Investment and Talent attraction among the core strategic issues of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia for the next four years

The Department of Economic and Territorial Promotion of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia will foster the creation of the Energy Intelligence Center, a comprehensive service to attract “investment and talent” and a public Crowdfunding platform during this term of office. Moreover, they intend to approve a new Sectoral Territorial Road Plan 2017-2029.

These initiatives are some of the strategic projects set by the Provincial Department for the next four years and they were explained in detail on Thursday by the head of the Department of Economic and Territorial Promotion, Imanol Pradales, when he appeared before the General Assembly of Bizkaia at his own request.

The Department is divided in three “inter-related” areas, Business Promotion and Economic Development, Foreign Promotion and Tourism and Infrastructures and Territorial Development, so as to “play a proactive role in the economic recovery and the promotion of quality employment “.

“Investment in the generation of new economic and industrial activities and investment in infrastructures which allow us to improve territorial competitiveness and balance. Public investment as an instrument to promote wellbeing and quality of life”, Imanol Pradales explained.

The Councillor described the nine “strategic” projects established for this term of office. Among them is the project ‘Doing business in Biscay’, to offer a comprehensive service for investment and talent attraction and the Energy Intelligence Center (EIC), to “move forward in the search for opportunities and in the path of innovation in the energy sector, a sector with excellent future prospects and crucial for the economy of Bizkaia”.

Moreover, the Elkarlanean Programme will promote inter-company collaboration to boost the growth of SMEs and increase their competitiveness. The first public Crowdfunding platform will also be created to offer new financing channels to the companies of Bizkaia.

Another strategic Project of the Department will be the ‘Programme 3i’, which offers integrated support to the investment, innovation and internationalization of SMEs, together with the web platform ‘Be Basque Talent Network’, aimed at “relating talent, business and Territory”.

The Be Basque Talent Network is a network promoted by bizkaia:talent. It is the largest talent network in the world, made up of professionals who have or want to have a link with the Basque Country. It has beaten the number of 6,500 users during the first six months in operation.

The Bidesarean Plan, which comprises actions aimed at improving the road network in all regions of Bizkaia, will be implemented. In addition to this, the new Sectoral Territorial Road Plan 2017-2029 will be approved. To prepare this plan, Pradales has undertaken to create a specific drafting committee in the General Assembly. Moreover, he has explained that although no investments in large infrastructures are expected during this term of office, an allocation of 100 million to improve the current network is being considered.

This block of strategic projects on Economic and Territorial Development issues is completed with the international projection strategy Bilbao Bizkaia Be Basque.

The Department will work, in the next years, on five major issues which bring together external projection, entrepreneurship, industry and competitiveness, talent and territorial balance.

According to the Councillor, the aim is to “position Bizkaia as an attractive Territory and as a strategic platform to enter Southern Europe through the promotion of a powerful network of modern infrastructures and of our Territory as a quality tourist destination and as a place of innovation, creativity and talent with its own cultural identity and great technological-industrial capacity”.

This way, the external image of Bizkaia and its presence in forums, fairs and international events will be promoted. Instead of a policy of “isolated actions abroad”, there is a commitment to a strategy of “continuous presence in the world” through the creation of networks and “stable and long-lasting” relations with the main “global opportunity centres”, as well as with international organizations of interest.

Furthermore, “the creation of permanent links with global centres of excellence” will be encouraged and their establishment in Bizkaia will be sought. At the same time, work will be done on the creation of a “comprehensive offer which attracts the productive investment of companies and entrepreneurs including industrial infrastructures, access to funding and public aid and inter-institutional support”, among other issues.