Murcia Leads Spain in Business R&D Investment Growth in 2024 with Historic Surge
Murcia's business sector led Spain with a 17.7% increase in R&D investment in 2024, setting a historic record and highlighting effective regional innovation policies.
- • Murcia's business R&D investment rose 17.7% in 2024, beating Spain's 5.7% average growth.
- • Total R&D investment in Murcia reached €468.4 million, a 9.9% increase over 2023.
- • Companies invested €243.4 million in R&D, representing 52% of Murcia's total R&D funding.
- • Since 2014, Murcia's R&D investment has grown at 6.9% annually, exceeding the national average.
Key details
The Region of Murcia has emerged as a national leader in business investment in research and development (R&D) in 2024, registering a remarkable 17.7% increase, significantly outpacing the Spanish national average growth of 5.7%. Total R&D investment in Murcia reached a record €468.4 million, marking a 9.9% rise compared to 2023 figures. This surge positions Murcia as the fourth autonomous community in Spain for year-on-year R&D growth, accounting for 2% of the country's total R&D expenditure.
Companies in Murcia drove much of this growth, investing €243.4 million in R&D during 2024—up from €206.7 million the previous year. This makes Murcia the second community with the largest business sector growth in this area, with corporate investment now representing 52% of total regional R&D funding, surpassing contributions from public administration and universities.
According to Marisa López Aragón, the regional Minister of Business, Employment and Social Economy, this progress is the result of consistent regional government efforts to foster an innovation-friendly environment. She emphasized that public policies developed in close collaboration with businesses have been crucial in encouraging private investment, reducing risks, and facilitating the translation of knowledge into economic growth and high-quality jobs.
Murcia's positive trend in R&D investment is not new. Since 2014, the region has experienced an average annual growth rate of 6.9%, significantly above the national average of 5.8%, making it the third region in Spain with the most sustained increase over the medium to long term. Over the last decade, Murcia has nearly doubled its R&D investment, growing 14 percentage points faster than the Spanish average.
López Aragón highlighted that these achievements reflect the effectiveness of supportive public administration and reaffirmed the government's commitment to further strengthen innovation policies to enhance growth and stable, skilled employment in Murcia.
This article was translated and synthesized from Spanish sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
