invest in the basque country. biglittle. brochure
TRANSCRIPT
BIGlittle
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€30,349GDP per capita
129 (EU-28 = 100)
31.9%Exports to GDP ratio
30,000People dedicated to R&D
22.8%Industrial GDP
(EU-28 = 19.3%)
2.09%R&D of GDP
128.5Productivity per employee
(EU-28 = 100)
Vitoria-Gasteiz
BILBAO
DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIÁN
ÁLAVA
BIZKAIA
GIPUZKOA
The Basque Country, located in the South of Europe and in the North of Spain, extends over 7,000 sq km and has over 2 million inhabitants.
It represents one of the largest industrial concentrations in Spain and its quality levels place it at the forefront of Europe. Based on its experience and tradition, the
Basque Country is immersed in the race towards competitiveness in a global and highly industrialised economy, in which it currently boasts 1,660 internationalised companies and over 5,000 companies with the highest quality standards.
This has all been possible thanks to the Basque Country’s fiscal autonomy, its
own tax system granting regulatory and administrative powers.
BIGlittle Basque Country expresses the strength and energy of this region with a natural inclination to take on the most complex challenges.
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LONDON2h
milan2h
paris2h
frankfurt2h
munich2h
lisbon2h
madrid1h
Surface Area
7,234 km2
Wooded forest surface
54%
Population
2,172,8777.2% Foreign population
Population density
300 inhab./sq km
500 km. 1.000 km.
SPRI · Invest in Basque Country · www.spri.eus · T. +34 944 037 000 · [email protected]
Bilbao International Airport 4
Most relevant
industries
1A well-connected
region
CONTENTS
5
A Place
to live
5
R&D & Innovation
2
Talent
development
3A Place
to invest
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Port of Bilbao6
The biggest Atlantic port in the south of EuropeBIGlittle
A well-connected
region
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Its strategic position offers the Basque Country high added value in terms of transport and distribution. A major part of the goods entering and leaving Spain uses one of the Basque Country’s land, sea or air routes.
Bilbao and Pasaia seaports are linked to 500 ports around the world.
Each of the three Basque capitals has its own airport. Fly to the leading European cities in less than two hours from Bilbao International Airport.
Foronda Airport in Vitoria-Gasteiz is one of the top four cargo airports in Spain.
San Sebastian Airport, located in Hondarribia, just 22 Km. outside the city, has connections with the main Spanish cities.
Furthermore, the modern and extensive road and railway networks link up to the European Atlantic Axis.
Foronda Airport (Vitoria-Gasteiz)
Sierra de Elgea Wind Farm (Alava)
BIGlittle
Smart specialisation in energy,
advanced manufacturing and the
biosciences have become the
Basque Country’s main bid for the
forthcoming decades
· Energy· Mobility· Machinery and Equipment
· Information Technologies· Biosciences· Environment
Most relevant
industries
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10
Thanks to the industrial policy developed by the institutions, Basque industry has become consolidated in its commitment to efficiency, quality, modernisation and internationalisation. Proof of this lies in the clusters and their high levels of competitiveness, based on private cooperation management models.
The Basque Country is currently focusing its efforts on Smart Specialisation, identifying those fields on which to concentrate human and financial R&D&I resources; namely Advanced Manufacturing, Energy and Biosciences for Health, three strategic areas.
Most relevantindustries
1
The Basque Country has a solid industrial base, a sector that represents 22.8% of the GDP, encompassing the automotive industry, aeronautics, the environment, industrial design, machinery and engineering, among others.
Petronor - Muskiz
Punta de Lucero Dyke - Port of Bilbao
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The energy sector in the Basque Country is strategic and highly dynamic throughout the value chain and in the manufacture of equipment or services for the installation and maintenance of energy infrastructures.
ACE, Energy Cluster Association
It is made up of the Basque Country’s leading companies in the value chain of the energy sector (energy operators, equipment and component manufacturers and services companies), agents in the Basque scientific-technological field and public administration bodies with responsibilities in the energy sector.
Basque companies in the energy sector are backed by a robust scientific-technological infrastructure, led by the CIC Energigune Cooperative Research Centre, which is an example of the commitment to knowledge generation and innovation in this sector. The centre has the backing of public institutions and administrations as well as companies directly related to the energy sector. It aims to drive and coordinate the Basque Country’s technology strategy in the energy sector and has innovative facilities, state-
of-the-art equipment, an experienced management team and a scientific committee made up of leading scientists, entrepreneurs and industry experts.
Furthermore, the Basque Country has promoted an Advanced Manufacturing Centre for the wind sector (WINDBOX) with investment of €13m to enhance the technological positioning and international competitiveness of suppliers of sub-systems and products for the wind sector.
The following leading international Basque drivers can be highlighted:
Iberdrola in the production, distribution and sale of energy at an international level as the leading energy group in Spain, world leader in renewable energy and one of the largest electrical companies worldwide.
