IGAPE - Investment Support Services for Regional and International Development

The Instituto Galego De Promocion Economics (IGAPE) is Galicia, Spain’s development agency and depends on the Regional Ministry of Economy and Industry of the Xunta de Galicia, the regional government.

As a public body with its own legal and patrimonial status, the IGAPE's main objectives include supporting the creation of new enterprises, promoting improvements in productivity and competitiveness amongst businesses already established in the autonomous region, attracting foreign investment, and encouraging the internationalisation of the productive fabric.

Financial support for small-scale and large-scale investments

As Galicia’s regional development agency, the IGAPE is responsible for managing and processing the vast majority of funding for investment available in the Spanish region. This allows the IGAPE to provide different lines of support for both small-scale investments and large-scale investments for large companies from Galicia, Spain, as well as other countries.

This funding includes loans at reduced interest rates, and even zero interest rates for specific areas, non-refundable grants and participation via shareholdings and/or participative loans through the public risk capital company, Xesgalicia.

Galicia is considered by the EU as a convergence objective region, which allows IGAPE to support industrial investments made in Galicia for up to 30% of the subsidisable investment.

Public resources management and project support

The IGAPE acts in a proactive manner, using technologies such as digital signatures to streamline and simplify administrative procedures, and supports cooperative actions and collective projects led by business associations, in order to bring about a multiplying effect in the management of public resources.

In order to provide users with access to its services and funding, the IGAPE has territorial offices in the seven main Galician cities. At the same time, in order to promote the internationalisation of Galician SMEs and capture foreign investment, it has business promotion centres in Germany, China, the US, Poland, and Japan.

Consultancy and support services for new investment projects

The IGAPE facilitates the decision-making process for entrepreneurs outside of Galicia, and accompanies the promoters of investment initiatives throughout the whole process by providing support services for setting up new projects that represent the initial implantation of the enterprise in the autonomous region. This includes:

• Providing information and consultancy services for the processes required for the implantation of the project
• Studies required to support the implantation of the project
• Helping to find suitable locations
• Processing authorisations or permits required by public bodies for starting up
• Providing support to establish contacts with other companies connected with their activity