Basque Country Technology Park marks 40 years with expansion plans and European collaboration initiative

As the Basque Country Technology Park celebrates the 40th anniversary of its Zamudio/Derio Campus, it continues to look towards the future through ambitious expansion plans and initiatives that strengthen international collaboration.

One recent example was ‘K·Business Connecting European TechParks (CET)’, an international business initiative designed to generate new collaboration opportunities among companies from some of Europe's science and technology parks. Organised by the Basque Country Technology Park in collaboration with IASP and together with four fellow IASP members - Málaga TechPark (Spain), Linköping Science Park (Sweden), Wista-Management Berlin Adlershof (Germany), and NOI Techpark (Italy) - the initiative brought together 69 participants from 64 organisations to promote partnership opportunities across the continent.

The programme connected five lead companies (Sener, Actia, Swobbee, Lynka, and HBI), one from each participating parks, enabling them to identify collaboration opportunities in strategic areas of industry and technology. In total, 26 organisations requested bilateral meetings, resulting in 22 B2B meetings.

The success of this event adds further cause for celebration in what already is a landmark year for the park.

From its origins, the Basque Country Technology Park has grown into a network of six specialised campuses that are home to 692 companies and more than 24,000 highly skilled workers. Over four decades, it has played a decisive role in the industrial, technological and economic transformation of the region, establishing itself as a principal driver of research and development, knowledge transfer and industrial competitiveness in the Basque Country.

As the Zamudio/Derio Campus marks the 40th anniversary of its founding in 1985, the organisation has announced a significant expansion with the incorporation of the Mantuliz site, a 1.2 million m² area that will double the campus’ current capacity. The expansion responds to high occupancy levels and growing demand from strategic business projects, with the first companies expected to begin operations at the new site in 2030.

Expansion plans are also under way across other campuses, including Bilbao, Donostia, Vitoria-Gasteiz and a planned new campus in Hernani, reflecting the park's long-term commitment to creating spaces where companies, universities, technology centres and innovation stakeholders can collaborate on solutions with global impact.

Together, the anniversary milestone, the expansion plans and the K·Business initiative reflect the dual ambition that has defined the Basque Country Technology Park across four decades: to continue investing in excellence at home, while strengthening the international partnerships that connect local talent to global opportunities.