Petronor - Repsol with a refinery linked by an oil pipeline to the port moorings of one of the main deep-sea ports in Europe. The new URF plant has involved recent investment of over
a billion euros. The project includes a co-generation unit capable of producing 100 megawatts an hour.
Gamesa, global technology leader in the worldwide wind power industry, backed by twenty years experience and the installation of over 30,000 MW in 45 countries. Its integral response in this market also includes the management of operation and maintenance (O&M) services, at over 19,500 MW.
SENER Energía: engineering for electrical power generation plants, in regasification terminals, in refining, petrochemicals and plastics.
EVE, Ente Vasco de la Energía, is the Basque Government’s Energy Agency responsible for developing projects and initiatives in line with the policies defined by the Government.
The Wind Power Advanced Manufacturing Centre (WINDBOX) aims to compete with the best and invest 13 million euros to stimulate the wind sector.
ENERGY“
“
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KEY DATA
Most relevantindustries1 ENERGy
CIC energiGUNE
Smart gridS
- Bidelek: Smart grid implementation.- Ingrid: High voltage and high power laboratories.
ENErgY StOragE
- CIC Energigune.
ON-ShOrE aNd Off-ShOrE wiNd pOwEr
- Wind Power Advanced Manufacturing Centre (WINDBOX).
mariNE ENErgY
- BIMEP: Off-shore testing platform for prototype marine energy collectors.- Mutriku Wave Energy Centre. Energy Generation from wave movement.
ElEctric vEhiclE
- IBIL: Charging points (Repsol & EVE).
SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURES IN STRATEGIC SECTORS
ENERGIBASqUE 2020
COMPANIES350
JOBS 68,000
TURNOVER €44,000M
R&DINVESTMENT
€400M
In its Energibasque 2020 strategy, the Basque Country is committed to wind power, thermoelectric solar power, marine power, electricity grids, energy storage and transport electrification. The challenge lies in achieving an increasingly sustainable energy system in terms of competitiveness, security of supply and low carbon levels, intensifying energy efficiency actions in all sectors, increasing the use of renewable energies, consolidating energy infrastructures (gas and electricity) and fostering the strategic areas of research, technological and industrial development in the energy field.
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MOBILITYautomotive
AIC Automotive Intelligence Center - Amorebieta-Etxano
Mercedes-Benz Vitoria, €190M invested, 90% of production exported.
More than 45% of the production volume of Spain’s car industry takes place in the Basque Country.
The Basque Country’s automotive sector is innovative, competitive and comprehensive. Its high level of efficiency and effectiveness means that its management levels are comparable to the most advanced countries in the world.
The whole value chain is well represented with two manufacturers (OEMs), namely Mercedes-Benz (Daimler) and Irizar (bus and coach manufacturer) and a large number of components companies that work with the leading international manufacturers.
The Mercedes-Benz plant, located in Vitoria-Gasteiz, has a workforce of 3,500 and an excellent network of local suppliers and is highly competitive. It manufactures luxury people carriers and vans with an average annual production of 100,000 vehicles, 90% of which are exported.
AIC – AutOMOtIVE INtEllIGENCE CENtER
AIC is a specialised global competence centre which aims to stimulate sectoral knowledge, increase basic and applied research related to the sector, foster automotive training at all professional levels, encourage the endogenous creation of new business projects with high added value in the sector and attract innovative projects.
AIC concentrates on five lines of work:
- Competitive Intelligence: analysis of future scenarios within the automotive sector.
- Research: research into priority areas for the industry and companies.
- Industrial development: development of new industrial initiatives.
- New business: incubation and
development of new businesses associated with the automotive industry.
- Training: preparing automotive professionals in various fields.
The centre is managed by the Automotive Cluster.
ACICAE AutOMOtIVE CluStER Of thE BASquE COuNtRy
ACICAE is one of the first clusters to be set up in Europe. This business association is devoted to improving the competitiveness of the automotive industry and structures its activity around different areas: Strategy, Internationalisation, Communication, R&D&I, Quality Management and Training.
In addition to improving the strategic vision of the automotive sector, the main objectives of the ACICAE cluster are to facilitate entry into new customer markets, foster cooperation between member companies on different issues, encourage training and the adoption of new advanced management models, increase the level of R&D&I in the sector and in companies and attract local, state and European projects that add value to the sector.
KEY DATA
COMPANIES350
JOBS 34,850
TURNOVER €13,070M
R&D INVESTMENT
€470M
MOBILITY
ITP
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The Aeronautics Advanced Manufacturing Centre represents an international milestone with estimated investment of €9M and technologically advanced machinery.“ “
aeronautics
KEY DATA
The Aeronautics Advanced Manufacturing Centre seeks to optimise the potential of Basque industry to offer industrial products and services with high added value, enabling the validation of advanced technological developments in the sector’s auxiliary industry, ensuring its transfer to the market. The centre will carry out industrial demonstration projects for the launch of new products; re-engineering processes for existing products;
demonstration of the appropriateness of horizontal technology developments; industrial validation for investment projects; manufacture of prototypes for product demonstrators; and design and validation of specific equipment for the aeronautical sector.
