AZTI

What AZTI does

AZTI (Fundación AZTI – AZTI Fundazioa) is a non-profit research and technology foundation founded in 1981 and headquartered in Sukarrieta in the Basque Country, Spain, with additional research and operational facilities in Pasaia and Derio. The organization specializes in marine and food science, operating across ten research lines that span climate change, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, operational oceanography, marine environmental management, biotechnology, food sustainability and eco-efficiency, food quality and safety, personalized nutrition and health, new foods and technologies, and consumer behavior. Its workforce of 251-500 employees is highly credentialed, with 69% holding doctoral degrees, and the organization maintains unique ocean observation infrastructure with participation in European research networks including JERICO, Copernicus Marine Service, and EuroGOOS.

The organization generates revenue through contracted applied research, technology transfer, and consulting services delivered to enterprise clients in the food sector, fisheries and aquaculture industry, maritime and port infrastructure, offshore energy, and public administration, supplemented by participation in publicly funded European, national, and regional research programs. Its commercial offerings include proprietary tools such as the Blue Fishing Index, consumer behavior and neuromarketing analytics, an open-access scientific repository (AZTI Data), the INKUBA SAREA 2 cross-border FoodTech accelerator, the annual AZTI Summer School, and recurring events such as UHINAK, EATendencias, and the BTEM food innovation awards. AZTI holds ISO 9001/14001/27001/45001 and UNE 166002 certifications plus Gold Q and Gold Recognition from Euskalit, and is a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance (BRTA) and EARTO, anchoring its positioning as a trusted applied research partner for Basque, Spanish, and European public-sector and industrial clients.

Name

AZTI

Legal name

Fundación AZTI – AZTI Fundazioa

Website

https://azti.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

AZTI is a non-profit marine and food research foundation based in the Basque Country, Spain, providing scientific research, technology transfer, and consulting services across ten research lines to food sector companies, fisheries, maritime operators, and public agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine and Food Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Geospatial Data Management & Enterprise GIS (Geodatabases, Web GIS, Spatial Analytics) (EUAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD), Field Mapping, GIS & Remote Sensing Analytics (AFAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Marine research services
• Food science consulting
• Fisheries sustainability
• Ocean observation systems
• Food safety analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Derio

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research contracts and technology transfer services: AZTI generates revenue through contracted research projects with industry clients in the food, fisheries, and maritime sectors, as well as technology transfer and consulting services to companies and public organizations.
2. Public research funding: The organization participates in publicly funded research programs including European, national, and regional research initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AZTI is a non-profit marine and food research center that conducts applied scientific research, technological development, and specialized consulting services across ten research lines including sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, operational oceanography, biotechnology, food quality and safety, and personalized nutrition. It delivers contracted research projects, technology transfer, and proprietary tools such as the Blue Fishing Index to food, fisheries, maritime, offshore, and public-sector clients, and operates the AZTIdata open scientific repository.

