Free Zone 5.0: The Model Behind Evolution Free Zone’s Global Recognition

Companies evaluating where to establish or expand their operations consider a broad range of strategic factors. Infrastructure, location and connectivity remain essential, but so do operational reliability, technological capabilities, access to specialized talent, sustainability, and a clear long-term growth path without having to relocate.

At Evolution Free Zone, we anticipated this priorities. From the beginning, our vision has been to redefine the traditional Free Trade Zone blueprint by bringing together the conditions companies need to operate and grow. As Álvaro Carballo Pinto, President of CODE Development Group, explains: “Evolution Free Zone is here to transform the Free Zone model in Costa Rica and respond to the demands of the industries of the future.”

This purpose is reflected in the Free Zone 5.0 concept that guides the development of Evolution Free Zone. In 2026, this integrated approach gained international recognition through fDi Intelligence’s Global Free Zones of the Year awards, where our Park was named Best Free Zone in the Americas and #3 in the Global Top 10 Free Zones, highlighting the framework’s relevance for advanced industries.

Free Zone 5.0: A New Stage for Free Zones

Free Zone 5.0 describes the next stage in the evolution of Free Trade Zones. Infrastructure and incentives remain essential, but a Free Zone 5.0 integrates four dimensions that companies increasingly weigh when deciding where to establish and grow their operations.

Smart infrastructure provides reliable, flexible spaces and services that can adapt as business needs change. Advanced technology brings digital tools and automation into the zone’s management and services. Specialized talent shifts the focus from filling positions quickly to developing, retaining, and strengthening people’s capabilities, including critical thinking, AI and data science skills, and soft skills, supported by healthy, people-centered workspaces where technology amplifies human talent. Sustainability guides how resources are used and how the zone relates to its natural surroundings and neighboring communities. When these dimensions work together, a Free Zone becomes a platform for companies’ long-term growth. That is the vision behind Evolution Free Zone.

How Evolution Free Zone Brings the Model into Practice

In just two years, we have turned this vision into tangible results, and the scale it has achieved reflects how the model works in practice. The Park has reached 127,521 m² of built facilities, with eight companies and the first 6,000 quality jobs confirmed. Each of these milestones marks real progress in building the infrastructure and business environment that industrial operations need, while creating new employment opportunities in Costa Rica’s Western Region.

Evolution Free Zone provides buildings for companies in Life Sciences, Smart Manufacturing, and Semiconductors. These include stand-alone buildings developed under a Build-to-Suit approach to meet specific technical and infrastructure requirements, as well as the New Multitenant Building, which features five flexible and scalable modules. Each module has dedicated connections for electricity, water, and telecommunications, allowing companies to establish themselves within a shared structure while maintaining their own independent areas and services.

The Park also incorporates systems designed to ensure reliable services. Real-time monitoring covers potable water, electrical systems, wastewater treatment plants, and the security network. Direct access to Route 1 through an overpass interchange connects Evolution Free Zone with one of Costa Rica’s main transportation corridors.

Technology Applied to Daily Operations

At Evolution Free Zone, digital resources are incorporated into management processes and services. One example is an AI-powered tool that automates the receipt, reading, and digitization of invoices directly into the accounting platform. This application reduces manual steps in an administrative process and was among the initiatives recognized by fDi Intelligence in its AI Readiness evaluation.

Technology is also part of employee mobility. The centralized transportation system operates through digital ticketing, giving employees an organized, easy-to-use way to access this service and helping the Park manage it efficiently within the Business Ecosystem.

Connecting Talent Development with Industry

Evolution Free Zone’s location in Costa Rica’s Western Region provides access to an educational network that includes 20 public and private universities, 17 technical schools, and 55 high schools in the surrounding area.

The Park is taking this collaboration between education and industry a step further through the on-site development of the first National Learning Institute (INA) Training Center located within a Free Trade Zone in Costa Rica. The center is part of an alliance between INA and CODE Development Group, our developer. It will include workshops, classrooms, a laboratory, and a cleanroom, expanding technical training opportunities in the Region and aligning talent development with the requirements of companies.

Sustainability in Development and Operations

At Evolution Free Zone, sustainability has been a guiding criterion since the Park’s conception.

Efficient energy and water use translates into concrete projects. In 2025, the Park began installing a solar farm that combines renewable energy generation, battery storage, and smart technologies to optimize consumption. In water management, the first wastewater treatment plant, operating since late 2024, treated 33,215m³ during 2025.

Environmental management also extends to the natural areas surrounding the Park. Following the completion of Phase 1 infrastructure, Evolution Free Zone accounted for 132,408 m² of green spaces, including forest and river protection. Through our reforestation program, we have planted 4,750 native trees, contributing to ecological connectivity within the El Achiote Interurban Biological Corridor.

What the fDi Intelligence Recognition Signals

In 2026, Evolution Free Zone received four international distinctions in fDi Intelligence’s Global Free Zones of the Year Awards. The Park was named Best Free Zone in the Americas, #3 in the Global Top 10 Free Zones, second place worldwide in the Industrial Zones category, and fifth place worldwide in the Excellence Award for AI Readiness.

The results followed an evaluation that received 79 submissions from around the world. Within the Industrial Zones category, 53 parks competed. The assessment considered factors such as infrastructure, sustainability, incentives, governance, and new investments, as well as growth in occupied space, employees, and tenants. The AI Readiness distinction focused specifically on the adoption of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, with attention to responsible implementation.

fDi Intelligence highlighted several aspects of Evolution Free Zone’s approach, including Costa Rica’s Free Trade Zone incentives, the on-site training center developed in alliance with INA, and the one-stop-shop service model. Judges also recognized the incorporation of AI and digital technologies, among them the centralized employee transportation system and the AI-powered invoice processing tool.

For Evolution Free Zone, these distinctions confirm, just two years into the Park’s development, that the Free Zone 5.0 model stands among the best in the world. They were earned against international criteria that span the same dimensions this Business Ecosystem was designed to bring together from the start.

Learn more about Evolution Free Zone and explore the opportunities within our Business Ecosystem. Contact our team to discuss establishing or expanding your operations at the Park.