The Aeronautics Advanced Manufacturing Centre represents an international milestone with estimated investment of 9
million euros and technologically advanced machinery. It is located on the Bizkaia Science and Technology Park and will be governed with market criteria, austerity and sustainability, whose pillars will be projects with an industrial focus and with teams made up from industry and the researcher mass from the UPV/EHU.
The aeronautics industry is one of the strategic sectors in the Basque Country due to product development with high added value and the generation of qualified employment. Thanks to its extensive experience in the sector, the concentration of suppliers along with ambitious technology plans and R&D projects, its level of internationalisation and foreign relations, the Basque Country is set to become a pole of excellence in aeronautics.
hEGAN – Aeronautics Cluster
Its aim is to promote the sector, ensuring its competitiveness through cooperation
and innovation among companies and other agents. The HEGAN cluster is made up of Aernnova, ITP, Sener and over 40 SMEs, which have obtained record figures in terms of turnover, exports and employment.
Aernnova – It is a global aerostructures company assuming the integral management of large aircraft sections. It also offers market engineering services, composite and metallic parts, as well as repair and product support services.
ItP, Industria de turbo PropulsoresThe ITP Group, made up of Sener and Rolls Royce, includes activities, such as design, research and development, manufacturing and casting, assembly and testing of aeronautical engines and gas turbines. It is also the official maintenance service provider for the majority of the world’s engine manufacturers. It has 18 production centres in Europe, America and Asia and a workforce of over 3,000.
STRATEGIC PROJECT – AERONAUTICS ADVANCED MANUFACTURING CENTRE
COMPANIES65
JOBS12,000
TURNOVER€1,585M
R&D INVESTMENT
€266M
MOBILITY
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maritime
Port of Pasaia
The maritime sector plays a very important role in the economy of the Basque Country, a region of customs and traditions closely linked to the sea. The most representative companies of this sector, a reference in the international market, are Sener Naval, which designs more efficient and environmentally friendly ships, develops naval engineering projects and consultancy; and Vicinay Cadenas, world leader in the manufacture of mooring systems for maritime applications, and the manufacture of chains for oil platforms. The following shipyards can be highlighted:
la Naval, Balenciaga, Murueta
and Zamakona are all technologically positioned and competitive at an international level.
fMV – Basque Maritime forum
The cluster association of the Basque maritime sector is responsible for fostering and increasing the competitiveness of companies in the sector. This sector represents 1.74% of the GDP with turnover of €1,148m for companies in activities directly related to this sector. The Basque Maritime Forum is an organisation made up of companies, associations and
institutions, whose activities revolve around shipbuilding and operation, as well as the manufacture and supply of equipment and the provision of services in line with its Core Strategic Areas: Internationalisation, Technology, Management Excellence, Finance and Taxes, Training and People and Communication, Information and Representation.
Investment in R&D&I and the application of new technologies in shipbuilding and machinery that is incorporated into the ship, offer high technological value to the companies in the sector.
KEY DATA
COMPANIES300
JOBS14,210
TURNOVER€2,150M
R&DINVESTMENT
€215M
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The Basque rail industry is identified as one of the most pioneering, with solutions and services adapted to the specific requirements of each operator and project. In this heavily internationalised sector, the ongoing commitment to innovation and technological development in recent years has been key.
This industry has strengthened its role as supplier of technology, equipment, engineering and construction works for railway transport networks worldwide, highlighting the recent award of both high speed and local networks, metros and trams to cutting edge companies with plants in the Basque Country, which has contributed to the international consolidation of the
Basque sector. These contracts brought about an acceleration of industrial activity in 2013 and for the forthcoming years for the leading railway sub-sectors, such as engineering, construction, signalling, electrification, tracks, equipment or rolling stock.
the headquarters of the Spanish Railway Association, MAfEX, is located in the Basque Country, which is proof in itself of the specific weight of this sector.
The rail industry in the Basque Country bears the undisputed stamp of one company, CAf-Construcción y Auxiliar
de ferrocarriles, a benchmark and one of the leaders of the international rail industry. The company offers comprehensive global rail solutions which, in addition to the supply of trains, include viability studies, civil works, electrification, signalling, maintenance and system operation. CAF has production facilities in Europe and America and is present in 18 countries worldwide. The company pursues global leadership in the manufacture and supply of high-tech, exceptionally reliable rolling stock.
