Valencia's functional area has positioned itself as the third most innovative in Spain in the Cotec Local Innovation Index. This recognition, recently presented, highlights the capital's traction as the territory's center. The Councilor for Tourism, Innovation, and Investment Attraction, Paula Llobet, explained that this functional area concept encompasses the territory of economic and social influence, integrating areas such as Sagunto, Landete, Requena, Torrent, and Ayora, and exceeding two million inhabitants.
This improvement represents an ascent of two positions compared to 2022, when Valencia held fifth place. The city now ranks among the leading innovation territories, ahead of areas like Pamplona and Zaragoza. The area's score has increased from 7.46 to 8.35, surpassing the Spanish average and growing at a faster rate than the national average.
Paula Llobet emphasized that these results confirm Valencia has moved from discussing innovation to executing it with real impact, transforming investment into employment, talent, and opportunities. The Valencia Innovation Capital model demonstrates how innovation driven as public policy generates economic growth and citizen well-being.
The report describes Valencia as a "consolidated high-efficiency" region, meaning that the effort in innovation translates into tangible results. The functional area has significantly improved in both resources (inputs), moving from eighth to second place, and in results (outputs), rising from sixth to third.
In terms of axes, the evolution has been positive across investment, business fabric, research, and technological employment, reflecting an increasingly solid and balanced innovation ecosystem.
The consolidation of innovation as public policy, through Valencia Innovation Capital, has led to exceeding 200 million euros in startup investment, generating over 20,000 qualified jobs, and having nearly 1,700 active innovative companies in 2025.
The Valencia City Council has mobilized over 40 million euros in economic impact for innovation projects, with an average return of 3.8 euros for every public euro invested. The city has also attracted over 150 million euros in international investment in 2025, with the establishment of 25 new companies.
In parallel, Valencia integrates innovation into public management through initiatives such as the urban Sandbox, GovTech projects, and the development of the Urban Operating System based on data and artificial intelligence.