Product overview

AZTI is a marine and food research institute that provides scientific research, technological development, and consulting services. The organization operates through ten research lines covering climate change, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, operational oceanography, environmental management, biotechnology, food sustainability, food quality and safety, personalized nutrition, new foods and technologies, and consumer behavior. AZTI offers sector-specific consulting services for food, fisheries, maritime infrastructure, offshore, health, ingredients, Technology 4.0, and innovation management sectors. Additional offerings include scientific publications through its data repository, professional training via the annual Summer School, events such as UHINAK conferences and EATendencias, and the INKUBA SAREA 2 cross-border FoodTech accelerator program. AZTI also developed the Blue Fishing Index for sustainable fisheries assessment and manages the BTEM food innovation awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Applied scientific research and technological development (Investigación y desarrollo científico-técnico) Contracted applied scientific research and technology development services delivered across ten research lines (climate change, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, operational oceanography, marine and coastal environmental management, biotechnology, food sustainability, food quality and safety, personalized nutrition, new foods and technologies, and consumer behavior). Targeted at enterprise clients in food, fisheries, maritime, offshore, and public-sector buyers seeking scientific evidence and innovation support.
• Sector consulting and advisory services (Consultoría y servicios sectoriales) Specialized consulting services for food companies, fisheries and aquaculture operators, port and maritime infrastructure operators, offshore companies, food and health businesses, ingredient manufacturers, Technology 4.0 providers, industrial machinery manufacturers, and innovation management clients. Includes regulatory compliance support, sustainability assessments, market intelligence, neuromarketing, sensory analysis, and innovation management advisory.
• Blue Fishing Index Proprietary scientific indicator tool developed by AZTI to assess and advance sustainable fishing practices, providing metrics that support fisheries management decisions. Targeted at fisheries managers, regulators, and sustainability officers in the fishing industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• 380+ active research projects demonstrating extensive research engagement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Euskalmet (Basque Meteorology Agency)coreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic alliance with the Basque Meteorology Agency for operational meteorology and environmental monitoring services.
• JERICO Research InfrastructurecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in the JERICO European research infrastructure for coastal observatories and marine monitoring.
• Copernicus Marine ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in the European Copernicus program providing marine observation and data services.
• Algakin (Basque Algae Ecosystem)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the Basque algae ecosystem development initiative.
• FAGOMA (Red Española de Bacteriófagos)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the Spanish bacteriophage network for antimicrobial resistance solutions.
• PhageEUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network collaboration on bacteriophage research applications.
• AMR (Conexión Resistencia Antimicrobianos)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in the antimicrobial resistance connection network coordinated by CSIC.
• RedBAL (Red Española de Bacterias Lácticas)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the Spanish lactic acid bacteria research network.
• INDAGA (Innovación e Investigación aplicada a la Gastronomía)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the thematic network on innovation and research applied to gastronomy.
• TecnaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Basque applied research and technological development center.
• UPV-EHU (University of the Basque Country)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership including collaboration through the Plentziako Itsas Estazioa (Plentzia Marine Station).
• CTN (Centro Tecnológico Naval y del Mar)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the Naval and Maritime Technology Center.
• E3S (European Sensory Science Society)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the European sensory science network.
• EuroGOOS (European Global Ocean Observing System)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in the European global ocean observing system network.
• EATIP (European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the European aquaculture technology and innovation platform.
• Basque Food ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive partnership in the Basque food industry cluster organization.
• Basque Energy ClusterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the Basque energy sector cluster.
• EIT FoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Food initiative.
• EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the European Food Safety Authority on food safety research.
• Food4Life Spain (Plataforma Tecnológica Española)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the Spanish food technology platform.
• PTEPA (Plataforma Tecnológica Española de la Pesca y la Acuicultura)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the Spanish technology platform for fisheries and aquaculture.
• EARTO (European Association of Research and Technology Organisations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in the European association of research and technology organizations.
• BTWC (Bermeo Tuna World Capital)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the tuna world capital initiative centered in Bermeo.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CSIC (Spanish National Research Council): Spain's largest public research institution, covering marine, food, and biological sciences. AZTI already collaborates with CSIC's AMR network; CSIC is a broader incumbent with deeper capacity across AZTI's research lines.
• Wageningen University & Research: Dutch research institute and university specializing in food, nutrition, and agricultural sciences. Overlaps heavily with AZTI's food quality, food innovation, personalized nutrition, and sustainable food research lines, but operates at significantly larger scale and global reach.
• Institute of Marine Research (IMR, Norway): Norway's largest marine research institute, providing advice on fisheries management, aquaculture, and marine ecosystems. Comparable mission to AZTI's fisheries and oceanography lines, with greater scale and international standing.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finnish state-owned applied research organization with broad coverage including food, biotechnology, and Industry 4.0. Comparable as a large European applied RTO with mixed public funding and commercial contract revenue, though broader and more diversified than AZTI.

Direct peers

• NEIKER (Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development): Basque regional agrifood RTO also part of the BRTA alliance. Direct peer in geographic scope, governance model (regional applied research institute), and overlapping food/agriculture research capabilities.
• IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea): France's national marine research institute, conducting applied oceanography, fisheries science, and marine biotechnology. Most directly comparable European marine RTO to AZTI, with overlapping capabilities in ocean observation, sustainable fisheries, and aquaculture research.
• Tecnalia: Basque applied research and technological development center and fellow BRTA member. Direct peer in regional RTO positioning, applied-industry service model, and collaborative project structure with overlapping marine and food capabilities.
• SINTEF Ocean: Norwegian applied research center focused on marine and fisheries science, aquaculture, and ocean technology. Comparable to AZTI in operating model (applied RTO serving industry and public sector), scale, and blue-economy portfolio.
• DTU Aqua (National Institute of Aquatic Resources): Denmark's national institute for aquatic resources research, covering fisheries management, aquaculture, and marine ecology. Closely comparable to AZTI's fisheries and aquaculture business unit in mission, applied research model, and policy advisory role.
• IRTA (Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology): Catalonia's agrifood research institute, covering food technology, aquaculture, and sustainable production. Highly comparable as a Spanish regional applied RTO serving food industry and fisheries, with similar governance and funding model to AZTI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AZTITV
• Facebookes-es.facebook.com/azti.brta
• LinkedInes.linkedin.com/company/azti
• Instagraminstagram.com/azti.brta
• Xx.com/azti_brta

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AZTI