MOBILITYrailways
KEY DATA
COMPANIES29
JOBS 14,176
TURNOVER€2,658M
R&DINVESTMENT
€90M
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MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENTThe Basque Country is ranked third largest producer in the European Union and its network of qualified suppliers is concentrated in a radius of less than 300Km. “ “
The Machine-Tool Biennial
Two characteristics that define the Machine-Tool sector in the Basque Country; its level of internationalisation and its innovative nature. One of the cornerstones of development in this sector is its firm commitment to innovation and technological development, which has led to the existence of specialised technology centres, for example INVEMA – Foundation for Machine Tool Research, and specialised training centres, such as IMh – Machine tool training and Innovation Institute.
The companies working in this sector produce all types of components for
aeronautical, automotive companies, etc., producing over 2,000 machine models and a wide range of highly competitive products. These products are exhibited at the BIEMh - Machine-tool Biennial, one of the sector’s most important fairs in Europe.
Basque companies in the sector are in contact with producers in the most competitive sectors, such as the mineral extraction, automotive, aviation and space sectors. Their parts and solutions perforate the subsoil up to 15 Km., transport millions of passengers all over the world and generate energy in
the most demanding conditions. They offer advanced manufacturing solutions, engineering and smart manufacturing processes.
DANOBAtGROuP is one of the sector’s leading producers and an international benchmark, offering global solutions for highly specialised technologies. It has its own research centre focused on specialist innovations, staffed by 120 researchers and 30 PhDs.
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Izar Cutting Tools
Danobat
Most relevantindustries1 MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT
AfM Advanced Manufacturing technologies
The Spanish Association of manufacturers of machine tools, accessories, parts and tooling, AFM, represents 90% of machine tool and advanced manufacturing technology companies in Spain. From its headquarters in San Sebastian and its office in China (Tianjin), it works to promote internationalisation and the technological
innovation of its member companies, through its INVEMA (foundation for Machine tool Research) technology unit. Furthermore, AFM defends and represents the industry’s interests, fostering relations with institutions, professional associations and similar organisations and inter-business relations in particular, offering a wide range of added value services to its members.
On average, the Basque machine-tool sector exports more than 80% of the sector’s production to international markets and allocates around 5% of turnover to R&D&I.
KEY DATA
COMPANIES96
JOBS 5,672
TURNOVER€1,180M
R&D INVESTMENT
€60M
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
Enpresa Digitala
Gaia, leading ICT cluster in sectorial innovation.
The electronics and information and communication technologies sector boasts pioneering companies that support the transformation of companies with a view to increasing and fostering competitiveness through the application of technology, innovation and knowledge. It is a sector that invoices around €3 billion in the Basque Country.
Comprehensive electronic, IT and telecommunication solutions projects
focusing on the optimised management of the business processes of industrial, commercial and services organisations.
Ibermática, ICT services company with over 40 years experience in the sector. It currently has turnover of around € 230 million, with a workforce of over 3,000 professionals and 11 offices in Latin America and the United States. Through the Ibermática Innovation Institute, i3B, the company develops diverse research lines that offer the market innovative solutions based on the use of ICTs.
Euskaltel is the telecommunications operator in the Basque Country, offering broadband Internet services, digital television, landline and mobile phones. It has formed a strategic alliance, for management of its new generation network –NGN- and 4G technology,
with multinational telecommunications company ZTE, which has installed its headquarters for southern Europe in the Bizkaia Science and Technology Park.
Gaia, Association of Industries of Electronic and Information Technologies of the Basque Country, brings together over 260 companies of the sector. It aims to become a reference in sector-based innovation through the Cluster Plus model and the development of EICTs (Electronics, Information and Telecommunication Technologies), along with public-private cooperation in alliance with competitors and companies from diverse sectors, a key element to foster competitiveness and internationalisation.
· traNSpOrt· ENErgY
MAIN STRATEGIC SECTORS OF APPlICATION
· maNufacturiNg· Smart citiES
· hEalth aNd hOmE
KEY DATA
COMPANIES260
JOBS 10,840
TURNOVER€ 2,840M
R&D INVESTMENT
€110M
The Basque bio-region, known as BioBasque, is characterised by cooperation between the academic world, the health system and industry, backed by an extensive network of infrastructures and public authorities that foster business activity.
Within the bio-region the business sector, with over 70 companies, benefits from strengthening different knowledge areas and technology convergence. Therefore, the biological know-how is complemented with a long tradition in engineering, manufacturing, microtechnology, electronics, robotics and automotive, and with the new nanotechnology possibilities.
It is an important sector that brings wealth and added value to the Basque Country thanks to its heavy investment in R&D&I, the offer of highly qualified employment and the international focus. This industry is made up of 75 companies, 20 research centres, 4 universities and 6 leading hospitals in the Basque Country.
