The Government Presents the National Plan for Innovation and Diversification

Government announces innovation investment to rise from 1.4% to 7–8% over the next 10 years, aiming to attract and generate high value-added activity

 

The Government of Andorra, in collaboration with Andorra Business and Andorra Research and Innovation, has presented the National Plan for Innovation and Diversification on Friday, October 10th, before the Legislative Committee on Economy of the General Council. The Executive has committed to gradually increasing public investment in this area — from the 1.4% projected for 2026 to 7–8% of the national budget — with the goal of promoting a new economic model based on competitiveness, research, and technology.

The Plan is based on the National Strategy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2021–2030, which was developed with input from over 40 public and private stakeholders. The presentation was led by the Minister of the Presidency, Economy, Business and Housing, Conxita Marsol, who emphasized that “innovation is not an expense, it is an investment: the worst thing we could do is to stand still in a time of accelerated global transformation”. She also underlined that “Andorra can act more swiftly than other countries to establish itself as an ecosystem of technological and socio-economic innovation”.

Marsol was accompanied in her presentation by the Secretary of State for Business, Economic Diversification and Innovation, Marc Saura, and ESADE professor and expert in technological strategy and innovation, Xavier Ferràs.

According to Saura, investment between 2026 and 2036 will be progressive and sustained, reaching 7–8% of the Government’s budget, with the goal of turning Andorra into “a global R&D cluster, with innovation levels comparable to those of the Nordic countries, Switzerland, Singapore, or South Korea”. The Plan will be implemented in collaboration with the private sector and academia.

Among the key projects included in the Plan is the Andorran Centre for Advanced Technologies and Solutions (CATSA), which will transform the former industrial site of the Andorran Tobacco Cooperative into a hub for research and innovation, featuring R&D&I laboratories, startup spaces, and university facilities.

The presentation also highlighted the innovation and entrepreneurship activities already underway in the country, such as workshops, educational programs, bootcamps, and acceleration programs. Other notable initiatives include the Andorra Business Market and the Andorra Living Lab, a unique, country-scale innovation laboratory, currently hosting over 15 active pilot projects.

The scientific leadership of the Plan has been entrusted to Professor Xavier Ferràs, who stated: “The countries that lead in innovation are the ones setting the rules of the game. Andorra has the talent, scale, and vision to position itself as an international laboratory for high-level innovation. The time to act is now”.

Finally, Minister Marsol called for broad political and social consensus to make this shared vision a reality: “This Plan is not just a government initiative, it is a call for the entire country’s commitment. What the present and the future demand of us is not to wait for someone else to do it”.