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Record number of foreign companies established in Catalonia: over 9,600

Posted on by fcaballero

Nearly 350 new multinational corporations have come to Catalonia in the past year, up 3.7%, for a new record of foreign companies established here: 9,602. These figures were published recently by ACCIÓ, the public agency for business competitiveness that has been working to attract foreign investment and help Catalan companies abroad for the past 40 years.

It is important to highlight, in this regard, that the number of new foreign companies arriving has increased 68% over the past ten years, and the figures show this growth has been steady and even accelerated in the past decade. These companies generate one in ten jobs in Catalonia, 30% of turnover and 47% of exports.

If we look at the turnover of these foreign companies by sector, the most noteworthy are automotive (17%), food and beverages (11%) and chemicals (9%). Nevertheless, by number of companies, technology makes up more than 20% of the total, as Barcelona is a hub that attracts many multinational corporations in this sector.

On the other hand, looking at country of origin, the largest share of subsidiaries established in Catalonia are from the United States (15%), followed by France (14%), Germany (12%), the United Kingdom (10%) and Italy (8%). In total, more than 90 countries are represented by companies established in the region. US and French companies have the strongest growth, 6% per year, although they are behind the notable growth of Canadian companies (12%).

The presentation of the Report highlighted that Catalonia, as a generator of talent, has traditionally been a country open to foreign investment that contributes to the people’s wellbeing by creating quality jobs, green energy and international connections, and they are spread throughout the territory. A good part of the projects identified for future investment are associated with the green and digital economies.

 

Real estate investment in Barcelona recovers, hitting €1.5 billion for year through September

Posted on by fcaballero

Real estate investment in Barcelona continues its progressive recovery and hit more than €1.5 billion for the months between January and September, which is 12% higher than the same period in 2023. These figures are from real estate consultancy CBRE.

By sectors, hotels secured €141 million in investment in the third quarter of this year for €426 million so far this year. This figure, however, is 21% less than the same period for 2023 and 12% under the average for the past 10 years. Nevertheless, Barcelona has consolidated its place as a preferred destination for hotel investment, with 25% of the national total.

Next we have the living sector, with a 25% share of the Catalan market and €377 million so far this year, up 29% from 2023. The consultancy attributes this to a boom in halls of residence for students, with €276 million, or more than double the amount in 2023. This sector continues dominating due to the lack of supply to meet growing demand.

Additionally, the office sector has consolidated its place with the third-highest investment, €357 million, up 44% from last year, while the retail sector saw €90 million, up from €76 million in 2023. Finally, the industrial and logistics sector posted €80 million, far below the €199 million invested in the same period the previous year.

 

Catalonia now has 340 deep tech start-ups, 6% more than last year

Posted on by fcaballero

Catalonia has 340 deep tech start-ups, 6% more than last year, according to a study carried out by the Catalan Government through the public agency for business competitiveness ACCIÓ. Deep tech companies have roots in science, technology or engineering and require STEM expertise to address global challenges.

In this regard, Catalan deep tech start-ups currently have 2,735 employees (up 17% from 2023) and turnover of €166 million (up 3%). Compared to the data from the first edition of the study published two years ago, the number of deep tech start-ups has grown roughly 17%, but their turnover is up 34% and number of employees, 58%.

According to the study, deep tech firms make up 16% of the Catalan start-up ecosystem. They mainly work in biotechnology (37%), artificial intelligence (28%), sustainable and frontier materials (11%), clean energy and batteries (6%) and robotics (6%). Other fields that stand out include photonics, blockchain, supercomputing, semiconductors and quantum physics.

Finally, the ACCIÓ study shows that Barcelona is the top hub in southern Europe in funding secured for deep tech start-ups, with €544 million between 2019 and 2024. In Europe as a whole, the Catalan capital is ranked ahead of Copenhagen, Madrid and Amsterdam, among others.

 

Catalan economy grows 0.9% in third quarter and year-on-year GDP is up 3.8%

Posted on by fcaballero

The Catalan GDP grew 0.9% in the third quarter of 2024, showing solid growth of 3.8% year-on-year. This is 0.4% higher than the Spanish economy as a whole for the same period (3.4%). This data is from the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat).

This growth in the GDP for the third quarter is due to positive results in all sectors, particularly services (4.4%) and industry (4.3%). Additionally, construction is up 2.9% and agriculture continues with its recovery that started earlier this year, up 14.4%.

Regarding the services sector, its growth has been thanks to the hospitality sector, followed by retail, computer services, legal services, transport services, motor-vehicle sales and insurance services. In terms of industry, growth is mainly from the pharmaceutical and food and beverages industries.

Chinese AI company Coovally establishes European headquarters in Barcelona

Posted on by fcaballero

The Chinese company Coovally, which specialises in artificial intelligence (AI) services, has opened its new European headquarters in Barcelona. From here, the firm aims to expand business throughout Europe and into Latin America. The Coovally central headquarters was previously located in Vienna.

The company, founded in Shanghai in 2021, has a support platform for companies and individuals interested in adding artificial intelligence to their processes. Their services help accelerate implementation of projects that use AI and boost the company’s productivity in carrying them out, with solutions such as automated data management and internal processes.

Coovally explained they have chosen Barcelona for its great connections with other markets in the world, growing ecosystem of start-ups and large corporations, and capacity to generate and attract all sorts of talent.

 

Cargo traffic through Port of Barcelona up 11.3% for the year through September, with more than 53 million tonnes

Posted on by fcaballero

The total traffic through the Port of Barcelona was more than 53 million tonnes from January through September, up 11.3%. Container traffic is noteworthy, with nearly three million TEU, up 21.4% from the same period last year.

In this regard, liquid bulk cargo continues to post good results, with 10.5 million tonnes, up 11.2%. Additionally, the number of ITU (intermodal transport units) has increased 2.6% for a total of 328,918 lorries and trailers. The number of new vehicles, 509.255 units, continues to decrease (-13.8%), reflecting the state of the European automotive market.

On the other hand, a total of 4,317,304 passengers travelled through the Port of Barcelona between January and September, up 4.2% from the same period last year. Ferries had 1.4 million passengers (1.1%) and cruise ships, 2.8 million (6%).

Port of Barcelona traffic with the main markets has increased for both imports and exports. It is important to remember that the port facility generates €4.213 billion in gross value added (GVA), which is 2% of the GVA of Catalonia and 0.4% of Spain.

 

First year of Norrsken House Barcelona with over 140 start-ups, 250 companies and 20 accelerators

Posted on by fcaballero

Swedish non-profit organisation Norrsken is celebrating its first year in Barcelona with a community of 1,200 members. It has consolidated its place as a European technology and impact hub, connecting entrepreneurs with the resources, knowledge and networks they need, and driving businesses that help make this world a better place, according to sources inside the foundation.

