The facility is home to three companies and contacts are being maintained for new incorporations.
The sector considers that development will take place in the medium term on the basis of similar experiences in other European countries.
Santiago’s commitment to the biotechnology sector through the Biopolo de A Sionlla has not undergone significant changes throughout the year in the form of the incorporation of new companies, but the sector calls for “patience” with the project, considering that “it is good and will eventually work”. The centre located in the industrial estate, designed to be an enclave of reference for biotech companies and boost the reindustrialisation of the city and the rest of Galicia, houses three entities that occupy 20% of the facilities, so the remaining 80% is still available to host new projects.
“A nosa oficina técnica está traballando e realizando un esfuerzo importante, pero realidades non temos ningunha máis”, señala a este diario el presidente de la Asociación del Área Empresarial del Tambre, José Fernández Alborés. “The process is slow because the companies have to take the decision to put their staff and bring all the machinery to work there,” says Alborés. In the framework of this process, he points out that this month there will be meetings with some of the entities that have expressed interest in setting up in Santiago.
Too many expectations
The president of the Clúster Tecnolóxico Empresarial das Ciencias da Vida de Galicia (Bioga), José Manuel López Vilariño, maintains that “we have to be patient” and points out that “the problem is that there were too high expectations that it was going to open the door and fill up with companies”. He calls for similar experiences at European level, whose construction took place in the medium term, to be taken into account. “It is a process that will happen little by little. The project is good and it will end up working, it’s just not something that will happen in three or six months”, he stresses.
Both Alborés and Vilariño agree that the process of making the decision to set up in a new location involves a certain complexity.”É un traballo de picar pedra, leva tempo porque son decisions estratéxicas de empresas. There are a lot of variables that companies value highly and they have to think about it very carefully”, affirms Alborés, while the president of Bioga exemplifies that “moving a company is not like moving a flat” and the decision must coincide with other rhythms of the entity.
Optimism
In this line, the businessmen are optimistic about the interest shown by different companies in the sector. Alborés assures that “we are happy because there is interest from several companies, which is already positive. Despois temos que conseguilo, convencelos dalgunha maneira e eu espero que si”. Several months ago there were contacts with companies from Navarre and Mexico. Other international companies are considering the option of setting up a headquarters in Spain. “Why not in the biopolo?”, asks Vilariño.
To turn the Santiago site into a more competitive destination, the president of Bioga believes that progress must be made in “defining a series of common services that can be provided from the biopolo so that the building is not just a physical space”, such as facilitating savings in laboratory equipment. “We are defining what services can be useful for a wide range of companies,” he says.
The presentation of success stories of the companies already installed could be another point in favour. For Alborés “we need three or four more companies to come and I think that would be the shot in the arm. If there are six companies already working, people will wonder why they went there”. In addition, the possibility of collaboration would add value, since “if you have a series of companies in that environment it is easier to establish common bonds”, Vilariño emphasises.
In short, the commitment is maintained and the businessmen are also satisfied with the involvement of the administrations. “Both the Xunta and the City Council are working for the biopolo. In this aspect we are happy. We can always ask for more, but they are fully involved”, concludes Alborés.
The City Council and the businessmen renew the agreement
The City Council of Santiago approved this week the signing of a collaboration agreement with the Asociación Área Empresarial do Tambre (AAET) for the development of the Biopolo de A Sionlla, endowed with 50,000 euros. The aim of this agreement, which is being signed for the fifth consecutive year, is to undertake actions aimed at developing the project with a view to consolidating it and attracting companies.
The technical secretariat of the project will be responsible for promoting and coordinating activities that act as a meeting point for agents in the city for its industrialisation, highlighting the potential of Santiago, the regional administration, companies and investors to achieve the necessary resources to boost the economic promotion of the city.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***
The City Council and the businessmen renew the agreement
The City Council of Santiago approved this week the signing of a collaboration agreement with the Asociación Área Empresarial do Tambre (AAET) for the development of the Biopolo de A Sionlla, endowed with 50,000 euros. The aim of this agreement, which is being signed for the fifth consecutive year, is to undertake actions aimed at developing the project with a view to consolidating it and attracting companies.
The technical secretariat of the project will be responsible for promoting and coordinating activities that act as a meeting point for agents in the city for its industrialisation, highlighting the potential of Santiago, the regional administration, companies and investors to achieve the necessary resources to boost the economic promotion of the city.
Attracting projects and developing services
The objectives include attracting projects and developing services to make the Biopolo more attractive, as well as increasing awareness of the infrastructure through participation in sectoral fairs, increasing the presence in social networks or visiting companies. Also, in view of the interest shown in starting the first stage of the industrial spaces, progress will be made in defining a collaborative formula for the execution of this phase of the project.