Basque pharmaceutical companies with biotechnological developments include fAES fARMA, a company with an international vocation that researches, manufactures and commercializes pharmaceutical products and raw materials, which are exported to more than 60 countries; BIAl, multinational pharmaceutical company which has its allergy excellence centre in the Basque Country and; PRAXIS Pharmaceutical, a Basque pharmaceutical company devoted to Health Sciences.
On the other hand, the following biotechnology companies can be highlighted: Progenika Biofarma, pioneer and expert in molecular biology, with the multinational Grifols Group, and the Noray Biosciences Group (Noray BG), focusing on biosciences.
The biotechnology sector is backed by an extensive R&D infrastructure. CIC bioGuNE is a benchmark centre in Cellular, Molecular and Structural biology,
the only facility of its kind in the State and a European leader. Furthermore, bioGUNE also carries out its activity in the field of biotechnology applied to health, such as functional genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, among others. At CIC biomaGuNE, pioneer Research Centre in Bionanomaterials, the Molecular Imaging Unit, biofunctional nanomaterials and Biosurfaces can be highlighted.
Its aim is to coordinate, represent, manage, foster and defend the common interests of companies in this sector, and contribute to their internationalisation. The main areas of activity (59%) are biotechnology applied to human and animal health, as well as the food and agriculture, cosmetics sectors and management of transversal services, etc. Diagnosis can be highlighted within the areas of activity.
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BIOSCIENCES
KEY DATA
CIC bioGUNE
COMPANIES75
JOBS2,700
TURNOVER€376M
R&DINVESTMENT
€120M
ENVIRONMENTThanks to the commitment of society and the Basque institutions, over the past decade, the Basque Country has made significant progress in improving its environmental quality, becoming a European reference in the development and implementation of environmental policies.
This significant improvement in the environmental quality standards would not have been possible without the Basque Environmental Industry, a mature and dynamic sector that has become consolidated by supporting the evolution of the region’s leading industrial sectors towards cleaner production models, reducing their consumption of raw materials and resources (energy, materials and water) and minimising their environmental impact; implementing clean processes and technologies that have enabled these sectors to converge towards European standards, increasing their competitiveness.
Furthermore, the companies that form part of this sector have contributed to the integral transformation of regions and cities, participating in the drawing up of strategies
and implementing solutions to turn areas affected by environmental liabilities (land and water) into new areas of opportunity for socio-economic development, whereby one of its main exponents is the recovery of the fluvial channel in Metropolitan Bilbao.
It is a sector under constant evolution, made up of companies with extensive capacity and experience for which internationalisation has become one of the main pillars of business competitiveness. Nowadays, the Basque Ecoindustry is forced to compete in a new, global market that is fast growing thanks to urban and industrial development and which is increasingly sophisticated due to the integration of new technologies.
AClIMA
Cluster Association of Environmental Industries in the Basque Country is a pioneering cluster set up in 1995. It is a reference in the Basque eco-industry, the environment and sustainability. It has 89 members, with an overall environmental
turnover of €1,645m and over 2,800 professionals. (www.aclima.net)
Idom, multinational Engineering, Architecture and Consultancy integral services company, with 32 offices in 14 countries, it participates in the worldwide development of thermosolar technology.
Cespa, provides its environmental waste collection, street cleaning and gardening services to over 800 Spanish municipalities and many thousands of private clients from all economic sectors.
Befesa Medio Ambiente, subsidiary of the Abengoa Group’s Environmental Services, it is an international company specialised in integral industrial waste management and in water management and generation.
Cadagua, international reference in the development of water treatment and desalination. It has designed and built over 235 water, wastewater and desalination treatment plants.
Gipuzkoa Science and Technology Park
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KEY DATA
COMPANIES436
JOBS20,000
TURNOVER€4,000M
R&DINVESTMENT
€200M
22Bizkaia Science and Technology Park
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R&D expenditure in the Basque
Country is 2.09% of the GDP
· Technology Parks· Business Incubators
· Scientific Platforms· Technology Platforms
R&D & Innovation
2
BIGlittle
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Commitment to innovation is the hallmark of the Basque Country, commitment that brought in recognition and resources at European level: the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme was a success both in the number of participating Basque entities and in the number of projects and funding goals.
The Basque Country is currently fully involved in Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, which provides the opportunity to promote
international cooperation in research and technological development, in order to attain a competitive position in solving the huge challenges facing Europe.
The Basque Science, Technology and Innovation Network, made up of Universities, Research Centres, Technology Centres, R&D&I Units, Business and Innovation Centres and Technology Parks, is the fundamental pillar on which the Basque Innovation System rests.
R&D
& Innovation
2
The Basque Country is the autonomous community that assigns the highest percentage of its GDP to R&D, 2.09%
KABI 612 Business Incubator
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The Business and Innovation Centres, CEIA in Alava, KABI 612-BEAZ in Bizkaia and BIC Berrilan in Gipuzkoa, located in the Technology Parks, promote the creation and incubation of innovative and technology-based enterprises. They provide locations adapted to the needs of new projects, management and technological guidance, possibility of access to seed capital,
preferential funding in conjunction with diverse players and access to institutional support programmes.
