INTERES Invest in Spain

Aerospace

The Spanish aerospace industry is Europe’s fifth most important, with turnover of 4.2 million euros and employing close to 30,000 people. Madrid is the Spanish leader, with over 60% of the sector’s turnover concentrated here. This represents 3.3% of Europe’s aerospace business, with 2006 a growth rate of 15%, 3% higher than Spain, and 7% greater than the European.

Madrid is the most competitive location in Europe for companies in the sector. It is noteworthy for the following:

• Spain’s aerospace industry will experience the greatest growth in Western Europe, tripling production in the next nine years. Madrid will be one of the European regions with the greatest business opportunities in the sector for the next decade.
• Madrid is one of Europe’s most important and competitive aerospace clusters, internationally recognized and a leader in the production of composite aerostructures, integration of military transport aircraft and development of software and electronic equipment.
• Madrid has one of the largest pools of qualified labor in Europe, with 279,500 people in work in the high-tech sector and 40,000 people working in R&D. Madrid is Spain’s most important training center for aeronautical engineers, with over 400 engineers graduating each year.- Madrid has one of the largest pools of qualified labor in Europe, with 279,500 people in work in the high-tech sector and 40,000 people working in R&D. Madrid is Spain’s most important training center for aeronautical engineers, with over 400 engineers graduating each year.

Madrid houses some of the most important international companies in the sector, including EADS, Airbus SP, Eurcopter, EADS Astrium CRISA, Thales, Alcatel-Alenia Space, Indra, Aernnova, ITP and Iberia Mantenimiento, and has a significant representation of recognized R&D centers such as Boeing R&T Europe, INTA, ESA, NASA and FIDAMC.

Health Sciences

Spain is the fifth most important market in Europe in turnover and job creation for the pharmaceutical industry. There are 400 companies in the Community of Madrid, which generate 24,000 direct jobs in the pharmaceutical, biomedical and medical equipment industries. The number of biotechnology companies in Madrid constitutes 26% of the total number of biotech companies in Spain, and their turnover represents 63% of Spain’s total.

Madrid constitutes a health cluster which offers:

• A high concentration of companies specializing in the search for new medications for cancer, Alzheimer’s, infectious diseases, cardio-vascular diseases, Parkinson’s and allergies, clinical and molecular diagnostics, cell treatments, genetic sequencing, pharmacogenomics, toxicology, nanobiotechnology, production of extra-cellular transcription agents, molecular purification, animal models and biocomputing, among others.
• Availability of qualified professionals. 600 new doctors in health sciences-related specialties graduate each year. 5,000 researchers work in universities and public research centers and contribute to 31% of Spain’s total number of scientific publications in biomedicine.
• An infrastructure which promotes R&D activities and transfer to the industrial sector: universities and excellent biomedicine research centers; science parks which provide physical access and business and technological development services for innovative companies; hospitals; technological platforms; and the regional technology transfer network (madri+d).

Madrid is home to the majority of international companies, including Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck Serono, Novartis, Abbott Laboratories, Roche, Wyeth, Genzyme and Schwarz Pharma. In addition to production centers, companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Sanofi Aventis, Janssen Cilag and Lilly have set up their excellent research centers in Madrid.