Agricultural R&D multinational KWS makes a definitive commitment to Gran Canaria with its second seed research centre in Spain
German multinational KWS SAAT has been growing a range of vegetable species for temperate climates for more than 160 years now. Today, it is one of the world’s leading seed producers and is present in more than 70 countries with nearly 4,700 employees.
The commitment by KWS to Gran Canaria through its division KWS Semillas Ibérica consists of the creation of a corn seed research centre with a development horizon in various phases culminating in 2022. This will involve occupation of 9 hectares of land, a major direct investment of various millions of euros and the creation of 10 qualified jobs and around 60 part-time jobs.
The KWS research centre in Gran Canaria will be the company’s third facility in Spain. Arguments in favour of Gran Canaria’s selection include its major environmental and ecological attractions, its capability of generating business opportunities and the optimum conditions for business dealings, particularly in the field of agricultural R&D.
Thanks to the soft landing advice and support by the Agency for the Economic Development of Gran Canaria (SPEGC), the south-east region of Gran Canaria and more specifically the municipality of Agüimes was preferred above other potential locations in the Canary Islands and Andalusia.
This project will also help to foster agricultural business networks and professionalisation in the Canary Islands, favouring labour market integration for qualified staff in the sector (agricultural engineers and technicians).
This landmark project is directly linked with the strategy of the Government of Gran Canaria of recuperating cropland and other land devoted to agricultural production and research activities, with a special emphasis on agricultural development and R&D on the island.
Bbooster Week begins: €100,000 for start-ups
Bbooster Week, an event sponsored by the SPEGC, has now begun. From today until 9 May, the CDTIC will be hosting a week of activities promoted by Bbooster Ventures together with Sodecan to foster the entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem of Gran Canaria.
During Bbooster Week, an investment of €100,000 will be made via a convertible loan in one or various of the start-ups registered for the event. This will streamline the cash-in process and ensure traction a matter of days after selection of the target company. The loan will be capitalised when the investment round is closed and the rest of the investors assume shares in the company.
During the days of the event, Bbooster Ventures will also be organising 1:1 meetings between the start-ups invited and national and international investors. Meetings will also be held with the different members of the Bbooster team to discuss specific matters such as business areas, finance, marketing, technology, etc.
The event is intended for technological start-ups with a net monthly turnover of between €5,000 and €20,000 and major growth potential. These criteria will be adapted to each particular case, according to the business model applied and the assessment of the start-up’s potential by the Bbooster ventures team.
Best in Gran Canaria outlines the advantages of choosing Gran Canaria as a base during the Mid Atlantic Ship Repair & Supply Summit
Best in Gran Canaria was present at the Mid Atlantic Ship Repair & Supply Summit, which is attended by more than 300 representatives of European, American and African port authorities, to highlight the tax and other benefits that make Gran Canaria the ideal destination for companies and projects relating to the port industry.
Gran Canaria and La Luz Port have a very advantageous ecosystem for both large companies and start-ups in industrial and technological sectors with applications for the maritime and ship repair industry, with an increasing focus on the offshore market.
In addition, the Port of Las Palmas has for decades now been a hub for both the Atlantic region and Africa. Unlike other Spanish ports which focus more on container traffic or passenger transport, La Luz Port is unique in that it offers a complete portfolio of services and is a leader in various categories (supplies, repairs) as well as occupying relevant rankings in practically all the remaining categories of port services.
In addition, it is the only base port for oil & gas operations from Scotland through to South Africa due to its strategic location in the eastern vertex of the Deepwater Golden Triangle (Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil).
In this respect, an international conference such as the Mid Atlantic Ship Repair & Supply Summit which constitutes a forum for the experts of the world port industry to discuss the present and future of the sector is an unparalleled opportunity to showcase the capabilities and experience of companies directly or indirectly linked with the island’s ports, particularly La Luz Port, thereby attracting companies potentially interested in using our infrastructure in the Atlantic region and Africa.
