As Deputy for Economic Promotion of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, it is an honour for me to welcome you to South Summit Industry & Energy, an event in which connectivity and innovation converge to shape the future of entrepreneurship. In this edition, we have placed special emphasis on the industrial strengths of our territory, focusing on industry and the energy and mobility sectors.
Bizkaia is distinguished not only by having internationally renowned leading companies but also by having developed a wide network of centres of excellence for innovation and the development of significant advances. An example of this is the BAT – B Accelerator Tower, an ecosystem that integrates corporations, startups, investors, and technological players, promoting innovation and renewal through openness and connectivity with international nodes.
In Bizkaia, we are proud of our unique culture and languages, as well as being among the European territories with the best quality of life, supported by a first-class educational and health system and high levels of security.
From an innovation perspective, we stand out as a leading region. With a growing number of innovative SMEs and a network of research and technological development centres that are a reference in Europe, Euskadi has emerged as the most innovative region in the state. This panorama is complemented by the fact that 66% of our young people have higher education, and Bilbao is recognized for its ability to retain talent worldwide.
A distinctive aspect of Bizkaia is our fiscal autonomy, which allows us to establish our own tax regulations, creating a favourable environment for startups, intensive R&D units of corporations, fund and strategic investment managers, and highly qualified professionals.
We offer a wide variety of aid programs, venture capital funds, launch and consolidation services, spaces to undertake activities, and connections with agents in the ecosystem, thus promoting the growth of new business initiatives.
In Bizkaia, we firmly believe in advanced entrepreneurship as the engine of the new economy and a key factor in accelerating the necessary innovation that keeps our business fabric at the technological forefront internationally.
I invite you to be part of this exciting journey towards innovation and entrepreneurship.
Welcome to Bizkaia!
