Land has now been ceded for Alaior's technological centre

Twenty-seven architectural projects have been tendered for ideas for the design of the centre's construction, two of which are from Menorcan teams.

The land for the centre for information and communication technologies was officially handed over last Friday at a ceremony attended by the Director of Parc BIT (the Balearic Technological Innovation Park) in Mallorca, Vicenç Matas.

The agreement was signed in Alaior Town Hall in the presence of the Balearic Councillor for the Economy, Carles Manera, the President of the Island Council, Marc Pons, the Mayor of Alaior, Pau Morlà, the Island Councillor for Innovation, Susana Gomila, and the President of the Polígono La Trotxa Association, Lorenzo Carreras. The association and the Council have jointly ceded a plot of 3,756 sq.m. on the industrial estate for a period of 90 years for the construction of the centre which will include three classrooms for training, a 125-seat auditorium, and separate modules measuring between 35 and 60 sq.m.

Councillor Carles Manera explained that these modules will be a hothouse for companies and embryonic projects which will try to grow through the warmth of support from the Council in an atmosphere of collaboration and communication and with access to some of the best computer connections whenever they are ideas that are of interest to the technological park. Manera stated that the work will be done by the companies in a favourable environment in which they can develop, adding that they are companies which are producing technology which is even being exported and that they bring together people of high capabilities in the field of technology.

According to the forecast made by Parc BIT, work on the Alaior centre will start in October and is expected to be completed within 14 to 16 months at a cost of 5 million euros. The winner of the design competition will also be responsible for drawing up the basic project and building plans.

The BIT centre will place Alaior at the forefront of technology on the island. It will be dependent on Parc BIT in Mallorca which at present encompasses 122 companies, a figure that is continually growing, having risen from 52 since 2007. New technology is the only sector which is currently generating employment in the islands.

The President of the Island Council, Marc Pons, stated that the project would "allow us to gain in competitiveness" and that it would link to other priority actions by the Island Council such as the installation of fibre optics and the connection, via high-speed Internet, of industrial estates, educational centres and administrations.