Global snapshot: how local government in Spain helps small businesses grow

President of the Committee of the Regions, Ramon Luis Valcárcel Siso, talks about how vouchers are boosting business in the region of Murcia

​In the Spanish region of Murcia, as with many other parts of the world, small businesses sometimes don't use new technologies on the market because they don't have the resources.

It's an issue we have tried to address through a pilot scheme launched last year where small businesses are given vouchers of up to €7,500, which they can use to buy services from providers. The services are financed partly by the regional government (which provides 75% of the costs) and the local company (which makes up the remaining 25%).

This scheme has been hard to set up because we needed to make it easy for businesses to apply for vouchers. This meant thinking about how to tailer grants for specific companies and make sure these vouchers were administered quickly. The benefits are that companies get the chance to use new technologies, which can boost regional industries. Businesses can be helped with all sorts of things, including building a digital presence.

Our scheme is similar to the Creative Credits initiative in Manchester. Firms in the area were awarded £4,000 worth of investment for their own £1,000 to help them develop ideas. It would be great to hear from other councils about how they are helping small businesses in their area.

Fact box on the Spanish Region of Murcia

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  1,476,814 habitants
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  Coastline: 274 km / 170 miles
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  Average temperature: 19ºC
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  300 sunny days per year
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  65 industrial parks
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  9 technology centres
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  2 science- technology parks
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  2 European business and innovation centres

To find out more about this project contact the Instituto de Fomento de la Región de Murcia at innovacion@info.carm.es

Original source: The Guardian