(+34) 913 497 100 | Innovation Spain, steady investment growth in RDI Home Innovation Innovation is gaining strength in the Spanish economy as a whole. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), Spain has recorded three consecutive years of investment growth in RDI, and a higher rate of growth than nominal GDP. Turnover in high and medium-high technology companies was up 6.2% in 2017 and Spanish exports increased by 8.5%. Source: INE. Advantages of investing in Spain’s RDI ecosystem Tax deductions and subsidies for RDI activities Surge in open innovation, led by major corporations Growing innovation ecosystem: increase in patent registrations Favourable environment for recruiting talent: Social Security contribution discounts Secure environment for intellectual property protection Leader in use of open data More than 180 startup accelerators and incubators Support in forming and establishing startups from both the public and private sectors is apparent from the start in business accelerators and incubators. There are over 180 infrastructures of this type throughout Spain that offer advice and support for entrepreneurs. Technology centres Technology parks Universities Source: FEDIT, APTE Open to business innovation The Spanish market is very receptive to business innovation. According to the 2019 European Innovation Scoreboard, Spain scores high in sales impact/sales of new-to-market and new-to-firm innovations, which measures the turnover generated by new products and products being ranked second in Europe. Business has contributed decisively to R&D, with an 8.2% increase in investment. Substantial investments by multinational companies established in Spain account for 38.4% of total business assets. Public investment is recovering, and last year saw a 3.3% increase. Ninety of the 100 top companies in R&D have a subsidiary in Spain Source: Thomson Reuters. Companies with R&D centres See all companies 3M USA / 3M is an American multinational company dedicated to researching, developing, and marketing diversified technologies, offering products and services to industrial, automotive, energy and chemicals sectors. ... Accenture Ireland / ICT Accenture is a prestigious Irish consultancy company that earns more than 60% of its income from innovation. As part of the global innovation centre network, Accenture has 5 innovation and technology centres ... Cutting-edge open innovation Spain stands out in open innovation initiatives. Major Spanish corporations work in a wide range of industries. From ICT to energy, finance and retail, they have the ability to combine the university’s educational and scientific efforts with the business ecosystem, since most of them have their own startup programmes. The Spanish public-private cooperation programme Open Innovation 4.0 won the EC’s 2018 European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) prize for Open Innovation. In 2018 the Spanish company Acciona won the 'Open Innovation Innovative Approach Award' granted by the EC’s Startup Europe Partnership (SEP), which acknowledges the company's efforts to develop innovation in partnership with startups in its I'mnovation programme. Due to this and government support, Spain is regarded as a favourable environment for promoting knowledge and competitiveness Entrepreneurship Get to know what the Spanish ecosystem has to offer. FIND OUT MORE Talent Find out more Research Talent Spain has talent devoted to innovation. 215,713 people participated in R&D activities in Spain in 2017, 133,195 of these being researchers. This represents an increase of 6,500 over the previous year, when R&D investment by companies was up 8.3%. Favourable environment for hiring talent Spain provides a favourable environment for hiring talent, by offering companies a 40% discount in Social Security contributions for common contingencies to all research staff that work solely on RDI during the time they are at the company. Researchers / Total Date: 2017 In figures: 133,213 people Staff employed / Total Date: 2017 In figures: 215,745 people What we can do for your startup Download the Starting up in Spain Guide All you need to know about the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Spain. Download Program Rising UP in Spain Rising UP in Spain is a program to help foreign startups set up in Spain, hand in hand with a local partner. Find out more FINANCE Leaders in Europe Spain ranks fourth among countries in the European Union that receive most European funds for innovation projects. Private funding has also practically doubled. As a result of Spain’s leadership in science and innovation in Europe, the country has received 43 million euros in projects financed by Horizon 2020, and is the first country to win these grants in the last two awards. Source: Ministry of Science and Innovation Aids and incentives Taxation Spain has an advantageous tax system for RDI thanks to tax deductions established by law for this type of activity, which is an incentive that multinationals rate highly when setting up their RDI in the country (Multinationals in Spain study, Business Climate in Spain survey, Nov. 2018). The importance of SMEs in RDI private investment is especially noteworthy. Find out more Public funding for RDI: The Industrial Technology Development Centre (CDTI) offers a wide range of subsidies and loans for technology projects at competitive interest