The establishment of this space, dedicated to developing solutions for the principal future challenges facing the City and the world, will foster the activities of entrepreneurs, students, and researchers. It will generate synergies at a national and global level, with a special focus on biotechnology, education, health, and exponential technologies. As part of this education and innovation ecosystem, the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (ITBA) will locate its main campus here.

The Innovation Park will be a key new space to drive the activities of entrepreneurs, students, and researchers, facilitating collaboration among them and generating synergies with innovative public and private institutions from the country and the world, with a special focus on education, health, and exponential technologies.

The initiative arose from the enactment of Law 5.558 in 2016. It is located on the grounds of the former Argentine Federal Shooting Range (Av. Figueroa Alcorta and Udaondo) with 32 plots designated for innovation-related projects.

Furthermore, the goal is to drive economic growth and the development of talent for the benefit of the City of Buenos Aires and the world. In short, a relationship between academia, research, and business that will help increase the number of ‘unicorns’ in Argentina and further position Buenos Aires as a City of Knowledge.

EDUCATIONAL ECOSYSTEM

Its location is strategic, as it will allow for fluid connection with the various institutions in its surrounding area, such as the UBA University City, Torcuato Di Tella University, Universidad Abierta Interamericana, ORT school, and Digital House, to name a few. This environment will foster a critical mass in the area of about 80,000 students, teachers, and researchers, with a marked orientation towards basic and applied sciences.

Adding to this distinguished group of prestigious educational institutions, the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (ITBA), a regional leader, acquired three plots to establish its main campus there.

Additionally, the Park will host companies focused on health research and development, medical centers, laboratories, co-working spaces, data processing and tabulation centers, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) activities.

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE WITH AN INTEGRATIVE VISION

The space was designed by architect Alberto Varas, whose firm won the “National Ideas Competition for the Innovation Park Master Plan,” held by the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Buenos Aires along with the City Government in 2016. The design proposes a differentiated, state-of-the-art infrastructure.

The inspiration model was drawn from over 500 scientific-technological parks with proven efficacy in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Moscow, and Palo Alto (California). More precisely, similar spaces in the region like Ruta N in Medellín, Colombia, and TECNOPUC in Porto Alegre, Brazil, among others.

The Innovation Park will be part of IASP, the global network of science parks, technology parks, and areas of innovation that boost the growth, global positioning, and development of its members.

The initiative involves the intervention of 12 hectares, 65% of which will be allocated to public spaces, the opening of streets, and the installation of underground utilities. Furthermore, technology will be implemented in the streets and in mobility within the park to offer intelligent solutions in the public space.

“Both ITBA and we are interested in making this new neighborhood a completely innovative space. And to complete the vision, having this campus is a guarantee of the talent that will be present in the location every day, the professionals who will emerge from this space, and the companies that will emerge from the park in the future.”

Luis Bullrich, Executive Director (UPE) Innovation Park · City Government of Buenos Aires

The Innovation Park in Numbers:

• 120,000 m² dedicated to Innovation (50% public and 50% private).
• 65% of its area will be public, with 45% designated as green space.
• 18,000 university students.
• Between 2,000 and 3,000 people dedicated to teaching and/or research and development.
• More than 6,000 residents in the Park.
• More than 11,000 people will work there.
• It is estimated that approximately 30,000 people will pass through daily.
• During its operational phase, the Innovation Park is expected to mobilize economic activity close to USD 1 billion annually, representing nearly 1% of the Gross Geographic Product (GGP) of Buenos Aires.