Since they were launched, these Centres have supported the creation of 2,000 businesses, which have generated 10,500 jobs, and have tutored more than 4,000 entrepreneurs.
The Basque Technology Parks are a key instrument in the Industrial Development and Innovation policies of the Autonomous Community. The Technology Parks in Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, three projects with a total of 6 campuses, are home to research centres, technology centres, innovation promoters and a good selection of the most advanced and cutting edge organisations in Euskadi. In addition, they represent a reference point for researchers in the most prominent industrial sectors; a
place where almost 5,000 people are engaged in R&D&I. They provide an excellent location in quality, sustainable environments.
Activities associated with the Basque Technology Parks account for 4.7% of GDP, 4.6% of employment and 5.5% of corporate tax revenue.
Technology Parks
CREATION OF NEWS COMPANIES
BIC Gipuzkoa Berrilan
CEIA, Centro de Empresas e Innovación de Álava
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Basic and Excellence Research Centres (BERC)
The Basque Government’s excellence research centres are knowledge generation structures in spheres of scientific interest. They are internationally renowned research entities in the knowledge areas in which they carry out their research as benchmark centres in knowledge generation and in exploring its frontiers. The BERCs are called upon to act as international knowledge hubs, connected with centres located all over the world.
fBB Bizkaia Biophysics
Foundation
BCAM Basque Center
for Applied Mathematics
BCMaterials Basque Centre
for Material Applications and Nanostructures
DIPC Donostia
International Physics Center
BCBl Basque Center for Cognition, Brain and Language
MPC Material Physics
Center
AChuCARRO Basque Center for
Neurosciences
BC3 Basque Center for Climate Change
Polymat Basque Center for Macromolecular
Design and Engineering
Cooperative Research Centres (CIC)
The fostering of joint research is key in the culminated efforts that enable the capabilities of the different agents of the Scientific-Technological System to be integrated and optimised. The CICs are responsible for generating new knowledge, as well as for technology transfer, high level training and the commercial exploitation of research results. These centres handle basic research projects aimed at the strategic research lines set out in the industrial policy and also operate as a temporary technological alliance between the technology centres, research groups, universities and companies.
CIC bioGuNE Biosciences
CIC marGuNE Advanced
Manufacturing
CIC biomaGuNE Biomaterials
CIC microGuNE Microtechnologies
CIC nanoGuNE Nanosciencies
CIC tourGuNE Tourism
CIC energiGuNE Energy
SCIENTIFIC PLATFORMS CIC nanoGUNE
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TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS
BTEK, Technology Interpretation Centre
The Basque County has two important Research and Development platforms, providing jobs for 2,800 people worldwide. Their objective is to contribute to economic and social development and increase the competitiveness of companies, through the generation and transfer of scientific and technological knowledge.
tECNAlIA - The Tecnalia Corporation is made up of Tecnalia Research & Innovation and the Azti and Neiker technology centres. Tecnalia Research & Innovation is one of the leading private R&D&I groups in Europe, with over 1,400 employees from 30 nationalities, 21 offices worldwide and 4,000 international clients.
IK4 Research Alliance - It is a private and independent alliance of technology centres, a benchmark in the European technological context. It employs over 1,300 professionals. It is made up of nine reference organisations in the Basque innovation system: Azterlan, Ceit, Cidetec, Gaiker, Ideko, Ikerlan, Lortek, Tekniker and Vicomtech.
IK4 Research Alliance and the Tecnalia Corporation, worldwide reference technology centres, employing over 2,800 people.
Lea Artibai ikastetxea
44.2% of young people have
higher education studies
3
BIGlittle
· Universities · Vocational Training
Talent
Development
30
Training is the key that opens the doors to a competitive future. Consequently, the Basque country directs its efforts toward implementing a clear, close educational model, providing value and quality assurance. Its commitment to developing talent in people, concentrated in a nursery for highly qualified professionals, who are prepared to take the reins of the future, both locally and internationally, has been reinforced.
With a public university, which serves eight out of every ten students, three private universities, nearly a hundred occupational training centres, five international schools, more than one dozen official language schools, the first Gastronomy University in the world, the Basque Culinary Center, and Digipen, Institute of Technology Europe Bilbao, the Basque Country is the autonomous community with most educational technology in its classrooms.
Talent
Development
3
Investing in training is investing in the future. Training and excellence of people is a key strategic factor for the competitiveness of the Basque Country.