Norrsken has emerged as an ecosystem that is already driving the growth of over 140 start-ups and 280 companies, which co-exist with roughly 20 venture capital firms and accelerators. In addition to welcoming 15,000 visitors and hosting 244 events, Norrsken House Barcelona has also become a catalyst for impact initiatives in its first year, raising over €30 million.

The Swedish foundation is now tackling new challenges in Barcelona, including building bridges with the main local entities, such as ACCIÓ and Barcelona Activa, as well as the ecosystems in other major European cities. Their goal is to attract new international investors to the Catalan capital and foster solutions in areas such as climate technology, healthcare, biotechnology and other emerging sectors.

 

The Catalan economy exceeds the average for Spain and the EU in growth in the second quarter.

Posted on by studiogenesis

The economy of Catalonia has recorded a significant growth during the second quarter of the year, exceeding both the Spanish and European Union average, according to the latest published data. This acceleration of growth consolidates Catalonia’s role as one of the most powerful economic engines in Spain and shows a solid recovery after the impact of the pandemic and other recent global crises.

Growth above average

During this period, Catalan GDP has grown by 3.2% in year-on-year terms, while the average in Spain stood at 2.7%, and that of the EU at around 1.8%. These figures show that the Catalan economy has been able to better withstand international economic uncertainties, driven by key sectors such as industry, services, and tourism.

Economy Minister Natàlia Mas Guix highlighted that this growth is the result of policies focused on innovation, attracting investment and adapting local companies. “Catalonia has shown great resilience and a firm commitment to modernization and digitalization,” said Mas.

Promoting factors

Several factors explain this good progress of the Catalan economy. On the one hand, the export of goods and services has continued to grow at a solid rate, especially thanks to the promotion of sectors such as the automotive industry and the chemical industry. On the other hand, tourism has had a strong recovery, especially in coastal areas and the city of Barcelona, one of the main attractions for international visitors.

In addition, foreign investment has been key, with multiple projects by technology companies that have chosen Catalonia as the basis for their operations in Europe. These investments have helped to create jobs and strengthen emerging sectors such as digital technologies and renewable energies.

Conclusions

The Catalan economy has once again demonstrated its ability to overcome the average growth of Spain and the European Union, driven by dynamic sectors and a clear commitment to modernisation. Despite the challenges, Catalonia remains one of the economic engines of southern Europe, with a solid recovery that places it in a good place to face the challenges of the future.

The blue economy adds up to one thousand companies and 5.5 billion turnover in Catalonia.

Posted on by studiogenesis

The blue economy, linked to the sustainable exploitation of marine resources, is growing strongly in Catalonia. According to the latest data, this sector already has more than 1,000 companies that generate a total turnover of 5.5 billion euros. This figure consolidates the blue economy as a key piece for the economic and environmental development of the territory.

An expanding sector

The blue economy includes activities such as fishing, aquaculture, coastal tourism, shipbuilding and marine renewable energies. In Catalonia, this sector has not only grown in number of companies, but has also become an important engine for job creation, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

The sustained growth of this sector responds to the growing demand for sustainable solutions and the commitment of companies to the protection of the marine environment. It is also the result of the impulse of the Catalan Government and European institutions, which are committed to developing a green and circular economy.

Opportunities and challenges

The Minister for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, David Mascort, stressed the importance of the blue economy for the sustainability of the region. “We must take advantage of the opportunities offered by this sector, without compromising marine resources,” he said. However, he also pointed out the need to continue investing in technology and innovation to ensure long-term sustainable growth.

With a privileged location in the Mediterranean, Catalonia has great potential to continue leading this sector and generate new economic opportunities linked to the marine environment.

British investment in Catalonia grows with the implementation of 936 companies, 20% more than in 2019.

Posted on by studiogenesis

British investment in Catalonia has experienced remarkable growth, with 936 companies established, 20% more than in 2019. This increase is significant, especially in the post-Brexit context, where trade relations have been subject to change.

Sectors of Interest

British companies have shown particular interest in several sectors:

Information Technologies: It includes software development, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Renewable energy: Especially in wind and solar energy projects.

Life Sciences: Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals have been key areas for investments.

Economic benefits

This growth has generated more than 15,000 direct jobs and has contributed significantly to Catalan GDP. British companies not only contribute capital, but also knowledge and innovation to the local market.

Futurist perspectives

With a favourable policy towards foreign investment, Catalonia is positioned as an attractive hub for British companies. The Catalan authorities are working to maintain this pace of growth, adapting to global changes and improving the infrastructures necessary to sustain this development.

INCASÒL announces the competition to regularize the cultivated land within the scope of the Gallecs Natural Interest Area Park.

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The Catalan Soil Institute (INCASÒL) has announced the call for a public competition to regularize the farmland within the scope of the Gallecs Natural Interest Area Park. This initiative aims to guarantee the sustainable use of agricultural spaces, while preserving the ecological and landscape value of this protected area, located between several municipalities of the Vallès Oriental.

Protection of the environment and promotion of agriculture

With this call, the INCASÒL aims to establish a legal framework that regulates the use of agricultural land within the park, ensuring that agricultural activity is compatible with the conservation of natural ecosystems. Gallecs is a key space for biodiversity and the preservation of native flora and fauna, but it also has strong agricultural roots, with crops that are part of its landscape and heritage.

The competition allows local farmers to access contracts for the use of land, always under sustainability criteria. The Minister of Territory, Juli Fernandez, stressed that this measure will promote “environment-friendly agriculture, which will contribute to the protection of the area and its natural value”.

A commitment to the territory

The Gallecs Natural Area has been consolidated as an example of coexistence between human activity and the protection of the natural environment. With this contest, INCASÒL reaffirms its commitment to ensuring the balance between the preservation of biodiversity and sustainable rural development, supporting local farmers who contribute to keeping this unique space alive.

The District brings together in Barcelona the main real estate actors with a focus on housing.

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The District, one of the most influential real estate events in Europe, brought together the main actors in the sector this week in Barcelona, with special emphasis on housing problems. The event, held at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, has served as a key meeting point for investors, promoters and public administrations, who have discussed the future of the real estate market and investment opportunities in a context of growing demand for affordable housing.

Among the most outstanding participations, Barcelona Catalonia and the Catalan Soil Institute (INCASÒL) have played a fundamental role. Barcelona Catalonia, the brand that brings together the Generalitat, Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Metropolitan Area for the promotion of the territory as an investment destination, has highlighted the opportunities offered by the city in terms of housing and sustainable urban development. During their interventions, they have highlighted Barcelona’s potential as an attractive hub for investors looking for projects aligned with sustainability and innovation criteria.

