processes, projects, and teams.
• Anuario Cotec Annual flagship publication that analyzes the state of innovation in Spain, including indicators, trends, and expert commentary. Available to members, policymakers, academia, and the general public.
• El Europeo Special newspaper-format edition of the Anuario Cotec, published in 2026 in print on rotative press, presenting the foundation's annual analysis of innovation in a journalism-style format.
• Mapa del Empleo Tecnológico Interactive data tool that maps and tracks technology employment across Spanish regions, providing indicators, comparisons, and visualizations for policymakers, researchers, companies, and educators.
• Observatorio de Empresas Gacela Observatory that tracks and analyzes high-growth 'gazelle' companies in Spain, providing data and insights for investors, policymakers, and the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• Encuesta de Percepción Social de la Innovación Periodic national survey measuring social perception and attitudes toward innovation in Spain, providing data for media, academia, public institutions, and member companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 66 innovation projects developed since 2016 through the PIA program
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (CDTI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026In PIA 2026, Cotec incorporated a special collaboration line with CDTI for research on business innovation in Spain and its relationship with economic and social development. Selected proposals in this line gain access to CDTI's databases, including anonymized microdata on R&D+I project requests, evaluations, grants, and execution — analysis possibilities previously unexplored.
• Orkestra-Instituto Vasco de CompetitividadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2026Joint development of the Índice Local de Complejidad Económica (Local Economic Complexity Index), a Cotec-Orkestra initiative measuring the economic complexity of approximately 3,739 Spanish municipalities. The results were presented in Las Rozas and are accessible through an interactive tool on cotec.es.
• CaixaBank DualizacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Cotec and CaixaBank Dualiza collaborated on the 'FP e Innovación' report, providing evidence on the contributions of Vocational Training (Formación Profesional) to Spain's innovation system. This partnership aligns with Cotec's decades-long effort to strengthen the productive system through knowledge generation.
• Sigma DoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Cotec collaborates with Sigma Dos on its annual Encuesta de Percepción Social de la Innovación (Social Perception Survey on Innovation), conducted since 2017 with sample sizes of 2,400–7,540 interviews. The V edition (2022) was presented in Palma de Mallorca.
• Universidad de SevillacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Cotec collaborates with Universidad de Sevilla on the Observatory of Gacela Companies (high-growth enterprises), with researchers José Carlos Casillas and Ana María Moreno producing the annual observatory report analyzing gacela companies across Spanish territories and sectors.
• Oficina de Agitación Cultural (OAC)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Oficina de Agitación Cultural (OAC) collaborated with Cotec to produce 'Hombre muerde a perro,' a 7-episode fiction audio series exploring journalism, technology, and democracy in a dystopian setting. This is part of Cotec's project on Journalism, Technology, and Democracy.
• SAPAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2025SAPA coordinates a new Cotec Working Group on Security, Defense, and Innovation, aiming to determine how increased investment in innovation in these areas can drive a strategic leap in technology, territory, and society. Near 40 Cotec member entities have requested to participate.
• TecnatomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2024Tecnatom co-coordinates the Cotec Working Group on Responsible Use of AI with Repsol, producing the study 'Uso responsable de la Inteligencia Artificial Generativa en las empresas' with recommendations for over 40 participating member organizations.
• Pons IPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2023Pons IP coordinated a Cotec Working Group on Technological Sovereignty and Industrial/Intellectual Property, involving ~30 member organization representatives. The resulting study, 'Soberanía tecnológica: El papel estratégico de la Propiedad Industrial e Intelectual,' was presented at Cotec's headquarters and provides evidence that IP-intensive sectors represent nearly half of EU GDP and over 90% of all EU exports.
• Pons IP (Technology Sovereignty Working Group)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 7 November 2023Pons IP led the working group on technological sovereignty, producing a study on the strategic role of industrial and intellectual property. Nuria Marcos (Director General of Pons IP) presented key findings: IP-intensive sectors represent almost half of EU GDP and more than 90% of EU exports, with France and Germany having 10x more patents granted per million inhabitants than Spain.
• RepsolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2023Repsol coordinates a Cotec Working Group on Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence, alongside Tecnatom. The group, comprising 35 member entities, addresses regulatory questions, biases, explainability, and legal issues related to AI, and develops practical recommendations for responsible AI implementation in enterprises.
• FerrovialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2023Ferrovial coordinated a Cotec Working Group that produced the 'Manual de venture client para corporaciones,' a reference framework for large enterprises seeking to innovate through cooperation with startups via the venture client model. Ferrovial's General Manager of IT Procurement participated alongside Cotec's Director General at the presentation event.
• EY (Ernst & Young) and FerrovialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2020EY and Ferrovial led a Cotec Working Group of 25+ member organizations producing the study 'El trabajador del futuro: conectado, versátil y seguro,' analyzing the impact of digitalization on labor markets, technological disruption, and talent management. The study was presented in June 2021.
• Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas (Ivie)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Cotec partnered with the Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas (Ivie) to produce the Mapa del Talento Autonómico (Regional Talent Map), applying the Global Competitiveness Index for Talent Attraction and Retention (GTCI) developed by INSEAD to compare Spain's 17 autonomous communities.
• Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and Universitat de ValènciacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Cotec's Laboratorio de Economía del Comportamiento (LEC) is a collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Unit on Behavior and Social Complexity (UMICCS), comprising researchers from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Antonio Cabrales, Anxo Sánchez) and Universitat de València (Penélope Hernández, José Manuel Pavia). The LEC has produced four experimental studies on behavioral economics applied to innovation and labor markets.
• Kreab and BankiasecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2019Kreab and Bankia co-coordinated a Cotec Working Group on Privacy and Ethics in Data Use, aiming to analyze and propose a model for digital privacy and ethics including best practices in private data management by Spanish companies. The resulting Compromisos para la Privacidad y Ética Digital was signed by 22 member entities.
• Comisiones Obreras (CCOO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2019CCOO collaborated with Cotec on the presentation and analysis of the report 'Los sindicatos ante los retos tecnológicos,' evaluating the impact of technological processes on all labor sectors. The project was presented at Cotec's headquarters with participation from Secretary General Unai Sordo and President Cristina Garmendia.
• Éticas FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Éticas Foundation collaborated with Cotec on the PIA-selected project 'Los sindicatos ante los retos tecnológicos,' analyzing how unions face digitalization, automation, and platformization. The project was also supported by the Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and the Federation of Services to Citizens of Comisiones Obreras (CCOO).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based think tank producing independent policy analysis with a strong focus on European innovation, digital transformation, and industrial strategy. Comparable to Cotec in its mission to bridge research and policy and convene cross-sector stakeholders, but operating at the EU rather than Spanish level.