UPV/EHU, Campus Vitoria-Gasteiz
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4 UNIVERSITIES· Public university
· Three campuses in Alava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa
· 32 faculties and schools
· 67 degrees, 103 official masters courses, 44 professional and specialised diplomas and 71 PhD programmes
· Private university belonging to
Corporación MONDRAGON
· 3 faculties and a polytechnic school
· 25 undergraduate degrees related to the field of Engineering, Business, Education, Humanities and Gastronomic Sciences (Basque Culinary Center)
· 4,000 students
· 385 professors
· Founded in 1886 by the Jesuits
· Private university
· Two campuses in Bilbao and San Sebastian
· 6 faculties
· 34 degrees in Law, Business, Humanities, Engineering, Languages and Communication, Psychology and Education, International Relations, Theology, Social Work and Tourism.
· Founded in 1961
· Private university
· Campus in San Sebastian
· 9 EHEA-adapted degrees
· 44,214 students
· 5,316 professors
· Responsible for 70% of the research carried out in the Basque Country.
· International Excellence Campus: Euskampus
UNIVERSITY OF ThE BASqUE COUNTRY (UPV/EhU)
MONDRAGON UNIVERSITY
DEUSTO UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF NAVARRA - TECNUN
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VOCATIONAL TRAINING
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Vocational Training in the Basque Country is the first EU test bed for the introduction of applied innovation learning.
In the Basque Country, where economic activity revolves around industry, Vocational Training is an essential pillar in the preparation and qualification of people who are going to enter the job market. 65% of jobs in Basque companies require a vocational training certificate, 70% in the case of the industrial sector.
We have an Innovation Centre for Vocational training, tknika, the innovation tool for the Vocational Training system; through networking and direct
involvement of teaching staff, this centre develops innovative projects in the field of technology, training and management.
Vocational Training offers around 150 training cycles adapted to the different professional requirements, aimed at ensuring that people have the necessary professional skills to enter qualified jobs.The Vocational Training Strategic Agenda is the Basque Government’s future commitment, an agenda that seeks to extend the dual model so that training
culminates in an internship plan integrated in the company. Vocational Training is considered to be basic investment to ensure qualified labour in industrial companies, vocational training aimed at the company and a reference for the SMEs.
Bilbao
Business friendly Administration
A Place
to invest
4
BIGlittle
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Euskadi, the Basque Country, enjoys a high level of self-government in issues as important as healthcare, education, safety, housing and taxation, autonomy derived from the Gernika Statute, one of the fundamental pillars of self-government.
Another fundamental pillar of Basque self-government is the ‘Economic Agreement’, the financial foundation of the Autonomous Community, which gives the Basque
institutions autonomy to collect and manage citizens’ taxes depending on its own budgets and on agreements signed with the Spanish central administration. All these circumstances have enabled the creation of local organisations, such as EITB - Basque Radio and Television; the Ertzaintza, the autonomous police force, with more than 7,000 agents, and full authority over road and hydraulic infrastructure, economic and industrial promotion, territorial planning and training.
A Place to invest
4
The Basque Country has its own financial system, giving it regulatory and management capability
Seat of Basque Government - Vitoria-Gasteiz
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Business development and promoting the creation of new enterprises and ventures are two of the most important commitments of the Basque institutions. These commitments have given rise to instruments that the Basque public administrations make available to people to create, develop and consolidate businesses.
General taxation: 28% - 24% for SMEs
SPECIFIC PUBLIC FUNDS FOR EACH STAGE OF THE COMPANY LIFE CYCLE
TAx INCENTIVES AND DEDUCTIONS*
· Reciprocal guarantee companies· Financial institutions· Social entities
· Specific funds· Business Angels network· Seed funds
Institutions supporting business development
· Refundable advances· Low interest loans· Tax incentives
· Occupational training· Subsidies for R&D projects· Installation in Technology Parks
*More advantageous than in the rest of the State
PRIVATE FUNDS PROACTIVE TO INVESTING IN BUSINESSES
Research, development and innovation
Investments in environment and sustainability
Startups: Reduction in the tax base and share purchasing as investment
Patents
Job creation
New non-current assets
Financing-related incentives
Ataria, Salburua Wetlands Interpretation Centre (Vitoria-Gasteiz)
The highest life
quality level
A place to live
5
BIGlittle
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Socially, as well as economically, industrially and culturally, the Basque Country is unique. Balanced social and economic development, the pursuit of excellence, transformation processes in cities, business internationalisation and firm commitment to innovation, placing it among the best in the world, make the Basque Country one of the most attractive places to live and to invest.
Euskadi is the region with the highest quality of life in Spain, according to an OECD report, which measures variables, such as healthcare, education, employment, income, safety, environment, citizen participation, access to services and housing.
It has an extensive healthcare system that covers the requirements of citizens through the Basque health Service-Osakidetza, a public service dependent on the Basque Government, as well as private centres.
In the Basque Education System, schooling is compulsory from age 6 and free from 3 to 16 years old. Euskadi has the lowest dropout rate (7.7%) for young people between 18 and 24 years old.
As regards safety, it is one of the safest regions in Europe, with a rate of 39 crimes per 1,000 population, compared to 45 in Spain and the EU 28 average of 56.
A place
to live
5
Tradition and innovation, prehistory and modernism, mountains and sea, green and blue. The Basque Country has its unique outlook on the world from its small territory full of colours, aromas and flavours, inviting you to come and discover unique experiences. Euskadi receives more than 2,500,000 visitors every year.
Donostia-San Sebastián
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BCC, Basque Culinary Center, is the first Gastronomy University in the world, a research and innovation centre into food and cuisine, firmly committed to ensuring the continuity of cuisine as a centre for innovation in the future, in addition to generating high-level knowledge and training for qualified professionals.
Culture reaches all corners of the Basque Country through various first rate festivals, such as the San Sebastian International Film Festival, the Jazz Festivals in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Getxo and San Sebastian and the Bilbao Opera Season.
Rioja Alavesa, a unique region Reds and ochres colour this land, its wines and its villages. Traditional wineries and others designed by famous architects can be visited. Twelve thousand hectares of vineyards offer wines from a denomination of origin recognised as one of the best in the world.
Tradition and innovation merge in an amalgam of shapes and colours. Getting to know the Basque Country provides an insight into the Basque people. It is a way of life, a character and an understanding that combines history and modernity, audacity and nobleness, fun and hard work
Cuisine
Culture
Arzak, Berasategi, Subijana, Atxa, Aduriz and a long list of top chefs have made the Basque Country the region with the highest concentration of Michelin Stars in the world, 29.
Marques de Riscal Winery
The Basque language, Euskera, the oldest in Europe and the main feature of its particular, distinctive culture, remains alive.“ “
Climate Average annual temperature 14ºC Hours of sunshine per year: 2,000
2,500,000 visitors per year
Tourism 5.8% of GDP
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NatureBasque mountains and valleys, with quintessential villages scattered throughout, reflect the thousand-year-old history and traditions still kept alive, an incomparable backdrop highlighted by every shade of green and life going on all around.
The Basque Coast with its 250 km of beaches, estuaries, salt marshes, cliffs and fishing villages, reflecting nature which is abrupt yet generous, with a living and intensely blue sea; a coast where flysch is the highlight, an incredible formation with millions of years of geological history.
From the most ancient artistic expressions to the most avant-garde museums, the Basque Country has priceless treasures, giving it a unique personality. It boasts themed museums related to the region’s economic development, such as the Railway Museum
and the Mining Museum; others of international prestige, such as San Telmo and Fine Arts, as well as museums that have put Bilbao on the world map of museums, namely the Guggenheim, Balenciaga and Artium.
Art
Cristobal Balenciaga Museum
Mundaka
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Sports and TraditionsOn many occasions, the Basque people have made their leisure time an extension of their work. For this reason, all types of rural sports in the Basque Country are related with a trade or with the traditional tasks of the farmhouses. Furthermore, traditional sports,
such as pelota (Jai-Alai), rowing and cycling occupy a privileged place in the annual sporting calendar, alongside more international sports, such as football, basketball, golf and surfing.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is one of the most ambitious cultural projects of the 20th century. Its doors opened in 1997 and it became the forerunner for the transformation of the whole city. It is the symbol of the new Bilbao. Its permanent collection essentially consists of works by the most prominent artists of the past four decades and is supplemented by works on loan from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and special programmes sponsored by the Foundation.
Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum is devoted to the famous designer from Getaria, considered to be a genius of international haute couture. The museum consists of two buildings: the 19th century Aldamar Palace, which is home to the temporary exhibitions and the documentation centre; and the new annex. The Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum collection consists of around 1,600 items and is not only the largest collection of Balenciaga creations in the world but also the most representative.
Artium is a museum and centre for cultural activities, devoted to the collection, production, dissemination, research and diffusion of contemporary art, educating in contemporary culture and fostering the development of experiences through present-day creation. Through the experience of present-day art and culture, Artium develops the critical awareness of society and projects an image of a contemporary Alava and Vitoria-Gasteiz committed to art and culture.
Basque Museum-Center of Contemporary Art
Jai Ala
Guggenheim Bilbao Museum
Images provided by:
M. Arrazola EJ-GV | Basque Country technology Parks CIC energiGuNE | CIC nanoGuNE | CIC bioGuNE | AIC
EKONOMIAREN GARAPENETA LEHIAKORTASUN SAILA
DEPARTAMENTO DE DESARROLLOECON MICO Y COMPETITIVIDAD
EKONOMIAREN GARAPENETA LEHIAKORTASUN SAILA
DEPARTAMENTO DE DESARROLLOECON MICO Y COMPETITIVIDAD
EKONOMIAREN GARAPENETA LEHIAKORTASUN SAILA
DEPARTAMENTO DE DESARROLLOECON MICO Y COMPETITIVIDAD