INCASÒL, for its part, has presented several initiatives to promote the mobilization of public land with the aim of promoting the construction of affordable housing in Catalonia. With its intervention, the entity has highlighted the importance of public-private collaboration to respond to the growing demand for social housing, especially in densely populated urban areas such as Barcelona. According to INCASÒL managers, the promotion of these projects is already giving tangible results, with the creation of new affordable homes that respond to the needs of the population.

The representatives of Barcelona Catalonia and INCASÒL also stressed that collaboration between the private sector and administrations is key to the transformation of the territory. Sustainability, energy efficiency and social inclusion have positioned themselves as central factors in the new real estate projects promoted in the city and the metropolitan area.

The success of The District reaffirms the role of Barcelona as the European epicenter of real estate activity, and consolidates its position as a pioneering city in urban innovation and housing solutions. The event has attracted the eyes of international investors who see the city as a space conducive to the development of projects with high added value, paving the way for new investments that will help transform the Catalan urban landscape in the coming years.

BBVA promotes the largest real estate rehabilitation in Catalonia

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BBVA has launched an ambitious housing rehabilitation project in Catalonia, financed with Next Generation funds from the European Union. This project, which is considered the largest of its kind in the region, will be carried out in four buildings located in the municipality of Vic, Barcelona.

According to the Catalan Habitat Agency, the energy efficiency of buildings will increase between 62.89% and 63.57%. This rehabilitation covers a total of 114 homes, 35 commercial premises, 230 parking spaces and 140 storage rooms.

In financial terms, the project requires a total investment of 7 million euros, of which 2.6 million euros will be subsidized.

Work is scheduled to span approximately 15 months, with a completion date of July 2025.

The BBVA project not only responds to the need to modernize the real estate stock, but is also aligned with the recent European regulations on energy efficiency, a regulation that seeks to reduce emissions of polluting gases and energy consumption in residential buildings.

Under the new guidelines, by 2030, all new construction buildings must be zero-emission, and by 2050, complete decarbonization must be achieved in both new construction and existing buildings.

In Spain, the challenge is particularly relevant because almost half of the homes were built before 1980. According to data from the INE, 81% of buildings have a low energy rating, between categories E and G. This context highlights the importance of initiatives such as BBVA’s, which play a crucial role in improving energy efficiency and promoting more sustainable practices in the country’s real estate sector.

Industry and construction drive GDP growth in Catalonia with 2.9% year-on-year

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According to information shared by the Statistics Institute of Catalonia, the Catalan economy experienced growth of 0.8% during the second quarter of the year, with a year-on-year increase in GDP of 2.9%.

These figures coincide with those of the Spanish economy as a whole, and exceed the average of the European Union, which registered a growth of 0.7% in the second quarter, and an increase of 0.3% compared to the first three months. of the year.

The industrial sector, with an increase of 4.9%, was the main driver of this growth, followed by construction, which grew by 3.8%, agriculture with 2.4%, and other sectors with 2. 3%.

Catalonia’s logistics market boosted during the second quarter of 2024

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In the second quarter of 2024, the logistics market of Catalonia showed a strong rebound with a total contract of 152,082 m2, highlighting an increase of 69% compared to the previous quarter and an impressive increase of 66% compared to the same period last year, according to the recent Forcadell report.

The analysis by area reveals that the peripheral areas of Barcelona, ​​especially the second and third rings, were the most active in terms of hiring.

The report also highlights that 65% of the contracted space corresponded to newly built or turnkey warehouses, evidencing a continuous absorption of new surface in the market. Regarding rents, stability is observed after several quarters of decline, although growth is anticipated with the addition of new stock to the market in the coming quarters.

Gerard Plana, director of Industrial-Logistics at Forcadell, highlights the importance of this data to revitalize a sector that had experienced a prolonged slowdown in hiring.

Barcelona airport exceeds 26 million passengers

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Barcelona airport has reached a historical record in the first half of 2024, according to data published by AENA. During this period, it received a total of 26,090,602 passengers, marking an increase of 12.9% compared to 2023 and 5.1% compared to 2019.

In June 2024 alone, the airport served 5,056,923 passengers. Of the total, 3,761,682 passengers were international and 1,284,338 were national.

In terms of operations, Barcelona-El Prat managed a total of 166,984 flights between takeoffs and landings during the first six months of the year, including 31,365 operations in June alone.

Despite the success, Madrid airport continues to be the leader in Spain.

International Airlines Group will inaugurate an AI laboratory in Barcelona

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International Airlines Group (IAG), owner of airlines such as Iberia, British Airways and Vueling, has announced the opening of an artificial intelligence laboratory in Barcelona.

This center will bring together 150 specialists and strengthen their leadership in innovation in the airline industry.

The decision reinforces the growth of the artificial intelligence sector in Catalonia, which has seen the number of companies triple since 2019 and generates 2,155 million euros in revenue.

IAG also highlights its economic impact in Catalonia, contributing 6,043 million euros to GDP and supporting more than 81,000 jobs.

The expansion of data centers in Barcelona foresees 2,200 new jobs and an impact of 7,230 million

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According to the report ‘Barcelona, ​​Digital Port of the Mediterranean’, published by Digital Realty and DE-CIX, it is projected that by 2025 Barcelona’s data centers will reach a capacity of 173 MW. This would translate into an economic impact of 7.23 billion euros in GDP and the creation of 2,200 jobs.

To achieve digital port status, the report highlights the need to develop a complete ecosystem that includes data centers, neutral points, cloud service providers, communications networks, system integrators and consultants.

The report also foresees the creation of 1,030 jobs during the construction phase, 713 in the operation phase and 385 more throughout the final process. Experts highlight the multiplier effect of the data center industry, which generates seven euros for every euro invested.

In the presentation of the study, representatives of data companies expressed their confidence in Barcelona as an emerging digital center, thanks to its infrastructure of submarine cables, communications network and strategic location in the Mediterranean.

Companies like DE-CIX, which already has its headquarters in Barcelona, ​​are contributing to the development of the city’s digital ecosystem, betting on its future as a leading data center in the region.

Barcelona 2025: Data Center will generate 1,047 million and create 2,200 jobs

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It is expected that in 2025 the capacity of the Barcelona data center will generate an economic impact of 1,047 million euros. This investment is expected to have a multiplier effect that boosts Barcelona’s GDP by 7,235 million euros, positioning Barcelona as a connecting digital center between Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

These conclusions came from the information extracted from the report “Barcelona: Digital Port of the Mediterranean” by Digital Realty, DE-CIX and Foundry, with the support of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.

