SPI - Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação

What SPI - Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação does

SPI - Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação is a privately-held consulting firm founded in 1996 in Porto, Portugal, that delivers high value-added advisory services across four areas of expertise: Innovation, Science and Technology, Territory (urban/territorial planning and climate action), and Tourism and Agriculture. The firm serves five distinct client segments — companies and business associations, scientific and technological institutions, central/regional/local public administration, the European Commission, and other international organizations — and is structured as a horizontal segment specialist rather than a vertical SaaS product company.

The business operates on a project-based professional services model, generating revenue through consulting contracts funded by the European Commission (Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020), national and regional governments (Portugal, Egypt, Australia DFAT, Angola, Peru), and bilateral/multilateral development agencies (AFD, GIZ, AICS, World Bank, Camões). SPI delivers these services through a network of 10 offices spanning Portugal (Porto HQ, Lisbon, Aveiro, Lagoa, Coimbra), Spain (Santiago de Compostela), Belgium (Brussels), the United States (Washington DC), China (Beijing), and Macau, giving it on-the-ground presence in the EU institutional core, Lusophone Africa, Latin America, and key Asian markets. No software product, API, or AI/ML capability is offered; the firm's value proposition rests on multidisciplinary consulting talent, 28+ years of institutional relationships, and demonstrated ability to operate as consortium partner or work-package leader in complex international development and innovation programs.

Name

SPI - Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação

Legal name

SPI – Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação

Website

https://spieurope.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SPI is a Portuguese consulting firm founded in 1996 that delivers innovation, science and technology, territorial planning, and tourism/agriculture advisory services to the European Commission, governments, and international development agencies across Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Porto

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. European Commission Consulting Contracts: SPI receives funding from EU programs including Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, and other European Commission initiatives for research, innovation, and cooperation projects.
2. Government Consulting Contracts: Direct contracts with national governments (Portugal, Egypt, Australia DFAT) and regional authorities for strategic studies, evaluations, and technical assistance.
3. Development Agency Projects: Projects funded by international development agencies including AFD (France), GIZ (Germany), AICS (Italy), and World Bank for economic development initiatives.
4. Bilateral Cooperation Programs: Projects under bilateral cooperation programs such as Camões (Portugal) for cultural and development initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SPI is a consulting company providing high value-added advisory services across four areas of expertise: Innovation, Science and Technology, Territory (urban and climate planning), and Tourism and Agriculture. Its core deliverables include innovation strategy, technology transfer support, municipal climate action plans, territorial development studies, EU project consortium management, and SME/cluster development programs for clients ranging from private companies to the European Commission, governments, and international development agencies.

Product overview

SPI - Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação is a consulting company founded in 1996, offering high value-added consulting services rather than a unified software product. Its portfolio consists of distinct service lines organized by areas of expertise: (1) Innovation Consulting Services, which support clients in fostering innovation and competitiveness; (2) Science and Technology Advisory for research institutions; (3) Territory and Urban Planning Services covering municipal plans and climate action; (4) Tourism and Agriculture Development consulting; (5) European and International Project Support including Horizon Europe/Horizon 2020 participation; (6) Business and Cluster Development for associations and SMEs; and (7) Climate Action and Environmental Services. These services are tailored to specific client needs including companies, business associations, scientific institutions, and public administration bodies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Innovation Consulting Services

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Concytec (National Council for Science, Technology and Innovation - Peru)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026SPI and Concytec collaborate on strengthening technology transfer in Peruvian universities and research institutes. SPI implements a support strategy to reinforce competencies in technology management, intellectual property, technology valuation, and commercialization over 18 months.
• Consorzio Associazioni con il Mozambico (CAM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026CAM coordinates the OCUPAMOZ project funded by AICS (Italian Development Cooperation). SPI participates as a partner member to promote employability, vocational training, and inclusive entrepreneurship in Beira, Mozambique.
• Associação Business Incubation Center (BIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2026BIC coordinates the ArtCultura Nexus project in Cabo Verde, funded by Camões. SPI participates as co-promoter, responsible for training, incubation support, and strategic consulting for cultural entrepreneurs.
• EurecnacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2026Eurecna leads the consortium selected by the European Commission to provide technical assistance to the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, with SPI as consortium member.
• EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026EBN is part of the consortium led by SPI for the AFD-funded SME ecosystem study in Angola, providing complementary expertise in SME financing and business development.
• ENRICH in AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded project where SPI organizes conferences on entrepreneurship and innovation to accelerate Sustainable Development Goals achievement.
• ENRICH in the USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerH2020 project where SPI organizes workshops supporting internationalization to the USA market.
• EU SME CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPI is partner in the EU SME Centre, collaborating with AICEP to support Portuguese SMEs in internationalization to China.
• Consórcio Associações com MoçambiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads the OCUPAMOZ project with SPI as partner member for promoting employability and entrepreneurship in Beira, Mozambique.
• Universidade do ZambezeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in OCUPAMOZ project contributing to employability and entrepreneurship in Mozambique.
• Universidade de CoimbraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in OCUPAMOZ project contributing academic expertise to employability and entrepreneurship initiatives.
• i3S (Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPI collaborates with i3S on Horizon Europe health projects, expanding into health-related innovation consulting.
• SNAW (Say No to Ageism in the Workplace)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean project where SPI participates as partner, contributing to online course development on ageism in the workplace.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IDEA Consult: IDEA Consult is a Belgian consultancy specializing in innovation policy, regional development, and evaluation for the European Commission, governments, and clusters — directly comparable to SPI's innovation and territorial development services.
• Technopolis Group: Technopolis Group is a Brussels-based innovation and R&D policy consulting firm advising the European Commission, national governments, and research organizations on innovation strategy, evaluation, and impact assessment — a near-exact match to SPI's innovation and S&T advisory work.
• Cardno (now DT Global): DT Global (formed via the merger of Cardno's International Development division and others) is a major international development consultancy delivering donor-funded programs in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific — comparable to SPI's development agency projects.
• Fraunhofer ISI: Fraunhofer ISI is a Germany-based applied research institute doing innovation systems analysis, technology foresight, and policy evaluation for public clients — overlapping heavily with SPI's science & technology advisory and innovation management services.
• GFA Consulting Group: GFA Consulting Group is a Hamburg-based consultancy delivering technical assistance and project management for bilateral donors (GIZ, KfW, EU) — directly comparable to SPI's bilateral cooperation programs and EU project management services.
• GOPA Consulting Group: GOPA is a Germany-headquartered development consulting firm implementing projects for EU institutions, GIZ, KfW, and World Bank across Europe, Africa, and Asia — directly comparable to SPI's international cooperation and development agency work.
• ECORYS: ECORYS is a Netherlands-based research and consulting company delivering policy evaluation, territorial development, and innovation studies for the European Commission and national governments — directly comparable to SPI's policy and regional development consulting.
• AETS: AETS is a France-based consultancy providing economic studies, policy evaluation, and EU program management for the European Commission and French public agencies — directly comparable to SPI's EC project support and evaluation work.

Broad incumbents

• Wavestone: Wavestone is a France-headquartered global management and technology consultancy with deep public-sector practices across Europe — a broader incumbent competing for some of the same European Commission and public-sector consulting mandates as SPI.
• Ernst & Young (EY) Advisory: EY's Government & Public Sector advisory competes for EU framework contracts, development evaluations, and innovation policy studies — a much larger incumbent whose public-sector practice overlaps with SPI's EC, AFD, and World Bank engagements.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SPI_SOC
• Facebookfacebook.com/sociedadeportuguesadeinovacao
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spi---sociedade-portuguesa-de-inova-o

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 SPI - Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação