The President of the Government opened today the new Business Incubator at the Santa Maria Business Development and Innovation Centre, an investment of about 2.2 million Euros "looking to the future of the island.” It already hosts 26 business projects from various branches of activity.
"This moment is about the future and renewal. It is about reinventing ourselves and seeking the strength that can lead us to build a better future for all those who live on the island of Santa Maria," said Vasco Cordeiro at the beginning of the Government's statutory visit to this island.
At the opening of this new business infrastructure, which recovered the old airport's General Workshops, the President of the Government stressed that this investment has managed to restore to the island's memory a space that greatly contributed to its development and, from that past, “a future with new values and renewed ambition.”
“The Santa Maria Business Development and Innovation Centre that we are opening today is firmly grounded on the island's history and memory to build from there new opportunities for economic development,” Vasco Cordeiro stressed, highlighting the “clear and significant adherence” of entrepreneurs to this project.
“This space already has 26 companies that have joined the challenge that was launched to them. Today, we signed 22 contracts, which is an excellent sign of the potential of this future-oriented space,” said the President of the Government, who received the keys to the building's main door from Hélder Pimentel, the former airport maintenance chief of the old workshops.
Among these 26 companies, nine are in the food industry, five are in the creative industry and 12 are related to the provision of services, such as information technology, tourism, events and construction.
In his speech, Vasco Cordeiro also stressed that several institutions have joined the challenge of establishing partnerships with this centre. In this context, he pointed out the examples of the Regional Centre for Handicrafts (CRAA), the Azores Aviation Training Centre - SATA, NAV - Portuguese Air Traffic Services, the Atlantic Network of Geodynamic Stations (RAEGE), the Association for the Enhancement and Promotion of Santa Maria Airport (LPAZ) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ponta Delgada (CCIPD).
The President of the Government also made a point of dedicating the now opened remodelling works and, above all, the future potential of this new infrastructure “to all those who worked in the old general workshops,” thus contributing to the economic and social development of Santa Maria.
The Business Incubator at the Santa Maria Business Development and Innovation Centre is divided into two areas, one for offices, services and training rooms, and the other for creative industries, featuring a fab lab and a digital manufacturing workshop.
The services offered by this new space also include the possibility of organising promotional events, fairs and exhibitions.