Due to the current economic climate in our country, as well as changes in the European Union’s funding schemes, public and private officials in unique territories like the province of Soria are required to have a greater presence and influence in the different political and technical levels of the European Commission, with the ultimate goal of attracting economic resources, entrepreneurship, funding, and investment for companies based in Soria.

However, at the same time, the promotion of co-operation with international organisations and institutions is important, as is the creation of opportunities for exchanging experiences and innovative practices that help the start up of entrepreneurial initiatives in our province.

Therefore, El Hueco has set up a new “branch” in Brussels with the following aims:

• Attracting European funding for entrepreneurs and companies based in Soria.

• Promoting entrepreneurialism and support in Europe for companies and entrepreneurs based in Soria.

• Promoting public/ private relationships between our province and European officials.

• Putting Soria on the map in the European Union, increasing awareness and knowledge of the area.

We foster social entrepreneurship

At El Hueco we foster social entrepreneurship, ideas created to benefit a collectivity, and the society in which they develop. We are creating an ecosystem in which entrepreneurs feel incubated, fostered, and motivated, and our involvement and endeavours in social entrepreneurship have put us at the forefront of the sector in Spain.

El Hueco has given rise to projects like Huertos de Soria, an enterprise that creates work for those with mental illnesses; La Exclusiva, a service that delivers consumer goods to small villages which have no other access to them; and Flor de Lis, a project which encourages village residents to care for and restore their patrimonial culture and heritage. Moreover, at El Hueco we have a department specialising in ‘social technology’, El Hueco Labs, in which projects such as Gi-bi (Give Your Birthday) have been set up, a platform for celebrating your birthday through giving; Aitronics, a company whose objective is to make daily life for the older generation easier through technology; or Sendaes, a social network for hiking. And, of course, we’re not stopping there. Our objective is to continue fostering social entrepreneurship in order to create a model community in Spain and Europe.

• Identifying EU funding lines and programmes relevant to entrepreneurs and public and private officials based in Soria, in the areas of entrepreneurship, depopulation, innovation, rural development, tourism etc.

• Advice in budgeting for different EU funding lines.

• The creation and administration/ management of projects.

• Searching for public/ private European partners and networking, in order to create specific budgets.

• Support in lobbying the European Commission in areas relevant to the province of Soria, to influence decisions in favour of the general interests of our society.

• Securing European investment for entrepreneurial development in Soria.

• Collaboration between entrepreneurs from Soria with international investors and entrepreneurs, via networking.

• Pushing new means for investment for entrepreneurialism (European Venture Capital Funds).

• The promotion and representation of institutions, companies and entrepreneurs from Soria before European bodies and institutions for the administration of grants and subsidies.

• Technical advice for companies and entrepreneurs from Soria in the following areas: commercial, market analysis, trade mission organisation etc.

• Support for companies from Soria in attending international trade fairs, showrooms and events.