The report also predicts the creation of 2,218 jobs by 2025, covering construction, operation and long-term functions, highlighting the need for public administration participation to streamline processes, facilitate the development of data centers and ensure efficient energy supply through better electrical grid planning.

Barcelona is becoming an attractive alternative to Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris. With these cities reaching saturation, Barcelona is positioned as a privileged place for expansion thanks to the arrival of submarine cables, a strong communications network and its strategic location.

Vicenç Hernández, president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce in Barcelonès Nord, highlights that “Barcelona is among the top 5 emerging ecosystems worldwide and ranks 6th in technology companies.”

The Digital Reality report also stipulates that for Barcelona to position and consolidate itself as a pioneer, it must develop an ecosystem that includes data centers, neutral points, cloud service providers, communication networks, system integrators and consultants, among others. 

Catalonia’s airports exceed pre-pandemic levels with record passengers

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According to Aena, Barcelona Airport received more than 4.6 million passengers in April, which represents an increase of 9.5% compared to the same month last year, surpassing figures that have been in a streak for 6 months.

Of the total, 4,600,973 passengers flew on commercial flights, 3,411,915 on international flights (an increase of 11.8% compared to 2023) and 1,181,226 on domestic flights (an increase of 3.3%). Compared to April 2019, the pre-pandemic period, passenger numbers increased by 1.7%.

The rest of the airports in Catalonia, managed by Aena, also experienced significant activity. Girona-Costa Brava, the second busiest in the region, registered 170,688 passengers in April 2024, 88.0% more than last year but 2.7% less than in 2019.

Reus airport, located in the south of Catalonia, registered 101,970 passengers in April, 31.5% more than the previous year and 87.6% more than in 2019.

Sabadell airport had 4,502 operations in April 2024 but only 455 passengers, 23.4% less than last year but 87.2% more than before the pandemic.

Overall, Catalonia’s airports are experiencing a strong recovery, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and setting new records.

Green light for the Biopol PDU that will regenerate 96 hectares with an investment of 230 million

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The Urban Development Master Plan (PDU) Biopol-Granvia of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat has been definitively approved by the Urban Planning Commission of the Government of Catalonia after years of procedures and legal disputes. This ambitious urban and economic project covers 8% of the city’s territory, with an estimated investment of 230 million euros.

The main objective of the PDU is to create a new center of economic activity focused on biomedical research and health sciences, with the construction of more than 556,000 square meters of space for economic activities. The project includes changes such as the undergrounding of the Granvia de L’Hospitalet and improvements to access to the Llobregat River, as well as the rehabilitation of historic buildings.

Biopol, a hub of companies related to biomedicine, will be the core of this development, with the participation of institutions such as the Bellvitge Hospital and the University of Barcelona. It is expected that this biomedical cluster will have a significant impact on the labor market and the Catalan economy.

Although it has received political support, some local entities have expressed environmental concerns and have initiated legal actions to stop the project. However, it is expected that the PDU will come into force once it is published in the Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC).

WTC Barcelona will renew the 48,000 m2 business centre in the port of Barcelona

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Savills will lead the transformation of WTC Barcelona, a significant business center in the city’s port. Their work will encompass asset and technical management, along with providing marketing advice, aiming to enhance the spaces for the operating businesses.

The WTC Barcelona complex, which includes offices, a luxury hotel, commercial and dining areas, as well as event facilities and parking, hosts multinational companies like the Port of Barcelona and Accord Healthcare.

Anna Gener, CEO of Savills Barcelona, emphasizes the importance of this renovation in revitalizing life in the port, highlighting the city’s crucial role in the Blue Economy.

On another note, Elian Barcelona, a part of Viserion, has acquired a plant in the Port of Barcelona, marking the beginning of a new phase of expansion in their supply chain.

Additionally, Euroindoor has sold a covered paddle tennis facility in Alcorcón, while the French firm Alderan Société de Gestion Immobilière has invested in unique industrial and logistics projects.

Finally, the German asset manager DWS has acquired three photovoltaic plants in Badajoz, with a total capacity of 147 MW, to supply energy to 91,800 households per year.

Barcelona Airport exceeded 4.2m passengers in March, 13.8% more than in 2023

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In March, Barcelona Airport recorded a record of 4.2 million passengers, an increase of 13.8% compared to the previous year, according to data from Aena. This marks the fifth consecutive month of record numbers. Of these, more than 4 million were on commercial flights, with a 17.5% increase in international flights and a 4.9% increase in domestic flights compared to 2023.

Compared to March 2019, before the pandemic, the increase was 7.9%. Madrid led the traffic in Spain with over 5.3 million passengers, a 10.8% increase from 2023. There were over 27 thousand take-offs and landings in Barcelona, an 11.7% increase from the previous year.

In total, in the first quarter of the year, Barcelona Airport has moved more than 11 million passengers, an increase of 14.7% compared to 2023. Additionally, 15,345 tons of goods were transported in March, a 13.5% increase from 2023, and a total of 43,693 tons in 2024, a 12.7% increase from the previous year.

Media Markt promotes the international financial hub in Barcelona

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MediaMarkt strengthens its financial services center in Barcelona, the MediaMarktSaturn Global Business Services Spain (MMS GBS), which already boasts over 350 employees from 35 nationalities and more than 20 languages.

The company will expand its reach to new countries and services after achieving excellent results since its inception in 2020. Recently, it has begun handling part of the billing for German-speaking countries and is in the process of taking over accounting areas of MediaMarkt Poland.

To support this growth, they plan to hire 25 employees this year, seeking analytical profiles with skills in accounting, English, and preferably Polish.

Manuela Mengíbar, director of MMS GBS Spain, highlights the pride in the company continuing to trust in Spain and Barcelona. With 111 establishments throughout Spain and over 52,000 employees in Europe, MediaMarkt consolidates its position as a leader in consumer electronics sales.

Mountpark expands its presence in Spain by acquiring land for the construction of a logistics center

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The American logistics developer Mountpark has landed in the Catalan market by acquiring a 92,000 square meter plot in El Pla de Santa Maria, Tarragona. Its plan includes the construction of a 56,000-square-meter building with 56 loading docks, designed for eventual division into two independent structures.

The strategic location of the plot, near the Barcelona, Zaragoza, Madrid axis and less than a kilometer from the AP2 motorway, ensures optimal connectivity with the regional transport network. In addition, it is 36 km from Tarragona, a city that is part of the Mediterranean Corridor.

On the other hand, according to CBRE, the investment prospects in the logistics sector for 2024 project an increase of 10% compared to 2023. Factors such as the typology of the warehouse, its location, technology and sustainability influence the demand for logistics assets in Spain, as highlighted at the CBRE Trends in Industrial and Logistics event.

Mountpark, through its joint venture with Affinius Capital, aims to develop cutting-edge logistics buildings in Europe, with a particular focus on the United Kingdom and Western and Central Europe. With this project in Tarragona, it will add 245,000 square meters of development in Spain, in addition to its operations in Illescas (Toledo).

Barcelona debates the expansion of El Prat airport

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Aena plans to build a hotel at El Prat airport as part of a strategic plan to promote hotel establishments near airports in five Spanish cities, including Barcelona.

The consulting firm Catella, specialized in real estate investments, has been advising Aena since January and anticipates that real estate projects could begin within three years. Currently, Catella is focused on analyzing the tourism sector and business travel in Barcelona, as well as hotel trends and needs near the airport.

The award of the project, for which five large national real estate companies competed, was carried out for an amount of 1.52 million euros. This news comes amid debates about the expansion of Barcelona airport, with proposals to extend one of the runways.

Catalan employers and businessmen agree on the need to expand El Prat, arguing that its capacity was at its limit before the pandemic, and that the lack of expansion could affect the competitiveness of the city in terms of attracting foreign investment compared to other European capitals, like Madrid.

Meeting and congress tourism in Barcelona will exceed the 2023 data

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Meeting and conference tourism is essential for Barcelona, with more than 450 conferences in 2023 and more than 100 confirmed appointments for the coming months. Christoph Tessmar, director of the Barcelona Convention Bureau (BCB), anticipates a year equal to or better than the previous one, predicting a promising future for Barcelona in this area.

The city has attracted major international events, strengthening its position in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions) sector. Some events such as Integrated Systems Europe and Mobile World Congress stand out on the calendar above the others.

The city’s infrastructure, its professionalism and the hotel offer are factors that contribute to its success. However, competition from cities like Madrid, Vienna and Paris is becoming stronger. To maintain its leadership, Barcelona must identify opportunities, diversify and consider expansions such as Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue and the possible conversion of the Airport into an intercontinental hub. Despite the post-pandemic challenges, the MICE sector shows resilience and contributes beyond the economic impact, enriching tourism and promoting knowledge in the city.

Currently, the BCB is working on 108 applications for the coming years, maintaining the confidentiality of the sector.

Consorci of the Barcelona free zone projects a growth of 11.6%

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The Consorci of Zona Franca from Barcelona projects an increase of 11.6% in its profits by 2024, approving budgets with an estimated turnover of 59.2 million euros. A net profit of 13.23 million euros is expected.

The expansion of the DFactory building, an innovation center, is positioned as the main project for 2024, totaling 70,000 square meters. The entity, led by Mayor Jaume Collboni, highlights the fulfillment of 98% of the strategic actions in its four-year plan. Blanca Sorigué, general director, emphasizes economic sustainability and social development as key axes. Pere Navarro, special delegate, highlights investment and sustainable growth.

The port authority of Barcelona strengthens ties

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The Port Authority of Barcelona actively participated in the 31st Latin American Congress of the American Association of Port Authorities in Colombia. 

During the event, meetings were held with leaders of Ibero-American ports, highlighting meetings with the president of the port of Barranquilla and representatives of the port of Miami. The objective was to learn about improvement projects and explore collaborations, especially in innovation and sustainability.

The president of the port of Barcelona, Lluís Salvadó, advocated for greater collaboration between ports to modernize the maritime sector in an efficient and sustainable way.

TDCX consolidates its presence in Barcelona

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The multinational Transformative Digital Customer Experience (TDCX), born in Singapore in 1995, has experienced notable growth since its establishment in Barcelona in 2019. Starting its activity with a single employee, Sophie Chelmick, the company has developed a headquarters in Vila Olímpica, which currently has 300 employees. Specializing in customer support services for various European companies, TDCX operates from a 2,600 square meter space, offering everything from pre-sales to customer service, content moderation and team training.

With revenue of $494 million in 2022, a 19% increase from the previous year, the company has seen an impressive 85% increase in its year-on-year revenue in Europe during the first half of 2023. TDCX executive vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa highlights the uniqueness of the company by not being a conventional “call center”, since each employee specializes in a specific client, taking advantage of artificial intelligence to perform basic tasks and offering more complex services.

TDCX stands out for providing services mainly to technology companies in sectors such as gaming, tourism, digital advertising, e-commerce and, more recently, health, with projects such as medicine-dispensing robots. The Barcelona headquarters continues to be the base of operations for the European expansion of TDCX, which plans to maintain and strengthen its presence, anticipating an increase in its local workforce to reach between 450 and 500 employees by the end of 2024.

Catalonia reinforces its digital leadership with a digitalization index of 63.96%

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Catalonia reaffirms its outstanding position in digital transformation, according to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI Catalonia 2022). The report, led by the Department of Business and Labor of the Generalitat de Cataluña and prepared by the Technological Circle of Catalonia, confirms that the region remains the fifth most digitally advanced in Europe for the fourth consecutive year, with a digitalization rate of 63.96%, exceeding the EU average by 11.69 points. Despite improvements in all dimensions, the emphasis on advanced skills training and stagnant growth in electronic commerce among small and medium-sized businesses stands out.

 

Catalonia stands out in connectivity, occupying second place, and leads in fixed broadband. In the integration of digital technology, it advances to seventh position, highlighting the level of digitalization of Catalan companies. In digital public services, it maintains fourth position, but there is still room for improvement in the position of users within electronic administration and open data in Catalonia.

The Government of Catalonia has promoted the construction of more than 2,100 social rental homes

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The Government of Catalonia has begun the construction of more than 2,100 affordable and environmentally friendly homes for social rental in various municipalities in the region, with a total investment of 284 million euros. These residences are an integral part of a government program whose objective is to increase the social rental housing stock in Catalonia by 10,000 units by 2026, with the construction being the direct responsibility of Incasòl. The majority of these new developments are located in the Barcelona metropolitan area, where the demand for affordable housing is urgent.

The Minister of Territory, Ester Capella i Farré, has emphasized the Government’s priority in ensuring the right to housing. Of the 2,155 homes scheduled for this year, some are in the construction phase, while others are in the design and planning process.

These homes are being developed on land owned by Incasòl or through agreements with local councils. The management and award criteria fall to the Housing Agency of Catalonia, in collaboration with each municipality.

A new development stands out in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, consisting of 38 affordable rental homes that are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. This project is part of an urban renewal plan and constitutes one of the four pilot tests of the project European Syn.ikia, aimed at building buildings with a positive energy balance and promoting sustainable communities. Incorporating solutions such as solar control, natural ventilation and improvements in insulation. Additionally, it participates in a project to establish energy communities that share surplus energy between nearby buildings, thus contributing to sustainability and energy efficiency at the community level.

