Investment in innovation will increase from 1% to 7–8% over 10 years, with the goal of attracting and creating high value-added activity and positioning Andorra as an international benchmark in this field.
The Government, with the participation of Andorra Business and Andorra Research and Innovation, presented the National Plan for Innovation and Diversification this Friday before the General Council’s Economic Affairs Committee. The executive has committed to progressively increasing public investment in this field—from 1% of the 2025 budget to 7–8%—to drive a new economic model based on competitiveness, research, and technology.
This Plan responds to the mandate approved by the General Council on June 19th, 2024, and is based on the National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Strategy 2021–2030, developed with the participation of more than 40 public and private stakeholders. This action plan has already activated initiatives in areas such as talent, financing, infrastructure, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The presentation was led by the Minister of the Presidency, Economy, Enterprise and Housing, Conxita Marsol, who stressed that “innovation is not an expense, it’s an investment: the worst thing we could do is stand still in a context of accelerated global transformation.” She also argued that “not moving forward is no longer neutral — it means falling behind,” and highlighted that “Andorra can act more agilely than other countries to consolidate itself as a technological and socio-economic innovation ecosystem.”
Marsol was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Enterprise, Economic Diversification and Innovation, Marc Saura, and Xavier Ferràs, professor at ESADE and expert in technological strategy and innovation.
According to Saura, the investment planned between 2026 and 2036 will be gradual and sustained, reaching 7–8% of the Government’s budget, with the aim of transforming 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 the academic world.
Among the projects included in the Plan, a key highlight is the Andorran Centre for Advanced Technologies and Solutions (CATSA), which will transform the former Andorran Tobacco Cooperative industrial space into a top-tier research and innovation hub, featuring R&D+i laboratories, startup spaces, university centers, and areas for corporations committed to innovation.
The presentation also highlighted the ongoing innovation and entrepreneurship activity already taking place in the country: workshops, educational programs, bootcamps, acceleration programs, and initiatives such as Andorra Business Market, Programa Enlaira, and Sports Scale-Up. It also emphasized competitive fiscal instruments such as the Patent Box, the scientific R&D ecosystem, the Andorra Living Lab—a nationwide innovation laboratory unique in the world—with over 15 active pilot projects, as well as investments in talent and skills development, with facilities like the CIM Digital, a training center for digital and technological skills.
Scientific leadership of the Plan has been entrusted to Professor Xavier Ferràs, who explained that “the countries leading in innovation are the ones setting the rules of the game. Andorra has the talent, the scale, and the vision to position itself as an international high-innovation laboratory. The time to act is now.”
Finally, Marsol called for political and social consensus to make this shared vision a reality: “This Plan is not just a government initiative — it’s a call for commitment from the entire country. What the present and the future demand from us is not to wait for someone else to act. We must believe that Andorra can not only adapt… but lead.”
Friday, October 10th, 2025
