ICERCA - Centres de Recerca de Catalunya

What ICERCA - Centres de Recerca de Catalunya does

Institució CERCA (Centres de Recerca de Catalunya) is a public research coordination institution headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, established in 2010 to coordinate and support a network of 42 research centers across Catalonia. Funded primarily by the Generalitat de Catalunya, with additional backing from patron organization ACER and the Departament de Recerca i Universitats, CERCA operates as an institutional umbrella rather than a commercial entity. The coordinating body itself has 12 staff, while the wider CERCA system comprises more than 13,000 researchers and staff across member centers.

CERCA delivers coordination services across multiple functional areas: economic control and supervision, legal support, international presence, European policy promotion, knowledge transfer, evaluation, equal opportunities monitoring, and research impact assessment. Its portfolio includes branded programs such as CERCAGINJOL (knowledge transfer and patent fund), CERCAGINYS (map of scientific platforms across centers), CERCAGÈNERE (gender policies and resources), CERCARUMB (sustainable and transformative leadership), CERCAREMA (feminist mentorship program), and Premis PIONER (awards for doctoral theses with market-oriented results). Member centers participate in joint working groups and shared initiatives.

The institution reports 553 spin-offs generated through knowledge-transfer activities and participation in 162 Horizon Europe projects, with an executed budget of €8.13M in 2023. CERCA does not operate a commercial pricing model; its funding flows from public institutional sources, and services are delivered directly to member research centers through institutional channels. Marketing is conducted via the institutional website, a monthly email bulletin, events and conferences, and publications including annual reports and evaluation frameworks. There is no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology products, or commercial product lines in the supplied data.

Name

ICERCA - Centres de Recerca de Catalunya

Legal name

Institució CERCA

Website

https://cerca.cat

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Institució CERCA is a Barcelona-based public institution that coordinates and supports a network of 42 research centers across Catalonia, funded primarily by the Generalitat de Catalunya to deliver knowledge transfer, evaluation, and policy support services to the Catalan research ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Research Institution Coordination

NAICS

Political Organizations (81394), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Regulatory Authorities & Commissions (Cross-Sector) (EDADAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Standards, Norms & Technical Regulatory Bodies (BPADAAAJ)

Keywords

• Research institution coordination
• Knowledge transfer services
• Public research funding
• Scientific platform management
• Research evaluation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public institutional funding: CERCA is a public institution funded primarily by the Generalitat de Catalunya, coordinating and supporting 42 research centers across Catalonia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Instituciò CERCA coordinates and supports a network of 42 public research centers across Catalonia, providing centralized governance, evaluation, knowledge transfer, open science, international positioning, legal support, and gender equality programs to its member centers. It acts as a coordinating umbrella organization funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya rather than a commercial entity selling discrete products.

Product overview

CERCA (Centres de Recerca de Catalunya) is a Catalan research institution that coordinates and supports a network of 42 research centers across Catalonia. Rather than offering a single product, CERCA functions as an institutional umbrella organization that provides governance, evaluation, knowledge transfer, international presence, and policy support to its member research centers. The institution manages various initiatives including open science, innovation transfer, gender equality programs, talent development, and research impact assessment. Key programs include the CERCAGÍNJOL (knowledge transfer and patent fund), CERCAGINYS (scientific platforms map), CERCAGÈNERE/CERCAGENDER (gender policies), CERCAREMA (feminist mentoring), CERCARUMB (sustainable leadership), and the Premis PIONER (doctoral thesis awards with market potential).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CERCAGÍNJOL: Knowledge transfer and patent fund.
• CERCAGINYS
• CERCAGÈNERE
• CERCARUMB
• CERCAREMA
• Premis PIONER

Quantifiable outcome

• 553 spin-offs created through knowledge transfer initiatives
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Generalitat de CatalunyacoreOthersPrimary funder and patron of the CERCA Institution, providing institutional support and funding for Catalonia's research center network.
• ACERminorOthersPatron organization supporting the CERCA Institution.
• Departament de Recerca i UniversitatscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment department collaborating with CERCA on research policy, gender equality strategies (EIGEC), and organizational events for the Catalan research system.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leibniz Association: German research organization coordinating 97 research institutes across scientific disciplines. Shares CERCA's role in coordinating evaluation, knowledge transfer, and international positioning across a member network.
• Max Planck Society: Germany's network of publicly funded research institutes operating under a coordinating umbrella. Shares CERCA's model of centralized coordination over a distributed network of research centers with shared governance and standards.
• Fraunhofer Society: German applied research organization coordinating a network of institutes focused on applied science and technology transfer. Comparable in its network-coordination role and emphasis on translating research to market applications.
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique): France's largest public research organization, coordinating laboratories across scientific disciplines. Comparable to CERCA as a public research coordination body with similar functions in evaluation, knowledge transfer, and international positioning.
• CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas): Spain's largest national public research institution coordinating a network of research centers and institutes across Spain. Comparable to CERCA in its role as a public body coordinating and supporting research activities, though at national rather than regional scale.
• Helmholtz Association: Germany's largest scientific organization coordinating 18 research centers across multiple scientific disciplines. Comparable to CERCA in operating as an umbrella coordinating body for a distributed network of research institutions.

Broad incumbents

• European Research Council (ERC): EU body funding frontier research across Europe. Comparable to CERCA in supporting research excellence and engaging with the European research landscape, though focused on grant-making rather than direct center coordination.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): UK's national research funding and coordination body. Comparable to CERCA in coordinating public research investment, though operating at national scale across all academic disciplines rather than a single regional network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icerca

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 ICERCA - Centres de Recerca de Catalunya