Idom and Mondragon will invest 50 and 20 million euros respectively to establish themselves on the island of Zorrotzaurre in Bilbao.

The Bilbao Campus of the Basque Country Technology Park has begun with the laying of the first stone of its first building, located at the Punta Norte of Zorrotzaurre. This campus will house Idom, with an estimated investment of around 50 million euros, as well as Mondragon Corporation, already present on the island of Bilbao with Mondragon Unibertsitea, and which is now planning the construction of two more buildings, in which it will invest 20 million euros, for Ikerlan and Vicomtech.

The Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, the Deputy General of Bizkaia, Elixabete Etxanobe, and the Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, along with the Minister of Industry, Mikel Jauregi, were responsible for laying the foundation stone of this building, owned by the Basque Country Technology Park.

The launch of the Zorrotzaurre project will add to the six active campuses in Zamudio/Derio, Vitoria-Gasteiz, San Sebastián/Donostia, Leioa, Hernani, and Abanto, and "consolidates the Basque Country Technology Park's commitment to its multi-campus model."

This first building, located in the former Tarabusi pavilion, which was dedicated to the manufacture of cylinder liners and pistons for internal combustion engines, on Avenida de las Galleteras, will house the Technology Park's own facilities, as well as technologically advanced companies.

The building, which will maintain its original aesthetic, will be named after "Helena Matute," a professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Deusto, who was present at the event. A new building will be added to the west facade of this building, totaling 4,000 m2. Construction work is estimated to be completed in 24 months.

Specifically, this first project will allow for the addition of 46,000 m2 of commercial-use buildable land, distributed across four plots in Punta Norte. Two of the plots had pre-existing buildings, while the other two are vacant.

In addition to this first building, the Bilbao campus will house various business projects, and two of them were announced this Monday: Idom and Mondragon Corporation.

One of them will be "Idom Science Factory/Zientziola," located on the RZ-7 plot in Zorrotzaurre, a short distance from the company's headquarters. "These are two buildings that will work together," stated Idom President Luis Rodríguez.

With this project, Idom aims to boost its activity in the design and supply of complex engineering systems for Science and Technology, in fields such as Astronomy, Particle and Nuclear Physics, Space, and Renewable Energy, among others.

Luis Rodríguez indicated that the development of this activity requires the expansion of the facilities with the construction of new laboratories, an integration room, and clean rooms, which will house the new facility. Initially, he plans an estimated investment of around 50 million euros in the project, although figures are still being finalized and the construction period is three years. "It's about offering greater value to our clients, being at the forefront of technology," he added.

For its part, "Bilbao Bizkaia Digital Factory" is the Mondragon Corporation's initiative. The project, which represents an investment of over 20 million euros, will develop a hub for talent and high-value-added companies in digital technologies: artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, digital humanities, mechatronics, robotics, and smart energy systems, among others.

The president of Mondragon indicated that, with this project, they are making "a very exciting strategic commitment to the future" in Bilbao and will "converge knowledge, technology, talent, and business," key ingredients for the competitiveness of the economy. "This demonstrates that together we can aspire to much more ambitious projects. We are combining capabilities to multiply results," he added.

Located on the RZ-10 plot, the new building complex reconstructs the old Consonni and Lancor buildings, creating two new volumes of 7,526 m2 and 4,281 m2, respectively.

The larger building will house Mondragon University and Ikerlan, while the smaller building, supported by the Basque Country Technology Park, will house Vicomtech, which aims to contribute to the development of Artificial Intelligence technologies.

In his speech, Lehendakari Imanol Pradales emphasized that Bilbao is an example of "a truly positive transformation," which has been possible because people and institutions, "with firm and difficult commitments, taking great risks, turned the city around."

The Lehendakari noted that something similar can be said about the commitment to technology parks in the Basque Country. "In a very difficult context, with unemployment rates hovering around 25%, there were people and institutions that decided to take a risk for a better future," he stated.

For Imanol Pradales, it was a matter of "survival" to regain "future competitiveness and well-being." "And the Basque institutions, despite many doubts, reluctance, and strong opposition from many, took a step forward," he added.

Pradales stated that this project represents both strategic objectives: the regeneration and transformation of Bilbao, and the expansion of the economic fabric through technology parks.

In his opinion, technology parks "are an essential pillar of the new Basque Country Industrial Plan." "If we want to remain an advanced, attractive, cohesive country with a quality of life, we need an innovative industry that generates opportunities, quality employment, and well-being; an industry that bases its competitiveness on advanced knowledge, a manufacturing culture—which is part of the country's DNA—sustainability, technological development, and value-added activities," he emphasized.

In his speech, he criticized this "darkness in the form of populism, denialism, and counter-scientific movements that combat the truth and also use new technologies and virtual space with the sole aim of reaffirming and imposing their own positions." Therefore, he called for "fighting it with all our strength, consolidating the Basque model: innovation and technological development."

For her part, the Deputy General of Bizkaia, Elixabete Etxanobe, stated that today the "foundations of a bold, technological, and profoundly human future for Bizkaia" are being laid. She noted that the Bilbao Campus is a "firm declaration of intent," that of a Bizkaia that "wants and will be a protagonist in the major technological, digital, and energy transitions that are transforming the world."

He recalled that when the Zamudio Technology Park was launched 40 years ago, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia was committed to innovation as a lever for economic development and social well-being, and he asserted that this new urban campus is the natural evolution of that commitment. He also maintained that this campus is a "focus for attracting talent" that reinforces the "Bizkaia with the Talent" strategy.

The mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto, who acknowledged that this project was "one of his dreams and commitments," noted that "this event represents a milestone in the development of Bilbao's future."

Aburto praised the "courage" of Idom and the Mondragón Corporation in taking the first step toward making "the dream of establishing companies on this Bilbao Campus" a reality. "They have opened the door to other business projects that will be coming in the near future," he added.