Broad incumbents

• European Innovation Council (EIC): EU-level innovation funding body that operates at significantly greater scale than Cotec, distributing grants and equity to innovative European companies. Overlaps with Cotec's policy-influence and grantmaking functions but at the pan-European rather than Spanish level.
• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's leading applied research organization, combining member/contract research with policy influence. Comparable to Cotec in its institutional research-to-policy model but vastly larger in scale, headcount, and applied research commercialization capabilities.
• Fundación BBVA: Major Spanish private foundation that funds research, cultural projects, and innovation-related initiatives. Shares Cotec's private foundation structure and member-supported funding model, with overlapping interest in producing authoritative research outputs for Spanish policy and public discourse.
• Innovate UK: UK government's innovation agency that funds business R&D and drives innovation policy. Operates a similar grant-distribution and policy-advisory model to Cotec but as a public agency with broader funding instruments and a national rather than member-funded structure.

Direct peers

• COTEC Italia: Italian sister foundation with identical mission of promoting innovation as a driver of economic and social development. Operates with a parallel member-based, research-driven model targeting Italian enterprises and policymakers, making it Cotec's closest structural analog.
• Nesta: UK innovation foundation operating a member-supported model with research, experimentation, and policy influence functions. Closest international analog to Cotec's combination of evidence-based research, grants, and convening of public/private stakeholders around innovation.
• Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (CDTI): Spanish public entity that funds business R&D&I projects. Partners with Cotec on PIA 2026 to provide access to its R&D project databases, occupying overlapping territory in the Spanish innovation-funding ecosystem and serving similar enterprise clients.
• Orkestra-Instituto Vasco de Competitividad: Basque competitiveness institute that co-developed Cotec's Índice Local de Complejidad Económica. Operates a similar research-to-policy model for a Spanish region, applying academic rigor to innovation and competitiveness indicators comparable to Cotec's outputs.
• Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT): Spanish foundation focused on science and technology dissemination and policy support. Shares Cotec's foundation model, member-based governance, and emphasis on connecting research outputs with policy and public engagement in Spain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCW7bigXI3kp0RzlXiz3nj5g
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cotec-fundacion
• Instagraminstagram.com/fundacioncotec
• Xx.com/cotec_innova
• Facebookfacebook.com/FundacionCotec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fundación Cote