Brussels, capital of Europe Day 2023 celebrations

Happy Europe Day 2023! At Zabala Innovation we join in the tribute to the European Union’s commemoration by remembering that 20 years ago we opened our office in Brussels. In these two decades of existence, there have been many projects and initiatives that we have promoted, in which we have participated or in which we have contributed our company and experience.

Our presence in Brussels has been consolidated and strengthened over these years, as shown by our participation in the various stands and open days held in Brussels and Luxembourg. Alessandro Provaggi, director of the Brussels office, explains in this interview how Zabala Innovation’s presence in Brussels, the heart of Europe, has evolved.

Why is the Belgian office so strategic?

Because many things happen here and with our presence we see them, we understand them, and we can communicate them better. If we want to be leaders in innovation, we must be in the place where it is created and regulated. Moreover, our clients see the fact that our office is in the heart of the European quarter of Brussels as an added value.

How is the relationship with European innovation actors?

It is remarkably close, we have an effective communication channel with representatives of associations, clusters, research centres, companies… And in this way, we achieve a much more agile contact with the whole entity, which makes communication and project management much easier.

There are many consultancy firms in Brussels, what is the added value of Zabala Innovation compared to them?

We have a comprehensive strategy methodology, with which we can take care of various tasks related to an innovative project: from the preparation of the proposal to vastly different tasks, such as the management of European platforms and studies, communication, and dissemination. It is also essential to accompany the client in the world of European funding, to help them position themselves as a key player in European projects in their strategic areas. This gives us a particularly good vision of what innovation consists of and how it can impact society or our clients.

Another great added value is that in our team we have people who are experts in many strategic areas (energy, environment, security, transport…), who in addition to knowing the administrative rules, understand their content, know the trends, where the European Commission is heading…

We are also a family business that was founded 37 years ago in Navarre, in the north of Spain, and we have an identity and a soul that is quite different from other large consultancy firms.

What kind of projects or initiatives do you develop on a day-to-day basis?

We have many types. For example, in the framework of the open days for Europe Day 2023 we were able to present the NESOI project (New Energy Solutions for the Islands).

Or on 9 May, we presented the BRIDGE initiative in Luxembourg, which brings together many European projects focused on the challenges of digitising the energy system.

We are also heavily involved in the SET Plan, which is the common European strategic planning to develop less costly, cleaner, and more efficient technologies. In this sense, we manage the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Smart Networks for Energy Transition, to which we must add our relevant role in hydroelectric energy and battery platforms.

Not forgetting that we are partners in other projects focused on combating environmental crimes, sensitive information in the health sector, digital capabilities, or sustainable transport, among others…

The team that makes all this will have evolved over the last twenty years…

Yes, it started with one person in the office and today we are twenty professionals of different nationalities and backgrounds. Our presence in Brussels has been consolidated. In fact, five years ago our president, José Mª Zabala, received an award for his enterprising spirit from the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg.

What are the most interesting challenges that the Brussels office is tackling?

Our challenges are global, but we must always be up to date and see how Europe positions itself in the face of changes in the markets, so that everything is harmonious; we must be able to see the innovation that is going to arrive and see how it can be transmitted and communicated.

We accompany the companies and organisations that fight every day to create jobs, not to leave for other countries outside Europe, to integrate innovation into their corporate culture, to contribute to enriching the economic, social, and cultural fabric in Europe…

And another great challenge is to continue to transmit internally at Zabala Innovation what is happening in Brussels, and to communicate to the European Union what is really happening in other regions, beyond the bubble that may form in Brussels.

Finally, you are celebrating your anniversary at the office…

Yes, Zabala Innovation is twenty years old in Brussels, and it also coincides with the fact that in the second half of this year Spain takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union. We are renovating our offices, continuing to expand our staff, and diversifying our work in the EU, so we are sure that we still have a lot of innovation to tell.