In its first ten years of activity, Famalicão Made IN has supported the creation of more than 400 start-ups and SMEs, generated nearly 3100 new jobs and helped attract almost 350 million euros of investment to the municipality of Famalicão.

The mayor, Mário Passos, speaks of ‘a feeling of enormous satisfaction’ in relation to the figures that mark this first decade of the municipal entrepreneurship and investment attraction programme.

Made IN, it should be remembered, was born to enhance the municipality's entrepreneurial genetics, attract new investments and support businesspeople and entrepreneurs, but in the mayor's opinion, its great benefit has been ‘the ability to strengthen the link between the business fabric, educational and knowledge institutions, technological and innovation centres and the municipality's entities and associations’. 

The figures for this first decade were presented at the last Famalicão Made IN Economic Forum, which took place on Tuesday 22nd October at the Casa das Artes.

For the mayor of Famalicão, the figures ‘exceed the best expectations’. ‘The historic results that Famalicão's economy has recorded are the result of the boldness of our entrepreneurs, the quality of our human resources, but they are also the result of local government action that has driven our business fabric and invested in the qualification of its citizens,’ he added.

Mário Passos speaks of a winning and recognised strategy, recalling, by way of example, the distinction awarded to Vila Nova de Famalicão as a ‘European Entrepreneurial Region’ by the European Committee of the Regions.

Ten years on, the mayor said that this is above all the time to look to the future and redefine strategies, ‘as we recently did with the paradigm shift from Made IN to Created IN’. 

‘We're on the right track, but we still have a long way to go. We want to point the way, explore new realities and new solutions so that we can all be prepared to face the challenges that lie ahead,’ he said.