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Ten science and technology parks, including Malaga TechPark, joined the initiative.
The Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain (APTE) and the National Innovation Company, SME, SA (ENISA) have given the green light at Transfiere to the collaboration agreement with 10 science and technology parks, including Malaga Techpark, to launch the APTENISA programme for business ideation and acceleration, which will lead to the detection of 100 business ideas and the acceleration of 32 start-ups.
Facilitating the creation of new technology-based companies and reducing the obstacles they face during their growth, thus supporting the development of a size that makes them more competitive, is the objective of the APTENISA programme, which is clearly in line with the objectives of the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and with the Law for the Creation and Growth of Companies.
APTENISA will support entrepreneurship from the initial idea to the acceleration phase, validation of the business model and incorporation through a common methodology, based on the Candy Innovation Model and Lean Launch Pad methodologies, to be developed by the 10 science and technology parks participating in its first pilot edition. The Candy Innovation Model is a methodology based on four phases (Challenges-Ideas-Prototypes-Scaling) presented at the 2017 International Congress of the IASP – International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation by Prof. Josep M. Pique from La Salle-URL. The Lean Launch Pad is a methodology academically designed by Prof. Jerome S. Engel from UC Berkeley that uses the scientific method to validate business hypotheses by combining the Business Model Canvas and the processes of Customer Discovery, Customer Validation, Customer Creation and Company Building.
Likewise, APTENISA, taking into account the territorial gap, connectivity and the lack of gender perspective, will promote initiatives that encourage digitalisation or the implementation of technologies in different sectors, as well as female entrepreneurship.
In addition, the actions will be complemented with the training and creation of an investment community of Business Angels in the innovation ecosystems of science and technology parks to finance entrepreneurial initiatives in the earliest stages and to connect with venture capital funds and exit markets (exit plans) linked to companies that innovate by buying start-ups.
A collaboration that ENISA values very positively. “Science and technology parks host companies with high added value in terms of R&D&I that also require support and funding, not only for their projects, but also for their business models and their market launch. Joining forces is essential to promote innovative entrepreneurship and, in this case, we hope that doing so hand in hand with APTE will be a great opportunity for many companies”, as José Bayón, CEO of ENISA, points out. “In addition to financing, both institutions will provide education and knowledge of a sector that is essential for advancing not only the country’s economy, but also the opportunities for those who are entrepreneurs and generate wealth with their value”, adds the executive.
For Felipe Romera, president of APTE: “This programme is a great support from ENISA for the capacity of science and technology parks to promote entrepreneurship and foster the growth of innovative, disruptive and technology-based companies. This capacity will be reinforced with the application of a common model in all participating parks and collaboration between them to promote not only the development of these start-ups, but also synergies and collaboration between them, the latter aspect being very important to ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of these initiatives”.
The signing of the addenda to the general agreement between APTE and ENISA by the 10 science and technology parks that will implement the programme in 8 different autonomous communities (Basque Country, Catalonia, Andalusia, Community of Madrid, Asturias, Community of Valencia, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands) took place on 16 February at 12:00 noon during the 11th edition of the Transfiere Forum.
The 10 participating science and technology parks are as follows:
⦁ Garaia Technology Park
⦁ Technology and Innovation Park Tecnoparc
⦁ Málaga TechPark
⦁ Madrid Science Park Foundation
⦁ La Salle Technova Barcelona
⦁ Balearic Technological Innovation Park (ParcBit)
⦁ Science and Technology Park of Tenerife
⦁ Technology Park of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
⦁ Alicante Science Park
⦁ Avilés Science and Technology Park “Isla de la Innovación”.