The Vigo Free Trade Zone Consortium (CZFV) together with Igape have launch The High Tech Auto, the first incubator project, part of the Pluriregional Operational Programme of Spain 2014-2020, which is spezilised in the automotive sector. At the same time, the Program in which is included this activity has an 80% co-financing through the INCYDE Foundation through the ERDF Funds of the European Union.
This incubator focused on innovative technological projects aims to contribute to the development of the Automotive sector. It is focused on the Autonomous Community of Galicia and prioritized within the strategy of intelligent specialization RIS3.
According to the Incubator’s organization team, which will initially be housed in the CZFV facilities in Bouzas (Vigo), technological projects in the seed or incipient phase will be supported with the idea of validating ideas and technologies in order to subsequently build an innovative business model around it. David Regades, delegate of Zona Franca, has explain that “this project complements the other projects of the automotive sector since it incorporates the support to the initial ideas that can become business projects. The incubator is designed to cover the previous phases of the B.F.A.”.
Therefore, support services will be made available to the participating projects to transform their business models, incubation spaces and a manufacturing laboratory, as well as digital and technological automotive services.
The creation of the High Tech Automotive Incubator stands as the necessary link that is missing to complete a true ecosystem of innovation in the automotive sector and components in Galicia, which integrates entrepreneurs, companies, knowledge system and R & D + i, public administration, financial institutions, aimed at promoting the transfer of technology from academia and technology to the business fabric of the automotive sector and its auxiliary through technology transfer vehicles. Achieving an impact on existing companies in the sector and on Galician society.
HIGH TECH AUTO & BFA INCUBATOR
The Incubator will integrate, among its objectives and work methodologies, processes that allow to guide the incubated projects towards the Business Factory Auto (BFA) business accelerator. Therefore, it will be supported and coordinated with this program as a formula of impulse and acceleration of the projects, orienting them in a joint way from the seed or most incipient phase of the project up to the exit to the market of the same ones and their consolidation and jump of scale.
For the Free Trade Zone, it is so important to support the automotive ecosystem that a building will be built, the World Car Cener (WCC), where the H.T.A., the B.F.A. and the automotive technology centres will be housed.
The W.C.C. will be an iconic building located in front of the Balaídos industrial estate to promote synergies with the sector.