The location of the Spanish technological centers

Abstract

The Technological Centers have been created with the aim of being a supplier of different R&D’s activities and services for those enterprises with a lack of material and financial resources to develop by themselves an innovation process. In most cases, these enterprises are SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) placed in the area of influence of each Technological Center. Usually, these Technological Centers are located in strategic areas with specific characteristics like to be closed to the SME’s (one of the valued highly characteristics by them), a good access to qualified staff and the existence of a good innovation environment. So, this situation has promoted that many decisions about the creation of the Technological Centers have depended on the distance between these and the SME’s-clients. The purpose of this work will be the study about where are established the Spanish Technological Centers and it will be analysed if the metropolitan areas have been a key factor in their creation. First, we will analyse the spatial distribution of the possible SME’s clients of the Technological Centers (the Spanish industry). We also study how the Technological Centers are integrated in the national and regional government Technological Policy.