Startups have submitted their applications to respond to the 12 use cases proposed by 70 companies participating in this edition.
The Basque Government’s open innovation platform, BIND, has closed its call for startups to participate in the 10th edition of its acceleration program, aimed at developing new technological projects in collaboration with 70 leading companies from Euskadi. A total of 882 startup applications were submitted, representing 74 countries, of which 46% focus on projects using AI (40%) and CleanTech technologies (6%) to address the 12 use cases presented by the participating companies.
To join this tenth edition of BIND, startups submitted technological solutions aimed at tackling one or more of the 12 new challenges set by leading companies. These challenges are grouped into five areas: Processes and Operations, Sustainability, Health, Customer, and Business.
Among these solutions are projects using AI and digital twins to optimize renewable energy usage; energy storage and electric vehicles; platforms to automate circular economy processes, reduce CO₂ emissions, and comply with European ESG regulations; AI applications for creating efficient and sustainable chips; software for data analysis in high-risk industries; logistics optimization and traceability; and computer vision for quality monitoring, among many others.
Among the 70 participating companies are industry leaders such as Mercedes-Benz, Iberdrola, Tubos Reunidos, Bellota, GH Cranes, Ormazabal, Elecnor, Enagas, Uvesco, Sacyr, and Valoriza. These companies seek the most disruptive technology startups to co-develop open innovation projects using AI, IoT, immersive technologies, clean energy, sustainability, cybersecurity, robotics, and health solutions. After this call closes, candidate startups enter the selection process, which concludes on January 31, 2026, to become part of the tenth edition.
This year, the number of Basque startups participating in the tenth edition has grown, with 58 startups registered, a 9.4% increase compared to 2024. Startups from the rest of Spain continue to lead the number of applications, with 179 startups (20% of total registrations).
Regarding the origin of startups, this year 74 countries are represented, with strong participation from European countries: more than 370 applications, representing 42% of the total. Germany leads the number of applications, followed by France, the UK, Italy, and Portugal. Outside Europe, South America submitted the most applications, with 114 applications, led by Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia. International applications account for 80% of the total, with over 700 startups registered.
AI-focused projects represent 40% of the submissions (348 applications), targeting solutions to make industry more efficient and sustainable. AI continues its upward trend, showing a 10% increase compared to the previous edition.
Startups will develop projects in collaboration with participating companies to address:
From the 882 applications, companies will select the startups that best address these challenges using cutting-edge technology. Selected startups will receive the following benefits:
BIND is one of the world’s largest open innovation platforms, a public-private collaboration launched in 2016 by the Basque Government’s Department of Industry, Energy Transition, and Sustainability, through Grupo SPRI and the Euskadi entrepreneurship ecosystem platform UpEuskadi.
BIND has three initiatives: BIND Corporate, BIND SME, and BIND GovTech, connecting companies, SMEs, and public entities in Euskadi with disruptive startups worldwide to develop innovation projects. Since 2016, BIND has accelerated over 250 startups and scaleups and completed more than 350 projects, exceeding €9.6 million in revenue. The platform has established itself as a reference in supporting the digitalization of industry and the business fabric in the region.
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