Paired under the SPIDER Twinning Programme, FUNDECYT and CeNAT created a structured action plan for their partnership, having already delivered two joint webinars to forge connections and synergies between their High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Green Tech ecosystems. Find out how this successful cooperation unfolded and which are the next steps for these two organisations.
Setting the stage for EU-LAC Cooperation
The SPIDER Twinning Programme paired 10 innovation ecosystem players from the EU and LAC regions to design a shared action plan and build a distinctive bilateral collaboration. Out of the five pairs, FUNDECYT and CeNAT’s stood out for their alignment and for the early, concrete outputs of their cooperation.
Representing the European Union (EU) ecosystem, FUNDECYT (Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Extremadura) is a non-profit organization enhancing the competitiveness of the Spanish region’s socio-economic fabric through science, technology, and innovation. The organisation coordinates the Technologies for the Efficiency Digital Innovation Hub (T4E EDIH) competence centre, through which they applied for the SPIDER Twinning Programme.
CeNAT is Costa Rica’s National Centre for High Technology, dedicated to research, innovation and knowledge transfer through five specialised laboratories. Their mission is to bridge academia, government, and the private sector to drive scientific excellence and support a knowledge-based economy for Costa Rica, maintaining an active presence in the wider LAC ecosystem as well.
Connecting the EU-LAC communities through dedicated online workshops
Initially paired for their compatible missions and areas of focus, the two organisations quickly identified common ground to explore. The possible synergies were outlined through online networking events and working sessions facilitated by the SPIDER team, as well as through bilateral meetings between the two organisations.
On 29 September 2025, FUNDECYT and CeNAT delivered their first Deep Tech Matchmaking, with a focus on HPC.
The online event aimed to foster meaningful connections across the EU-LAC innovation landscape, bringing together startups, research centres, corporations, and innovation agencies to identify shared opportunities in research, innovation, and business development.
Designed to lay the groundwork for concrete, long-term cross-sector collaborations between both organisations’ ecosystems, the session included a pitch presentation round, followed by pre-scheduled bilateral meetings and wrapped up with a guide with contacts and instructions for next steps.
After a successful delivery, the organisation’s replicated this model on 22 January 2026, this time with a focus on Green Tech. On this occasion, the aim was to connect relevant actors in the bioeconomy sector, fostering strategic alliances across business, academia, and public institutions. The session also encouraged the creation of consortia for programmes such as Horizon Europe, Iberoeka, and Euroclima+, while also exploring potential high-value technological partnerships, and knowledge transfer between participants.
Taking the next steps
Although the SPIDER Twinning Programme officially wrapped up on 26 & 27 March 2026, with the Final Twinning Event, FUNDECYT and CeNAT’s cooperation is ongoing. The two organisations are currently exploring future collaboration fronts and already working on a joint proposal for a call in the Bioeconomy vertical.
Ultimately, although the concrete outcomes of FUNDECYT and CeNAT’s collaboration are already demonstrable, their success story is far from finished, with the lasting impacts of the cooperation between the two organisations likely to reverberate for years to come. As revealed by both organisations in a joint statement:
“This experience has been enriching in many ways. We began with short-term goals, such as analyzing the exchange of innovation methodologies between two small ecosystems. This realistic step proved achievable, gave early evidence of successful collaboration, and laid the groundwork for more ambitious future actions.”