- This visit was part of a business delegation trip from Spain and Portugal aimed at strengthening ties with the Asian country.
- Finnova attended representing projects related to environmental protection and lifelong learning.
April 24, 2025, Brussels. From April 16 to 20, the Finnova Foundation conducted an institutional visit to Lahore (Pakistan) as part of a business mission composed of representatives from Spain and Portugal. The CEO of the Foundation, Juanma Revuelta, and the Director of European Funds, Juan Viesca, represented the Foundation in a key trip to consolidate its internationalisation strategy.
During the past week, Finnova represented several European projects in areas such as environmental protection and entrepreneurship support. Our representatives gave a talk on the Horizon program, the ONE-BLUE and RES4CITY projects, the innovation opportunities arising for the region from these initiatives, and capacity building in higher education. Additionally, Juanma Revuelta presented projects related to entrepreneurship (FU-TOURISM, AL-INVEST VERDE Café Sostenible and AL-INVEST VERDE Moda Sostenible), water (LIFE COSTAdapta and LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0), construction (LIFE RESSKILL), sustainable agriculture (LIFE NextFUMIGREEN), textiles (TEXTIL4ALL), and lifelong learning (VET MULTI LEVEL HYBRID LEARNING).
The Foundation’s objective for the trip was to identify soft-landing opportunities to attract investments and foreign companies to regions such as the Valencian Community or the Canary Islands Special Zone. To this end, Finnova visited several local universities and met with city and regional leaders, also attending the Health Engineering and Minerals Show 2025 (HEMS 2025), an exhibition showcasing Pakistan’s expertise in engineering, minerals, and healthcare.
A High-Level Institutional and Academic Tour
The agenda began with a meeting at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) in Lahore, where Juanma Revuelta and Juan Viesca were received by President Ibrahim Hasan Murad. Afterwards, they visited the Punjab Assembly and met with its President, Kultar Sindh Sandhwan. Continuing their tour of the country’s universities, our representatives gave a lecture at the Lahore University of Management Sciences and the National University of Emerging Sciences and Computing, within the framework of the 1st International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Finally, Finnova also visited Central Punjab University.
Beyond the tour of educational centres, Finnova was welcomed by various local authorities to gain public sector insights into areas such as renewable energy, construction, sustainable fashion, and innovation-oriented training. Finnova visited the Parliament of Punjab (whose capital is Lahore) and was received by the provincial governor. Another key stop was the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and visits to several local factories linked to footwear, meat, medical devices, and packaging.
The mission was led by Gohar Rehman, CEO of Ensmile Aligners and nominated president of the Pakistan-Portugal Business Council. It was supported by the Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan, the Trade Development Authority (TDAP), and the embassies of Spain and Portugal, highlighting the institutional and diplomatic importance of the visit.
Through this mission, the Finnova Foundation reaffirmed its commitment to entrepreneurship, innovation, international cooperation, and the fight against climate change. The entity especially thanked the Embassy of Spain in Pakistan for the support received and for facilitating key contacts that will help further expand their projects into new markets.
About RESSKILL
RESSKILL is a 3-year project aimed at training professionals with a specific focus on the integration of energy systems and the digitalization of buildings and districts. RESSKILL will develop micro-credentials, providing tangible validation for learners and ensuring these courses are aligned with industry standards. The consortium consists of 10 partners from 6 European Union countries. Led by the University of Genoa and with a budget of €1.5 million, partners include the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli and Artemat (Italy), Maynooth University and IKIM (Ireland), the Technical University of Crete and the European Institute of Education and Training (Greece), the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain), Three O’Clock (France), and Finnovaregio (Belgium).
About LIFE ECOdigestion 2.0
This pilot demonstration project, funded by the LIFE program with a budget of over €970,000, generates biogas in wastewater treatment plant digesters by mixing putrescible organic waste (such as manure, poultry waste, organic fractions, MSW, HORECA waste, etc.), thus transforming sewage sludge into green energy through technology. Led by Global Omnium (Spain), in collaboration with the Finnova Foundation (Belgium) and Águas do Centro Litoral (Portugal), the project aims to become the most versatile digestion control tool on the market, achieving environmental and economic benefits through optimal waste recovery.
About RES4CITY
RES4CITY is a project funded by the European Commission through the Horizon Europe Program, lasting 36 months with a total budget of €2.5 million. Its goal is to promote the development of renewable energy and sustainable fuel technologies in urban environments, through stakeholder collaboration and the promotion of sustainability and the circular economy.
About LIFE COSTADAPTA
LIFE COSTAdapta seeks to enhance the natural protection of the coast without impacting its traditional local use in the Canary Islands, while also contributing to the conservation of the region’s tourism economy. Likewise, the enjoyment of the reef-pool system supports local economic sustainability by not only providing a solution against potential flooding but also maintaining the social use of the area and supporting coastal stability. With a duration of 7 years and a total budget of €3,409,864 (€2,045,818 subsidized by the EU through the LIFE Program), COSTAdapta is coordinated by the Island Energy Council of Gran Canaria (CIEGC) under the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, with the support of 7 partners: the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), University of Cantabria (UC), INGECID (Research and Development of Projects), Raley Estudios Costeros S.C.P., ECOncrete AQUA, Fundación Canaria para el Reciclaje y Desarrollo Sostenible (FCR), and the Finnova Foundation.
About FU-TOURISM
With a €4 million grant from the European Commission under the Single Market Program, the FU-TOURISM project stands out among the six projects selected in the European Commission’s SMP-COSME-2022-TOURSME call as the one with the highest budget. It is supported by a consortium of key institutions from seven European countries. Its main members include Finnova (Belgium), Envolve (Greece), SYNYO (Austria), Vestbee (Poland), and Open Impact (Italy), along with the coordination of Eupolis Grupa (Croatia) and València Innovation Capital of the València City Council (Spain).
About LIFE NextFUMIGREEN
The European LIFE NextFUMIGREEN project actively promotes food safety by developing natural fumigants derived from plant extracts to control pests in intensive greenhouse horticultural crops. Led by Fumihogar, and in collaboration with the Foundation for Auxiliary Technologies for Agriculture, the Finnova Foundation, B&B Asesores Auditores Ambientales, Comercial Química Masso, and BrioAgro Tech, the project has a total budget of €2,758,921.01, 60% of which is subsidised by the LIFE Program.
About TEXTIL4ALL
The TEXTIL4ALL project aims to provide training on the textile sector with a focus on sustainability, as well as to promote the employability of people at risk of social exclusion in marginalised neighbourhoods or vulnerable situations, mostly women, to also reduce the existing gender gap in such situations.
About FINNOVA
FINNOVA is a non-profit Spanish-Belgian foundation based in Brussels and Spain, dedicated to promoting and developing innovation and entrepreneurship in the EU. FINNOVA’s experience in leading communication and dissemination activities for European projects is combined with a proven track record in business creation programs and entrepreneurship support, such as accelerators, incubators, and events, along with its commitment to youth training and employability.