That is why Best in Gran Canaria participates at this event, attended by leading national and international companies in key areas of this sector such as repairs and supplies, with the clear aim of boosting B2B meetings and networking to foster joint business opportunities.
The multinational technology company Atos is coming to Gran Canaria and will create 180 jobs
The international high tech company, Atos, will create 180 jobs to provide services to customers such as Disney and Siemens out of the new Global Service Centre it is setting up in Gran Canaria. The arrival of this firm in Gran Canaria brings enormous benefit not just because of the jobs it will create but because of the economic impact expected, amounting to 27 million Euros over five years.
This centre, located in the Gran Canaria Technology Park, specifically at the facilities of the Corporation for the Economic Development of Gran Canaria, SPEGC, is a centre of excellence with a marked innovative approach where Atos will provide services mainly to Europe and America and Africa in the future. The major lines of service will be aimed at subcontracting IT support and system integration and software development. For this purpose, Atos expects to train 180 graduates in technology and in languages, and also students in the technology modules of vocational training with the purpose of hiring them in three stages of 60 employees each.
The establishment of this firm in the island will not just provide a professional opportunity for talent from Gran Canaria, but will also make it possible to delve into the economic diversification to which the Gran Canaria Island Council, the Cabildo, is committed.
With European capital, mainly from France, Atos works with over 70 countries through its alliances with major groups such as Siemens, Oracle and Microsoft. It has been operating in the islands since the late 90s as a consultancy firm for both Canary capitals to provide services to the public sector and around 100 multinationals, and is therefore now making the leap with the establishment of this important technology centre for three continents.
The SPEGC collaborates with the Archipelago Challenge and will select a digital disruptive project to receive investment
The Corporation for the Economic Development of Gran Canaria, SPEGC, will collaborate this Friday with the Archipelago Challenge initiative, an open call to select digital disruptive projects that will provide global solutions for large scale markets.
The call was launched by Archipelago Next, a 100% Canary investment fund specifically devoted to digital businesses, which is intended as a co-investment tool for businesses within this industry that are in the growth stage.
The fund is driven by Canary business groups which are leading their respective fields and which provide all those participating in it with access to expert business knowledge in the fields of travel and tourism, food and retail, aircraft maintenance, ports and logistics, energy, the automotive industry and mobility and cybersecurity.
After taking part in meetings with the eight businesses chosen in this call, to inform them of the benefits of setting up business in Gran Canaria and the fiscal advantages the island offers, the SPEGC will also participate this Friday during a day when the eight finalists are to be revealed, from among whom just one winner will be selected.
Before the winner is announced, three talks will be given, by Inbal Orpaz, founder of We Work Israel, José Pacheco, digital business expert at The Valley, and Concepción Galdón, Innovation expert at the Business Institute, and there will be a round table moderated by the director of Archipelago Next, Miguel Quintanilla, in which the managing director of the SPEGC, Cosme García, director of Wayra España, Andrés Saborido, and Project Manager at Lanzadera, Víctor Rahona, will take part.
A 100% Canary investment fund
The Archipelago Challenge selects the projects in which Archipelago Next invests, searching mainly for digital disruptive projects with drive that provide global solutions for large scale markets that have a dedicated team, with talent and an international focus.
The fund invests in these projects as convertible loans, and offers these businesses access to expert business knowledge from the partners as well as a link to other funds for the following rounds and the possibility of relocating to Gran Canaria, a low taxation location with one of the world's best climates.
Following a period of receipt of investment proposals, Archipelago Next will analyse the projects submitted and will preselect 20 of them, out of which eight will go through to the third and last stage. The Archipelago Next Investment Committee will select, this coming Friday, the winner of this call from these eight finalists.
Get to know the tax advantages to establish yourself in Gran Canaria
The Economic Promotion Society of Gran Canaria has prepared a report on the tax regime and the advantages in this area that entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs will find in Gran Canaria. The document, prepared both in Spanish and in English under the umbrella of the Best in Gran Canaria initiative, aims to be a support to companies and entrepreneurs who are studying the possibility of settling professionally on the island.
