The Agency for the Transformation and Development of Andalusia (Andalucía TRADE), dependent on the Junta de Andalucía, approved its statutes on March 21, 2023, with the aim of becoming a key instrument for business promotion in the community. Considered the largest business agency in Spain, it foresees mobilizing throughout 2026 a total of 415 million euros through direct incentives and repayable financing aimed at industrial development, R&D&i, internationalization, and access to alternative financing markets.
In its three years of activity, Andalucía TRADE has consolidated a hybrid model that combines direct aid with reimbursable financial instruments. This system not only expands the profile of beneficiaries and projects, but also contributes to boosting alternative financing and venture capital. Furthermore, it integrates own funds, European (FEDER) and private funds, configuring itself as an example of public-private collaboration.
The Minister of Economy and spokesperson for the Andalusian Government, Carolina España, highlights that since the activation of the first lines of incentives in July 2024, “Andalucía TRADE has supported the implementation of 448 business projects, which translates into an investment of 254.91 million euros with an approved public incentive of 112.49 million”. In this regard, she underlines that in little more than a year and a half, nearly 50% of the budget foreseen for the 2024-2027 period has been committed, associated with more than half of the estimated business investment for these programs.
This collaboration model has the participation of the Andalusian business fabric, represented in the Governing Council through the Confederation of Businessmen of Andalusia (CEA) and the Andalusian Council of Chambers of Commerce.
One of the pillars of the system is its co-financing capacity. The agency supports business investment at a percentage close to 50% —47.26%—, which represents an increase of 9.5 points compared to previous calls. This implies that, in practice, for every euro of private investment, one public euro is contributed.
Looking ahead to 2026, measures stand out such as the 62% increase in funds allocated to venture capital, the inclusion for the first time of projects from non-SME companies in self-financed programs, and the strengthening of competitive aid in R&D&i, which will constitute the largest public offer of incentives co-financed with FEDER in Andalusia.
In terms of internationalization, “Andalucía TRADE understands foreign trade and investment attraction as two sides of the same coin”, points out España. The new model will have a budget of 63 million euros until 2027 and includes promotion, training, and advisory actions. Since its creation, the agency has organized more than 3,000 activities, with more than 15,000 business participations. In 2025 alone, 2,300 companies used its services, which represents 40% of the region's regular exporters.
Market diversification is another priority, supported by the Andalucía TRADE International Network, present in 75 countries through 43 offices, as well as by specific plans adapted to the global situation, such as those linked to the tariff policy of the United States or to the EU–Mercosur agreement.
According to the counselor, “the Andalusian export sector has known how to respond to the new global landscape”, recalling that 2025 was the second best export year since 1995, with 40,433 million euros, placing Andalusia as the third community in foreign sales and the only one on the podium with a positive trade balance.
In the field of investment attraction, the ‘Invest in Andalucía’ program offers a comprehensive service to foreign investors, from promotion to project consolidation. To date, it has allowed for the capture of 67 initiatives with an investment exceeding 2.5 billion euros and the creation of more than 5,000 jobs. Spain highlights strategic projects such as those of the Swiss company Pilatus, the Chinese groups Zhenshi, Desay SV Automotive and Coronet, or that of the IMEC technology center, with more than 600 million in investment.
Since the beginning of its activity, Andalusia has registered the best period of foreign investment attraction since 1993, with 2,931 million euros until 2025. That year, furthermore, it marked a record with 1,364.14 million captured, 40.5% more than in 2024, in contrast with the fall of foreign investment at a national level.
The agency also promotes business growth through services oriented towards innovation, knowledge transfer, and business cooperation. Among them stand out initiatives such as the Midmarket Club or B2B meetings. In these three years, it has developed more than 14,400 actions in innovation, thousands of consultancies, and hundreds of technological reports and personalized plans.
In addition, it participates in national and European networks such as the ADR Forum, EURADA or the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN-Andalucía), which allows it to strengthen its international projection and adapt global strategies to the Andalusian productive fabric.
Finally, Andalucía TRADE has committed to improving its relationship with companies through greater administrative agility. “The certainty of deadlines, legal security and an accessibility like entrepreneurs had never had available before” have been key, according to España. In 2024, it launched a customer service that has managed more than 14,500 queries with an average response time of less than 48 hours, in addition to reinforcing its presence at major business events.