The UPC positions Catalonia at the forefront of green hydrogen

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The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya has inaugurated its hydrogen laboratory and pilot plant for the production of green hydrogen. These state-of-the-art facilities represent a laboratory dedicated to advancing research and innovation in technologies related to hydrogen, a crucial energy component on the path to decarbonization.

The rector of the UPC, Daniel Crespo, highlights the uniqueness of this infrastructure, being unique in Spain and one of the few currently operational in the European Union.

This achievement places Catalonia at the forefront in the development of green hydrogen and in the transition towards more sustainable energy sources.

Record employment in Catalonia in the third quarter, with more than 3.71 million people in work.

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The unemployment rate stands at 8.5%, with a total of 345,000 people looking for work at the end of September.

According to the latest Labour Force Survey (EPA) report by the national statistics institute, Catalonia closed the third quarter with a new employment record: more than 3.71 million people in work between July and September, more than 62,400 new jobs compared to the previous quarter.

The only sector in which the number of unemployed has increased is industry (from 4,100 to 25,400). The services sector still accounts for more unemployed than any other sector, with 131,700.

Barcelona Metro exceeds the number of passengers pre-pandemic

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The Barcelona Metro recorded more than 28 million passengers in August alone. A 17.6% increase over last year.

This is currently the highest number of passengers recorded since 2021 and represents an increase of 16.6% over 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

As for the city bus system, more than 14 million passengers travelled, 15.1% more than last year and 1.2% more than 2019.

The upward trend is spreading throughout the peninsula, with a 22.5% increase in the use of public transport compared to last year.

Catalan exports reach 6.9 billion euros

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During the month of August, Catalan exports experienced an increase of 1.7%, reaching a value of 6,941 million euros, according to data provided by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism of Spain.

Over the course of the year, sales abroad have accumulated a total of 68,612 million euros. Compared to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic, exports have experienced a significant increase of 45%. Chemical products top the list of exports, representing 27% of the total, with a value of 1,871 million euros. They are followed by food, beverages and tobacco, with 1,213 million euros, equivalent to 17.5% of the total, and the automotive sector, with 1,124 million euros, corresponding to 16.2%.

When we compare these data with the previous year, automobile sales have experienced an increase of 58.8%, those of chemical products by 5.3%, while exports of food, beverages, and tobacco have decreased by 4.5%.

Barcelona establishes itself as the second main option for startups in the European Union

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According to the 2023 Startup Heatmap Europe report, Barcelona continues to stand out as the preferred choice for entrepreneurs to launch their projects, maintaining this privileged position for the sixth consecutive year. In this prestigious study, the Catalan city surpasses cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin and Lisbon, with 17.1% of entrepreneurs considering it the most attractive location to start a startup.

Albert Castellanos, Secretary of Business and Competitiveness of the Generalitat of Catalonia and general director of ACCIÓ (Agency for Business Competitiveness), emphasizes the fundamental role that Barcelona plays in the European startup ecosystem. He highlights that the city continues to attract top tech talent and highlights how startups contribute significantly to attracting foreign investment, driving innovation and technology in the region.

Since 2016, the Startup Heatmap Europe report has evaluated the preferences of startup founders to identify the 50 best European cities to start a business. Barcelona has maintained a consistent position among the top options, reflecting its enduring appeal to entrepreneurs. The startup ecosystem in Catalonia is experiencing notable growth, according to the report “Analysis of the startup ecosystem in Catalonia 2022” by ACCIÓ-Catalunya. The region is home to more than 2,000 startups that have generated more than 19,100 jobs and have attracted investments worth 1,653 million euros in 2022, which represents an increase of 6.3% compared to 2021 and an impressive increase of 86 % since 2016.

Key sectors for Catalan startups include health (16%), business services and software (12%), ICT and mobile telephony (6%), food (5%) and finance (5%). The report also highlights the growth and evolution in the size of these companies, reflecting their growing prominence in the startup landscape.

The continued success of Barcelona and Catalonia as a startup epicenter highlights their firm commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship.

UNESCO selects Barcelona as the world capital of architecture for 2026.

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Barcelona has been officially selected as the world capital of architecture in 2026 by Unesco and the International Union of Architects (UIA). This initiative seeks to highlight the role of architecture and urbanism in culture, the identity of cities and their sustainable development.

As the World Capital of Architecture, Barcelona will host a series of events and activities throughout 2026 in collaboration with the Higher Council of Spanish Colleges of Architects (CSCAE) and the Official College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC). Barcelona City Council will facilitate an extensive program that will include exhibitions, activities and companies to highlight the value and importance of architecture and urban design in the sustainable development of the city.

With this designation, Barcelona became the first city to host the UIA World Congress twice, having hosted it in 1996, four years after the Olympic Games. This opportunity will allow the city to once again highlight its international architectural importance and its commitment to sustainable development.

Barcelona relies on the new standard track gauge of Can Tunis to capture Asian flows.

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The port of Barcelona is preparing for the expansion of the standard or international gauge (UIC) in the logistics center of Can Tunis, with the aim of strengthening the rail connectivity of Asian imports with the rest of Europe. The arrival of six new standard track gauge, which will be combined with the existing ones, will make it possible to maximize the distribution capacity of maritime imports to the north and center of Europe, as well as attract production from these regions to the port.

The port entity highlights that this improvement in rail traffic will favor an optimal balance between imports and exports, consolidating the position of the port of Barcelona as an important hub for the flow of goods between Europe and China.

The goal of the port of Barcelona was presented during the Automotive Logistics conference in Yantai, China. Port entity representatives attended the event to promote the port’s role in distributing Chinese-made vehicles to Europe. According to the port’s statistics, Chinese vehicle imports saw a 165% increase between January and May this year compared to last year, reaching a total of 114,734 vehicles. In general terms, vehicle imports have grown by 76% during the same period. The port of Barcelona has been receiving multipurpose vessels from Cosco, using special structures called ‘flat rack’ to transport the vehicles due to the shortage of vehicle carriers in the international market.

The port of Barcelona accelerates to be a distribution center for vehicles from China and India.

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The Barcelona Port Authority is committed to the distribution of vehicles from the Chinese and Indian markets. In the presentation of the commercial mission that Manel Galán, head of External Relations of the enclosure, explained, it has been said that the entity has been receiving visits from companies interested in the availability of space for the distribution of automobiles.

During the presentation, some activities that will be carried out to promote the business sectors of the main traffic of the port were also broken down. The business conference will include:

  • Site visits
  • Face-to-face meetings
  • Technical seminars on different topics (digitization, innovation and logistics)

“India has the potential to generate resilient supply chains, something positive to reduce dependence on China,” said Berta Fuentes, president of the Spain-India Council, along with the opportunities highlighted by Sudhanshu Karandikar, director of BDO Spain, which represents the India due to its geography and the current development of the freight rail network that will link the two coasts of the Asian country.

