-The city has established itself as a benchmark for promoting entrepreneurship and technological development thanks to an ambitious strategy led by Las Rozas Innova.
-This year, the city has achieved top positions in national and international rankings.
– Its Startups and Innovation Centre, Las Rozas Innova Hub, is recognized for its support of entrepreneurs, promotion and connection within the technological ecosystem, and attraction of investment.
-The Energy Efficiency City Plan, sustainable mobility projects and initiatives to put technology at the service of people are pioneers in Spain.
-The city, which presides the Spanish Network of Smart Cities (RECI), is the headquarters of the IoT Madrid Cluster and is participating in 11 European R+D projects.
2024, October 31st.- The city of Las Rozas has positioned itself on the national and even international map of cities that are committed to innovation and talent. With the help of Las Rozas Innova, a Public Company for Innovation and Technological Development, the City Council, led by José de la Uz, has launched a strategy that has transformed Las Rozas into a strategic hub for attracting companies and talent and an innovation space for the development and demonstration of the most cutting-edge technologies. Because of this Las Rozas is participating in international R+D projects and driving a powerful business and entrepreneurial ecosystem involved in its city challenges and its growth as a city of opportunities.
«The combination of innovation and talent is driving force behind the success of all large companies. Our goal has been to apply this approach to the Public Administration, seeking innovative solutions to improve the city and its services by collaborating with top talent», says José de la Uz, mayor of Las Rozas and president of Las Rozas Innova.
Through an innovation strategy that has placed it among the most modern cities in Spain in record time, Las Rozas has preserved its hallmarks of quality of life: sports, family, and the environment.
Leading national and international rankings
Hand in hand with its powerful business and startup ecosystem, made up of more than 11,200 companies (source INE), this year alone, Las Rozas has positioned itself at the top of the major national and international rankings: It is the city in which technological employment has grown the most in the last decade, 94.3% (COTEC Foundation). It is the second city, only behind Madrid, in number of startups (Startup Radar Madrid+d), it is 11th in Spain in number of technology companies (Startup Ecosystem), it is one of the «five Spanish capitals» of gazelle or fast-growing companies (COTEC Foundation), it has entered the Top21 of the World’s Smartest Cities (Intelligent Community Forum), and in the last 5 years the number of companies that pay IAE taxes has increased by 11.12% (net turnover of more than 1 million euros). Las Rozas has already earned numerous, recognitions such as the Digitalization in Public Administration Award and the Internationalization of Startups Award of the Community of Madrid or the Best Initiative Award for the Labor Insertion of People with Asperger’s ASD for the use of Virtual Reality to improve the social skills of this group.
Three major areas of action
The innovation and talent strategy that has accelerated the take-off of Las Rozas as a space to invest, undertake, work and live, is based on two major management areas: Technological Innovation (smart cities) and Business and Entrepreneurial Development.
In the field of entrepreneurship, one of the keys to Las Rozas’ success, as a catalyst for startups, is the creation of the Las Rozas Innova Hub. In less than three years, it has become a benchmark space for entrepreneurs from all over the Madrid Region. It currently hosts nearly 50 startups and companies providing
them with a shared workspace and support services, including direct access to investors, technological talent, and the Local Administration, with which it has already collaborated to use the city as a testing ground for products and technologies or to address municipal needs. The Hub offers training programs, mentoring, investment forums, a public aid office and programs and events designed to strengthen the connection between the business ecosystem, academia and the research field, increasing the competitiveness of the ecosystem and local talent.
In the field of technological innovation, Las Rozas Innova has launched this year the second phase of the Energy Efficiency Plan thanks to which a total of 30 public buildings in the city will have self-consumption panels to generate clean energy and save on municipal bills. This plan also includes the installation of state-of-the-art photovoltaic panels (curved and trigeneration), not yet present on the market, acquired through Public Procurement of Innovation. To promote sustainable mobility, Las Rozas has created a Municipal Network of Charging Points, with 41 plugs, and a Multimodal Mobility Area, which will begin operating at the beginning of 2025.
In addition, Las Rozas Innova has launched pioneering solutions throughout Spain such as aid for carpooling or carsharing, attracting companies such as Wible and Zity, which until now did not operate in the city, initiatives that other municipalities, such as Boadilla del Monte, are replicating, thus contributing to the connection of the entire Northwest of the community of Madrid and promoting Madrid Oeste Tecnológico, a platform led by Las Rozas created to connect and promote the west as an environment open to innovation.
Las Rozas on the International stage
An example of this capacity for connection and development of innovative projects in the city is that Las Rozas is already participating, in 2024, in twelve European R+D projects, hand in hand with the Office of Projects and Public Fundraising. Twelve projects in which the city is working with more than 100 European cities, with companies that develop innovation and with research
centres from all over Europe, positioning itself on the international map as an innovative city, capable of putting technology to the service of people with projects in which, in addition, it has involved entrepreneurial sector and the third sector to serve different social groups. This same department of Las Rozas Innova is also in charge of managing the application for public aid, managing to attract more than 22 million euros of funds and public aid that are allocated to municipal projects to improve the city and its services.
Las Rozas networks
Las Rozas has managed this year to collaborate and even lead knowledge networks, such as the Spanish Network of Smart Cities (RECI), chaired by Mayor José de la Uz, and which brings together almost 150 municipalities that account for more than half of the country’s population; and establishing international collaboration agreements with organizations such as the Taipei Computer Association (TCA), recognized as one of the main groups of technology companies in Taiwan. It is also the headquarters of the IoT Cluster of Madrid Region, with which it collaborates in the internationalization of companies and entrepreneurs and in initiatives to attract international investment in the city.
As a result of all these advances, Las Rozas is today a city full of opportunities in which its commitment to innovation and talent are, together with its quality of life, its best attractions to come and invest, start a business and live.
