The Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía, also known as the Málaga TechPark, aims to promote the economic development of Andalusia, attracting investors and companies from all over the world. Today, the complex is one of the most important economic centres in the whole of Spain.
Development of Málaga TechPark
The official opening took place on 9 December 1992, four years after formal preparations and construction work began. In its first period of operation, Málaga TechPark had just eight companies and 130 employees. Today, the Málaga technology zone is the most important of its kind in southern Spain.
After 30 years of operation, the Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía covers an area of more than 2 millionm2, of which as much as 900,000m2 is green space! In addition, the TechPark has a high-quality infrastructure and services tailored to the needs of the companies operating in its area. Companies operating there have all kinds of offices from 20 m² to 3,000 m² at their disposal, as well as a wide range of land ready for the construction of new spaces.
Today, the Málaga TechPark is home to more than 600 companies from 30 countries, employing around 20,000 people. The site has become an ideal partner for start-ups looking to establish themselves in Spain, with 150 such entities currently affiliated. Available data shows that the annual turnover of the companies gathered in the Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía exceeds €2 billion.
However, the Málaga TechPark authorities are not stopping with the achievements to date. Over the next 20 years, they plan to double the number of employees and companies belonging to Spain’s Silicon Valley, as well as increasing the development area by 150,000m2.
Invest in Andalucía
The Andalusian government is making every effort to attract investors to this Spanish region. A few years ago, the Invest in Andalucía initiative was set up, which is made up of a team of internationally experienced investment experts from a number of fields, offering free services tailored to the needs of foreign companies planning to enter the Andalusian market. The initiative hosts meetings and conferences where investors can get a closer look at local companies, as well as providing the formal and legal advice needed to invest in the region.
Support for real estate
Local authorities are not limited to supporting those operating in technological, manufacturing or industrial areas. Recently, the real estate segment in Andalusia has also received huge support. At the end of 2021, the local government announced an indefinite extension of the reduced and unified transfer tax for the purchase of secondary market property.
In turn, in September 2022, the Andalusian government announced the introduction of a 100% wealth tax rebate. It thus became the second Spanish region – after Madrid – in which residents and residents will not have to pay progressive tax on assets valued at more than €700,000.
Technology hub in Andalusia
The sectors with the strongest presence in Málaga TechPark are IT, electronics, telecommunications and engineering and consultancy services. Most of the companies focus on information technology, telecommunications and research and development. These include some multinationals such as Oracle, Ericsson, IBM, TDK, Ciklum, CGI, Accenture, Huawei and Ernst & Young.
The potential of the Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía is also recognised by Polish companies. In 2021, Wroclaw-based Hicron, which provides IT and business services to large and medium-sized companies around the world, including Australia, the United States, the Middle East and Europe, joined the ranks of companies with headquarters or branches in Málaga TechPark.
Google invests in Malaga
The presence of Citibank has recently been confirmed, and a few weeks ago Vodafone confirmed its involvement in the capital of Malaga. Google is also starting to invest in the Iberian Peninsula. Other multinationals such as Accenture, Ciklum, Ravenpack, The Workshop and Adsmurai are already on the Costa del Sol and are also recruiting employees.
Google’s new cyber security centre in Málaga will consist of 2,500m2 of space, located on Paseo de La Farola – between Muelle Uno and La Malagueta beach, in the former headquarters of the Military Government. The US company’s office will offer training, lectures, workshops, as well as mentoring in computer security, research and product development.
A company owned by Google, VirusTotal, will start operating in a new centre in Málaga. The company, which has an ongoing partnership with the University of Malaga to promote the technology ecosystem, will soon be able to carry out its cyber security work from this innovative centre of excellence. With a team of 40 employees, VirusTotal has the world’s largest cyber-security database, analysing more than two million files and URLs per day (half a million of which are suspicious). Among its clients, it has companies such as Facebook, Apple, Netflix and Samsung.
Fuencisla Clemares, Google’s director in Spain, announced almost a year ago that the conglomerate would invest €500 million in the country to ‘accelerate’ digitalisation. The adaptation work of this centre is already underway and at a good pace. The tech giant’s new facilities in the Costa del Sol capital are expected to open their doors in early 2023, just over a year ahead of schedule.
Bernardo Quintero, founder of VirusTotal and one of Google’s leading figures in cybersecurity, recalled on Twitter that the property was selected in December 2018 – just over three years ago – when the prospect of a pandemic was still remote.