The report 'Tax system and advantages in Gran Canaria' explains in detail the Tax Regime of the companies that operate in Gran Canaria and, within it, the specificities for the resident entities, the Corporate Income Tax and the retentions in the Canary Islands. It also pays special attention to the Canary Islands Special Zone (ZEC) tax regime, as well as to other types of taxes such as the Canary Islands General Indirect Tax (IGIC), customs duties (AIEM) and the Duty Free Zone.
The document also offers a wide explanation about the special taxes existing in the Canary Islands, given its status as a European customs territory, although not from the territory of
application of VAT. Thus, the report delves into the application of the Business and profesional activities Tax, as well as the Transfer Tax and the Stamp duty.
On the other hand, the document dedicates a chapter to the taxation of individual persons who move their fiscal residence to Spain, and another to Social Security, since all employers, employees and self-employed, etc. who work in Gran Canaria must be registered in the Spanish Social Security system.
The French studio Amuse opens in Gran Canaria the animation studio Birdland, which expects to generate 50 new jobs
The president of the Gran Canaria Island Council (Cabildo), Antonio Morales, and the president of the French Animation Studio Amuse, Arthur Lener, announced today the opening of a new animation studio named Birdland in Gran Canaria. Birdland expects to generate 50 new jobs in the next months, since it will be the main center of production of Amuse.
Birdland will execute the whole production chain from Gran Canaria and because of that it is searching designers, scriptwriters, artists of sound, translators, voice actors and other professionals. Lener hopes to start soon a new course for having the possibility to have the talent of Gran Canaria working in the new studio and making a good team of Gran Canaria workers.
Since its creation, Amuse has become a leader in producing and distributing kids’ content for the digital space and has contents in almost one hundred digital channels that count with more than 400 million visits in a month.
Going one step further, Amuse now decides to settle in Gran Canaria because “Gran Canaria is the best place in Europe” for setting up due to its tax and investment advantages and because it offers a privileged environment for business and a great climate.
The SPEGC publishes a support guide for remote workers and digital nomads looking to establish themselves in Gran Canaria
The SPEGC, through Best in Gran Canaria, has published a new support guide for remote workers and digital nomads looking to establish themselves on the island.
This guide published in English and in wiki format provides information for professionals looking to start up a professional activity in Gran Canaria, clarifying issues such as how to go about applying for a residence permit, how to look for accommodation, banks with experience dealing with expats, etc.
The guide also offers information for the constitution of companies on the island, including basic information on taxes and tax rebates, work spaces and agencies such as the SPEGC which facilitate the establishment process in Gran Canaria.
Professionals wishing to live on the island with their family will also find useful information such as a list of foreign schools and information on health care.
The guide is available here.
Remote workers have known the advantages of working and living in Gran Canaria
The initiative Best in Gran Canaria has participated in the third workshop of ‘Nomad City Gran Canaria’ to introduce the advantages of working and living in Gran Canaria to remote workers.
Gran Canaria has been introduced as the ideal place to thrive due to its tax and investment advantages and because it offers a privileged environment for business, owing to the great links with its port and airport, the safety of the destination, all the services on offer, whether to do with health or education, its great city and the world’s best climate. In short, it is the ideal place to work and live, an advantageous combination scarce to come by in this world.
Nomad City seeks to turn Gran Canaria into a leading work centre both nationally and internationally for teleworkers and has represented a fantastic opportunity to promote the island to the remote workers.
Atos Consulting Canarias S.A.U. moves to the Gran Canaria Technology Park and expects to generate 150 qualified jobs
Atos is a European leader in digital services. Serving a global client base, the Group provides Consulting & Systems Integration services, Managed Services & BPO, Cloud operations, Big Data & Cyber-security solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payments and transactional services industry.
Atos will offer from Gran Canaria two different types of services, the first is called IDM, outsourcing of technical support, and the second is BPS, based on systems and software development integration. Atos will also create a Global Services Centre for providing services to potential customers.
Atos Consulting Canarias S.A.U. is expected to generate 150 qualified jobs in Gran Canaria.