The “good rhythm” of the Catalan economy: resilience, return of tourism and more exports.

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The Catalan economy has closed 2022 with a “good rhythm” and a growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) of 5.5% thanks to the resilience of the Catalan economy. Catalonia, to face the increase in prices and the energy crisis, has relied on three fundamental pillars: the resilience of household consumption, the recovery of foreign tourism and the increase in exports of goods.

To define 2022, we should look at five global shocks, of which the cost of financing and core inflation levels are the only ones that have not improved. For Carme Poveda, director of the Economic Memory of Catalonia, they are the following:

  • The spread of the omicron variant of covid-19
  • Supply chain problems
  • Rising energy prices
  • Core inflation
  • The cost of financing

It should also be noted that an important point has been the attraction of foreign investment in industry and in the ICT sector, which represents 52%. On the other hand, we also find considerable changes in the occupational structure, for example, with the increase in workers in the public sector, although the loss of purchasing power of wages in Catalonia in 2022 was 5.5%.

One of the priorities of the Catalan economy at present is the importance of increasing R&D on a European scale, since the European average exceeds 2% while here we remain at 1.64%, a figure that could become the Historic opportunity to lead digital and sustainable transformation with the support of Next Generation funds. Another of the priorities still pending is the volume of public debt, which remains at very high rates.

For 2023, a good evolution is expected in the first semester with tourism, employment, the moderation of inflation and European funds. A slowdown is also expected at the end of the year with the impact of interest rates and weakness in Europe, but we can conclude that what will determine economic growth in the coming years will be monetary policy.

The Generalitat forecasts that 60% of Catalan companies will innovate this 2023, 4 points more than last year.

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Approximately 60% of Catalan companies foresee an innovation process during 2023, 4% more than last year (56.4%), according to the Barometer of Innovation in Catalonia prepared by ACCIÓ.

Among the different objectives established, the most noteworthy, and therefore, that want to be achieved are: improving efficiency, increasing billing and productivity or cutting the average costs of your products or services.

The main explanation for the increase in innovative activity, explains the Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of ACCIÓ, is due to “the end of the crisis caused by Covid-19, the tractor effect of the Next Generation and Horizon Europe funds ”, but also, justified by the growth of the internationalization of Catalan companies.

Based on these and other data obtained, the ACCIÓ document finds a marked correlation between the growing international character of the Catalan business ecosystem and the search for new and better products and services, thus verifying that according to the barometer, 58% of companies who say they innovate will also export, while the 30% that come to Catalonia will dedicate resources to innovation in 2023.

Mainly, there has been innovation in the field of the product (almost 60%) and in information and communication systems (50%), but importance has also been given to production processes (37.2%), process development business (35.1%), administration and management (28.4%), among others.

In fact, according to the forecasts of the companies and the data obtained, the impact of this innovative activity would mean an increase in efficiency of 61.9%, on turnover of 54.5%, productivity of 50.5%, the reduction in the average cost of the product or server by 32.3% and the increase in workers by 16%. These statements lead Albert Castellanos to ensure that: “innovation is the main lever for companies to grow, export, be more productive and create new jobs”.

The Semiconductor Aliance was created with the aim of turning Catalonia into a reference point for the sector in Europe

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On the 29th of June, the public-private initiative, announced in May: “The Semiconductor and Chip Alliance of Catalonia” was definitively established. This initiative will bring together the agents of these ecosystems to lead the transformation and consolidation of Europe.

In addition to this project, the Government has already been promoting other actions in this field on semiconductors, such as the deployment of support programs for business and technological projects to reinforce the result that is to be achieved.

It is currently in the development phase, but it has great growth potential, since it has 86 semiconductor companies in Catalonia, as well as 3,700 researchers involved in research projects in this field. 81% of the companies in the sector in Catalonia are SMEs and 8% are startups.

The objective of the Alliance is promoting the growth and consolidation of the semiconductor, microelectronics, photonics and quantum ecosystem of Catalonia in order to achieve a competitive, innovative and sustainable economy. To achieve this, the Alliance focuses on the strategic axes for the Government: strengthening the chip value chain in Catalonia, its international connection, the creation and attraction of productive investment and the promotion of talent and research.

Together, what is also sought is to strengthen relations and the positioning of Catalonia, promoting the participation of the country in European initiatives for the development of this ecosystem.

The act served for the integration of the Board of the Alliance, the governing body of this new initiative, to the Department of Business and Labor. The project has also been promoted by other departments, such as Economy and Finance and Research and Universities, and with the participation of the Presidency and Foreign Action and European Union departments. In addition, through ACCIÓ, the technical and administrative support necessary for the development of the functions of the Board will be provided.

Toyota’s logistics division boosts employment in Catalonia with the creation of 300 new jobs in its new centre

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In an exciting event, Toyota Material Handling España, the world-renowned logistics subsidiary, has broken ground on its innovative new headquarters in Sabadell, Barcelona. Toyota Material Handling Spain’s managing director, Joan Catalán, was present at the ceremony, highlighting the company’s commitment to growth and sustainability.

Scheduled for completion in 2024, the new centre will occupy an impressive 16,500 m2 on a 37,247 m2 plot of land. There, a team of 225 professionals, in addition to on-site associates, will work closely together to provide exceptional service to Toyota Material Handling España’s customers.

This significant development will enable the company to further enhance its ability to deliver efficient logistics solutions and advance its commitment to achieving zero emissions across its operations. The site has been designed with state-of-the-art technologies and systems to maximise efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint, demonstrating Toyota Material Handling España’s focus on sustainability.

Joan Catalán, general manager of Toyota Material Handling Spain, expressed his enthusiasm for this new move to Sabadell, highlighting the choice of location for its modernity and convenience for the team. The new centre will integrate several activities, including distribution, marketing and after-sales service of industrial machinery, as well as financial services, automation projects and sustainable energy.

The construction of this modern headquarters reflects Toyota Material Handling Spain’s commitment to providing exceptional service, fostering innovation and contributing to the region’s economic growth.

The INCASÒL puts on sale three plots of the sector of economic activities Puig Vell de Roda de Ter to promote local development

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Roda de Ter has experienced notable industrial development thanks to Puig Vell, a sector that has provided new land area to meet the industrial demand in the area. This diversified and constantly expanding sector is characterised by the prominent presence of the agri-food industry, the leather sector, metallurgy and logistics transport.

