We celebrate 40 years driving innovation alongside companies and public administrations

At Zabala Innovation, we are celebrating our 40th anniversary. Four decades supporting companies, public administrations and technology centres in turning ideas into innovation projects with real impact. This anniversary is an opportunity to look back; acknowledge the path we have travelled and reinforce an identity that continues to evolve without losing its essence.

Forty years of shared history

At Zabala Innovation, we celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2026, consolidated as an international consultancy of reference in public funding and innovation strategy. We do so with the satisfaction of having supported more than 10,000 clients over these four decades and with the conviction that innovation remains a key tool for transforming organisations and territories.

Our story began in 1986, in Navarra, as a family business founded by José María Zabala with a very clear idea: to help companies access public funding to develop technological and research and development projects, at a time when talking about innovation was still far from common. From the outset, we were committed to bringing the business world closer to public innovation policies and to supporting organisations in their first steps in this field.

This early vocation led us to take part, from a very early stage, in the first Framework Programmes of the European Commission, laying the foundations for a solid relationship with European funding and for a European outlook that has been part of our DNA since the beginning.

Growing at the pace of innovation

During the 1990s, we grew in parallel with the development of public innovation policies in Spain. We took part in technological diagnostics, collaborated in the design of the first regional R&D strategies and supported many companies in their first national funding calls.

From the early 2000s onwards, we began a national expansion in Spain that led us to open new offices and work with organisations from a wide range of sectors. The opening of our Brussels office in 2003 marked a turning point, strengthening our European positioning and our specialisation in international projects.

In the years that followed, we opened offices in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Vigo and Seville, consolidating our position as a reference consultancy in public funding and innovation strategy throughout Spain.

European presence and team growth

Over the last decade, we have strengthened our international presence with new offices in France and Portugal, expanding our network to the current 13 locations. Today, we are a team of more than 600 professionals, compared to the 26 we had in 2000 or the 200 in 2016.

This sustained growth responds to an increasing demand for specialised support in public funding, tax incentives, sustainability and European projects, in an increasingly complex regulatory and technological context.

Results that reflect impact

Between 2021 and 2025, we managed more than 10,000 national and regional projects, mobilising more than 580 million euros through state and regional programmes, many of them linked to the NextGenerationEU funds.

At European level, during the same period, we submitted more than 1,000 proposals to Horizon Europe and other EU programmes, securing more than 3.1 billion euros in funding for our clients, with a success rate of 40%, well above the European average.

Added to this is our leadership in R&D&I tax deductions and other innovation-related tax incentives, as well as our activity in sustainability projects —energy transition, decarbonisation, circular economy and the environment— where we have helped mobilise more than 1.8 billion euros in recent years.

A generational transition with a forward-looking visión

In 2018, we began a new chapter with a generational transition. Erik Zabala took on the role of Business CEO and Ainhoa Zabala that of Corporate CEO, strengthening the strategic, international and cross-cutting approach of the project. In 2020, Unai Zabala also joined the management team, leading the Strategic Consulting business unit.

Looking ahead to 2026, we continue to strengthen our services in public funding, tax incentives, sustainability and European projects, as well as developing our own analytical tools, such as the Zabala Innovation Radar, which we will present in February in Madrid.

An image that reflects who we are

Our 40th anniversary is also the moment to present a visual identity that captures who we are and how we understand innovation. The 40th anniversary logo is conceived as a natural evolution of our brand and as a tribute to our trajectory.

The central element is our distinctive “A”, which represents the connection between people, organisations and knowledge: the foundation of every project we support. It is the meeting point where ideas are transformed into real solutions.

The new identity looks to the future without losing sight of our essence. Innovation means moving forward, evolving and finding new ways to create value. That is why the logo design combines experience and projection, reflecting four decades of joint work and a clear ambition to continue driving innovation in the years to come.

The slogan that accompanies this image, 40 years innovating together, summarises our journey and our way of understanding innovation: as a shared process, built alongside our clients and partners.

Looking back to keep moving forward

Throughout this year, we will celebrate our 40th anniversary with various events involving clients, partners and teams, because we believe that innovation is built through long-term relationships and trust. It will also be an opportunity to share learnings, strengthen bonds and continue looking to the future with enthusiasm and responsibility.

Turning 40 is not just about a number. It is the confirmation of a way of working based on knowledge, closeness and impact. And above all, it is the starting point of a new stage in which we will continue doing what we do best: driving innovation so that ideas become projects that transform.

As our Business CEO, Erik Zabala, points out: “Celebrating 40 years means recognising the work of a team that has grown alongside our clients and the innovation ecosystem itself. Their trust has been key to getting us where we are today.”

For her part, Ainhoa Zabala, Corporate CEO, highlights: “We are an international company with very clear roots. ‘Together, Innovation Works’ expresses the way we work: collaborating, listening and moving forward together with the organisations we work with.”