This institution was created by the Regional Council of Innovation, Science and Entrepreneurship, the Regional Council of Education and Employment, Junta de Andalucía, the University of Cádiz and the city council of Algeciras, as a response to the social needs for economic development of the Bay of Gibraltar, through an innovative programme integrating education, research and innovation within the principles of the ‘society of knowledge’. It has a unique structure, designed to facilitate the interaction of vocational and higher education institutions with R+D centres in the Bay and its environment.