European Investment Fund and Empresa Nacional de Innovación provide up to €40 million to back innovative small businesses and startups in Spain

• The EIF and ENISA have signed a €40 million guarantee agreement to make it easier for outstandingly innovative Spanish small businesses and startups to access finance.
• This EIF investment will enable Enisa to finance innovation and provide a boost to small businesses and startups in Spain.
• The operation is backed by InvestEU, an EU programme that aims to unlock over €372 billion in investment by 2027.

Madrid, 9 April 2025: The European Investment Fund (EIF) has signed a guarantee agreement worth up to €40 million with Empresa Nacional de Innovación (Enisa), making it easier for innovative Spanish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups to access finance.

This agreement will enable Enisa to finance projects from research and innovation-intensive firms that are in the initial stages of their development or are launching their business activity. It will thereby bring down the barriers preventing companies from gaining access to finance.

The signing ceremony in Madrid was attended by EIF Chief Investment Officer Marco Marrone, Enisa CEO Borja Cabezón and Economic Counsellor at European Commission Representation in Spain Anna Armengol. This is the first guarantee operation signed by the two institutions.

“We are delighted to be joining forces with ENISA to support innovative SMEs and startups in Spain,” said Marco Marrone EIF Chief Investment Officer. “We hope that this agreement – with a particular focus on companies fostering innovation and research – will help over 200 Spanish SMEs to finance their growth and digital transformation.”

Speaking on behalf of Empresa Nacional de Innovación, Borja Cabezón, Chief Executive Officer, expressed how pleased he was with this historic step forward. “The cooperation between our two institutions is concrete proof that we can do more by working together, driving forward and continuing to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which has a very important role in the Spanish economy and society. Every new partnership is a further milestone in putting innovation at the heart of the agenda in Spain.”

For Anna Armengol, Economic Advisor of the European Commission Representation in Spain, "The EIF's support to Enisa is a clear example of the European Union's commitment to boost European innovation, especially for SMEs. The operation exemplifies how the EIF, under InvestEU, joins forces with the local ecosystem to boost the competitiveness of SMEs by increasing their levels of funding for innovation projects"

The operation contributes to the EIB Group’s strategic priority of promoting digitalisation and technological innovation, as well as to its public policy objective of backing SMEs, a key segment of Spanish industry. It is backed by InvestEU, an EU programme that aims to unlock over €372 billion in investment by 2027.

Background information

About the EIF

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group). Its central mission is to support Europe’s microenterprises and SMEs by helping them to access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments that specifically target this market segment. In this role, it contributes to the achievement of key EU policy goals such as competitiveness and growth, innovation and digitalisation, social impact, skills and human capital, climate action and environmental sustainability.

In Spain, the EIB Group – which includes both the EIF and the European Investment Bank (EIB) – signed €12.3 billion of new financing for more than 100 high-impact projects in 2024, helping power the country’s green and digital transition and promote economic growth, competitiveness and better services for its people.

About InvestEU

The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with crucial long-term funding by leveraging substantial private and public funds in support of a sustainable recovery. It also helps mobilise private investment for EU policy priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments available to support investment in the European Union, making funding for investment projects in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme consists of three components: the InvestEU Fund, the InvestEU Advisory Hub and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented through financial partners that invest in projects, leveraging on the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee will back the investment projects of the implementing partners, increasing their risk-bearing capacity and mobilising at least €372 billion in additional investment.

About ENISA

Empresa Nacional de Innovación (national innovation company) is a public sector organisation operating under the auspices of the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism. It aims to help viable and innovative projects led by Spanish entrepreneurs and SMEs to access the finance needed to develop and compete on the global market.

This financial support takes the form of participatory loans of between €25 000 and €1.5 million. This alternative financing is tailored to the needs of SMEs and does not require guarantees or collateral beyond a solid business case and the professional experience of its management team.

ENISA has also taken on the role of certifying entity for early-stage companies that wish to take advantage of the tax benefits and special features of the so-called “Startup law.” This legislation is the first of its kind in Europe, creating a legal framework to promote the growth and success of startups.

Since ENISA started granted participatory loans, it has provided around €1.43 billion across almost 9 280 loans financing over 8 060 companies.

Press contacts

EIB Group

Maite Cordero | m.corderomunoz@eib.org | tel.: +34 606 66 82 62

Website: www.eif.org | press@eib.org

Enisa

Communication I comunicacion@enisa.es | tel.: +34 915 708 200

Website: www.enisa.es

Comisión Europea

Representación en España

María Canal Fontcuberta  Maria.Canal-Fontcuberta@ec.europa.eu | tel.: +34 696046156

WEB: Comisión Europea en España