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| Newsletter 8 November 2003 Download Archive |
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| NEWS & EVENTS | |
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| Introduction to Madrid The Community of Madrid occupies a 7.995km2 area, which represents 1.58% of the total area of Spain. It is one of the most densely populated regions in the European Union, with a population of 5.022.289 in 1996 and an average density of 623.6 inhabitants per km2. In its large territory Madrid has several areas, amongst those: · The capital of the State. The city of Madrid is the bureaucratic and administrative centre of the nation with all the advantages and difficulties that it entails. It is also the centre of service activities in the region. · The Community is characterised by a large metropolitan area, that surrounds the Capital of Madrid, targeted predominantly at the industrial and service activities, with an important economic and demographic weight in the national and European context. · Finally, there is the region of Lozoya-Somosierra, situated in the far north of the region, which is a predominantly rural area, mostly uninhabited and with less services and productive development infrastructures. The Region of Madrid contains varied concentrated advantages that attracts the population and entrepreneurial activities: The geographic location, strengthened by its central position in the radial network of roads and railways, and the existence of a modern telecommunications network, are relevant factors which contribute to making the region of Madrid one of the most important Spanish consumer markets as well as one of its principal centres of production. With regard to the production structure, Madrid is similar to the other developed regions of the European Union. In the 1990s more than half of all Spanish companies dedicating themselves to the production of advanced services were located in Madrid. The fact that the Community of Madrid is an urban metropolis situated on a reduced territory determines an economic structure that, in its more typical features, is defined by: · A reduced presence of agricultural activities (the smallest in Spain). · An industrial sector whose importance in the national context makes Madrid the second industrial centre of Spain after Catalonia. · A high level of services, only exceeded by the island regions in which the tourism predominates, which represents 18.3% of the national production of the sector in 1996. · A high proportion of SMEs in each and every one of the production sectors that makes up more than 96% of the total number of companies in the region Innovation within the “region” "Science in Madrid is one activitiy that has been a constant historic factor. Before there were industries or museums, centuries before democracy was the commonly admitted political system, there were already scientists. Even more, its list is impressive, because Madrid was one of the few European centres of development of scientific excellence. The "Court" of Madrid (16th to 17th century) was an open space for science and there was a multitude of scientists from Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands that found accommodation in its institutions". Extract from speech given at the Presentation of the Publication "Madrid, Science and Court" by the Minister of Education of the "Comunidad de Madrid"  Nowadays the "Comunidad de Madrid" is one of the principal dissemination centres of research and development in Spain, offering a favourable environment to technological progress, both in the technological and production areas and in the scientific and university areas. The region has eleven universities, forty-two public research centres, as well as public and private organisations dedicated to innovation and science. It also has the largest number of science and technological parks in Spain and more than 28% of public researchers and 43% of private ones carry out their work in the Region of Madrid. Human resources are a very significant development factor, more than 50% of the labour market, is qualified (secondary and technical studies or higher education). Madrid accumulates 60% of the public Sector expenditure, 40% of the total financial resources in RTD, 34.3% of RTD expenditure in companies, 49.1% of the personnel of RTD out of the national total and 27.7% of national scientific production. RTD expenditure in Madrid represents 2.13% of the GDP of the Autonomous Community, which places it above the European average of 1.97% making this region the second most innovative in Europe. The distinguishing feature of the Community of Madrid's potential for innovation is provided by the important role played by the public and business sectors located in the "Comunidad de Madrid". |
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