rates. The National Innovation Company (ENISA) funds SMEs with up to 1.5 million euros in participation loans and with no guarantee required. The public organization RED.ES promotes programmes to foster the digital economy, innovation, entrepreneurship and support for SMEs by encouraging the efficient and intensive use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The Ministry of Science and Innovation is responsible for promoting scientific and technical research, development and innovation, with various R&D-centred programmes. Invest in Spain/ICEX has a programme that supports foreign companies with up to 200,000 euros for investments, having a major R&D component and a competitive bidding procedure. The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is the largest public institution in Spain devoted to scientific and technical research and one of largest in the European Research Area. It is attached to the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the General Secretariat for the Coordination of Scientific Policy. Its mission is to promote, coordinate, develop and disseminate scientific and technological research with a multidisciplinary focus in order to advance knowledge and economic, social and cultural development, and to train staff and advise public and private bodies in these areas. We finance your R&D project in Spain Program INNOVA Invest Grant Program financed by de Recovery Transformation and Resilience Plan to support Foreign companies to settle R&D Projects in Spain Download Program Smart Technology Fund Investment programme for foreign companies in R&D activities Find out more Testimonials of Smart Technology Fund See all the testimonials OP Technical Centre SL Joaquim Antao Commercial and Technical Manager Extremely comprehensive support that offered excellent assistance in an R&D project from beginning to end (studies, validation, product start-up). This support is also adapted to up-and-coming and recently established companies. Piher Mikel Larrazabal Head of Finance This was a very important subsidy for a new line of research and development that enabled us to start promoting the commercial use of PIHER products for the medical sector. Protecting intellectual property The Spanish legal framework offers investors all the necessary guarantees to ensure the protection of their patents, trademarks and designs. In a business environment where intangible assets are a significant part of a company's capital, and are directly linked to its ability to obtain funding and returns on their RDI investments (CTC: Patent Box, section in the business guide on tax incentives), it is essential to ensure a favourable environment to protect industrial development. Intellectual property is key to innovation growth. An example of the Spanish government’s commitment to reinforcing this environment is the Carlos Fernández-Nóvoa Chair of Innovation and Industrial Property, which was created as a result of the collaboration between two bodies at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism: the EOI Business School and the Spanish Patents and Trademarks Office (OEPM). The Spanish Patents and Trademarks Office (OEPM) is a leader in innovation, along with the EU's Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the offices in Chile and Singapore. World Trademark Review (WTR). Spanish patent applications in Europe Patent applications (Units) The OEPM is renowned for streamlining its processes and for facilitating online registration of trademarks and designs through its website. This has resulted in four consecutive years of increases, according to the OEP's 2019 Annual Report. The study indicates that this increase confirms a clear upward trend in patent applications from Spain, much higher than the average for the 38 member states of the European Patents Office, which was 3.8% in 2018. Patent applications filed by Spain at the European Patents Office (OEP) was up 6.3% in 2018 compared to the previous year. Leader in open data Spain is the second leading European country in open data after Ireland, according to the Open Data Maturity in Europe 2019 on www.europeandataportal.eu For the fifth consecutive year, Spain features for having an advanced open data strategy with 90% capacity. The website also ranks Spain as a model for good practices in open data in its Analytical Report 13: Open Data best practices in Europe’s Top Performers (April 2019). The consulting company Capgemini Invent also ranked Spain second in its “Open Data Maturity Report in Europe in 2019”. Open Data Maturity 2018 Scores per dimension, Top 3 Performers Intellectual and industrial property News See all 01 DECEMBER 2021 Spanish Government approved 95 million euros for 5G and 6G networks Read more 26 NOVEMBER 2021 ICEX Launches INNOVA Invest, a Programme Designed to Help Foreign Companies Invest in R&D in Spain Read more 23 NOVEMBER 2021 British pharmaceutical company GSK opens new laboratory at Alcalá de Henares plant Read more Events See all More information Setting up a company The different ways in which a company can operate in Spain. More information Funding and incentives System of funding and incentives for your project. More information Talent Get to know the Spanish talent pool for your project. More information Visas Visas and residence permits to live and work in Spain. 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