A centre of decision-making

The city of Malaga is the economic capital of the region of Andalusia in the south of Spain. With nearly 600,000 inhabitants, it is the city with the 2^nd largest population in the region, and the 6^th largest population in the country. 

As the capital of the Costa del Sol, Malaga has used its excellent land, sea, and air links, its infrastructures, and its top-quality services to put itself on the map in terms of international investments and to attract international events and headquarters of international organisations. 

International institutions in Malaga  

The United Nations

In this regard, it is important to note the presence of the International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL), a non-governmental, not-for-profit corporation whose main aim is to support the activities of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and to bring together local and regional authorities, international institutions and the private sector in order to improve communication and relations. The centre also has bases in Belgium, the USA, and China. 

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) can be considered as the cooperation agency for the development of the United Nations, which has its headquarters in New York and a delegation in Malaga. 

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization will set up the Oficina Subregional de la Comisión de Pesca en el Mediterráneo (subregional office of the Mediterranean Fisheries Commission), a technical unit which will allow for cooperation and dialogue on cross-border fishing and aquaculture challenges between Mediterranean countries. 

Andalusia Technology Park of Malaga: The place to be

Founded in 1996, the Andalusia Technology Park of Malaga rivals business parks in bigger cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, Sydney or Barcelona. With 636 companies and 20,000 employees and a turnover of more than €200 million, the park specialises in telecommunication, electronics, software, mobility technologies, bio-innovation, medicine, and health. It truly is a hub for skills and attracting investments, but also an ideal location for professional associations and skills clusters. 

Since its foundation, the park has been hosting the International Association of Science Parks (IASP), the world network of science parks and innovation projects. Its main missions are:

• Putting park directors in touch with each other
• Creating new job opportunities 
• Representing parks internationally
• Supporting the development of new parks

Since the establishment of IASP in Malaga, the association has increased the number of members and projects, such as congresses, seminars, training courses or publications. In short, IASP is considered as the largest network of scientific/technological parks and innovation projects, as well as being the only organisation with this purpose. 

As a member of Association of scientific and technological parks of Spain (APTE), the Andalusia Technology Park of Malaga hosts the headquarters of this Spanish association in its facilities. 

It also houses other bodies especially dedicated to innovation and the digital sector. Here are some examples:

• The BIC Euronova is the European Centre of Business and Innovation (CEEI) of Malaga. Created in 1991 by the European Commission, this entity aims to support the creation of innovative SMEs and to foster the launch of new innovative activities in SMEs. All the CEEIs are accredited by the European Commission, and are integrated into a network, the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN), an international scientific and technical association which brings together more than 250 CEEIs spread out over Europe. 
• The digital agency of Andalusia, an association created by the regional government of Andalusia, has also established its HQ in the Andalusia Technological Park of Malaga to boost digital transformation in the region.

Blue economy, the marine and maritime sector in Malaga

The Maritime-Marine cluster of Andalusia is a collection of innovative Andalusian companies which take into account the strategic importance of the maritime sector not only in the region and in Spain, but all over the world.

Several companies make up the cluster, from different subsectors of marine activity such as fishing, aquaculture, shipbuilding, sea transport, maritime research and training, port infrastructures, the maritime industry, sea tourism and underwater archaeology. All the companies which are part of the cluster share one common element: the blue economy.

Malaga: international meeting point

Throughout the last few decades, the city of Malaga has become the reference point for all types of meetings, conferences, and international events. For example, Horasis India Business Meeting, one of the most important annual events about the world economy whose object is to analyse the internationalisation of Indian companies, or, for example, the Tertulias Hispano-Británicas, a series of meeting which allow the analysis of the relationship between Spain and the UK.

As for other events? Organised by the National Digital Content Hub and Sirocco Media, more than 180 have competed online in the Malaga Open Esports tournament in March 2021, the first of The Storm Circuit, the main amateur video game competition for ‘League of Legends’ and ‘Valorant’ in Spain.

In March 2021, Malaga had the honour of celebrating, for the second year in a row, the 35^th edition of the Goya Awards, Spain’s main national film awards, with the presence of the actor Antonio Banderas. 

The Trade Fair and Congress Centre of Malaga is one of the most popular places for international events in the city. For example, the CM Malaga Cities and Museums International Trade Fair is the meeting point of activities linked to culture and new technologies which allow the evolution towards new, more sustainable and advanced forms of cultural and tourist management. 

The Greencities – Urban Intelligence and Sustainability forum, to learn about the trends of smart cities and their evolution towards a model of intelligent and sustainable mobility. At the heart of this forum is S-Moving, a programme which strengthens content on autonomous, sustainable, and interconnected mobility. EducACCION, the first international conference on education and its evolution. The Smart Agrifood Summit is the industry leader in the creation of innovation ecosystems at the heart of the agri-food sector in Europe.

The Mobile World Capital foundation has chosen Malaga for its first ‘Mobile Week’ which will host high-level speakers at the heart of a series of conferences and workshops which will deal with the situation, the challenges, and the opportunities of mobile technology today.

In February 2022, Malaga will be the European headquarters of Foro Europeo para la Ciencia, Tecnología y la Innovación (Transfiere), the main R&D and innovation conference in southern Europe. This forum aims to provide the opportunity to share scientific and technological skills, promote innovation and connected science with business. 

If you have any questions or you want to know more in relation to your unique situation, please do not hesitate to contact the team at invest-HUB.