With a total surface area of 16 hectares, Puig Vell has become an important pole of attraction for companies from various sectors. Prominent companies such as Costa Food Meat, Acto Reparación Blanco SLU, Ovinos del Ter, SL and Ova Projects have already acquired land in this area to develop their business projects. Likewise, other companies, including Tierras Boix, La Selecta and Muebles Bellmunt, have plots of land in the sector and have plans to start their activities in the near future.

Puig Vell enjoys a privileged location, bordering in the south with the municipality of Les Masies de Roda and in the north with the C-153 road from Vic to Olot, which is the main access to the area and very close to exit 183 of the C-25 motorway. This booming sector has consolidated itself as an effective response to the demand for industrial land in the area, driving economic development and generating new employment opportunities in Roda de Ter.

This booming sector has established itself as an effective response to the demand for industrial land in the area, driving economic development and generating new employment opportunities in Roda de Ter. With its industrial diversity and strategic location, Puig Vell continues to attract investment and reaffirm its position as a key economic driver in the region.

The first quarter of 2023 has seen steady growth in the Catalan economy

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During the first quarter of 2023, the Catalan economy showed steady growth. Compared to the previous quarter, Catalonia’s Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) increased by 1.2%. Moreover, a year-on-year growth of 3% was recorded, indicating a favourable economic outlook in the region.

Catalonia’s economy shows quarter-on-quarter growth above the average for Spain and the EU-27, with an increase of 1.2%. On an annual basis, Catalan PIB has grown by 3%, driven by the industrial sector. Although this growth is lower than that of the Spanish economy, it is still above the European average. A technical recession, which had been a possible scenario, has been avoided.

Pharmaceuticals, machinery manufacturing, beverages and the automotive sector have performed well, while food and chemical production has experienced declines.

Health startup investment in Catalonia has increased by 87%, bucking the global downward trend

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An astonishing 87% increase in investment in the health sector has managed to defy the downward trend observed around the world. The data has been provided by the Study on investment in the Life Sciences & Health sector in Catalonia 2022 promoted by CataloniaBio & HealthTech and EY.

During the year 2022, there have been notable declines in investment in the biotechnology and medical technology sectors in Europe and the US, according to the study. Making a big difference, the Catalan ecosystem continued to thrive and reached an incredible €445 million.

The main source of financing for companies in Catalonia continues to be venture capital (VC) funds. These funds have co-operated in raising €445 million, representing 77% of the total.

In the last year, notable deals have been carried out in the corporate sector, such as Medtech Impress, which raised €122m, and biotech companies Minoryx Therapeutics and SpliceBio, which raised more than €50m each, positioning themselves as key players in their respective sectors.

The digital health sector has raised capital of €39 million and operations increased by almost 20% by 2022. It is worth noting the increase in capital raised by service providers, with €28 million generated by 2022, €6 million more than in 2021.

The origin of the investments is mostly local. Around 90% of the shares of each company are owned by Catalan investors, with the exception of pharmaceutical companies, which tend to obtain foreign investment.

Health Sector Development in 2022

The study was based on direct surveys of companies and institutions belonging to CataloniaBio & HealthTech. The report includes the perspective of investors, offering a complementary view of the sector.

According to the data collected, 80% of the companies surveyed achieved their targets for 2022. Product development companies in the biotech and Medtech sectors were 71% and 82% successful respectively.

In addition, 92% of companies in digital health and 71% in the services sector also met their targets. The pharmaceutical industry performed outstandingly well, with 100% of companies surveyed meeting their targets. Both companies and investors are satisfied with the performance of the healthcare sector in 2022, considering it an example of the quality of the ecosystem and the professionalism of the sector in Catalonia.

INCASÒL opens the doors to economic success in Sant Feliu de Pallerols with the sale of its new sector of activity

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The sector will remedy the lack of land due to the existing industrialisation in the area, thus avoiding the relocation of existing companies and expanding the industrial fabric of the municipality.

The two plots have a surface area of 8.483,31 m² floor area and 9.501,31 m² roof area and the other of 27.612,31 m² floor area and 27.612,31 m² roof area.

Organisations interested in acquiring a plot of land must have submitted their application electronically to the electronic registry of the Generalitat de Catalunya before 22 May 2023.

There is no limitation as to the sector to be exploited, there are several possibilities. Industrial and tertiary sector use is foreseen, but other uses such as logistics, warehousing, technical and environmental services, car mechanics, service stations, road services, catering, recreational, educational, health-care, sports for gymnasium activities, paddle tennis, etc., cultural and urban services are also permitted.

The Llongafollia Plan has a surface area of 8.31 hectares. The plots belong to INCASÒL, which are located near the town of Sant Feliu de Pallerols and bordering the C-63 road towards Olot.

A total of 3.6 hectares will be used for economic activity and will be concentrated on the land known as Plan de Llongafollia. On the other hand, the land to be ceded for public facilities and green areas will be in the part located in La Plana.

The new economic activity sector of Sant Feliu de Pallerols, carefully planned for harmonious integration with its surroundings, is strategically located near the natural park of the Garrotxa volcanic area.

AstraZeneca to create 1,000 jobs and invest 800 million in R&D in Barcelona, the largest foreign investment in Catalonia’s history

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Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca will invest 800 million euros to create an R&D centre in Barcelona that will become a reference centre for clinical innovation in Europe in the company’s five main therapeutic areas.

The facility will bring together experts in clinical development and operations, pharmaceutical sciences, drug safety and data analytics to develop new therapies and address unmet patient needs. AstraZeneca’s CEO highlighted the importance of public-private collaboration in the development of new medicines and announced the company’s investment plans in Spain until 2025.

In the drug research and development sector, Spain stands out for its high level of professionals and its R&D&I ecosystem. In Catalonia alone, there are 91 research centres and more than 1,300 biopharmaceutical, healthcare, MedTech and digital health companies. The country has authorised more than 900 clinical trials with medicines, demonstrating its commitment to innovation.

The company AstraZeneca has invested more than 93 million euros in innovative projects in 2021, and the investment multiplied last year, reaching almost 400 million euros. In addition, the international pharmaceutical investment project in Barcelona has the support of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the Catalan government’s agency for foreign investment and business competitiveness.

Barcelona has become a strategic location for AstraZeneca, especially since it opened, together with Alexion, its clinical trials centre for rare diseases with an investment of 32 million euros. According to ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment data, Catalonia ranks sixth in Europe in clinical trial development, with more than 1,200 active trials, 50% in oncology, one of the areas in which AstraZeneca is strongest. This demonstrates the importance of the region to the company’s innovation and drug development strategy.

The Fraunhofer research centre, the largest in Europe, to be based in Barcelona for the first time

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The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe’s largest applied research organisation, will establish its Spanish headquarters in Barcelona, in collaboration with the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC). This alliance will boost the internationalisation of the biomedical sector and contribute to the development of a hub for medical bioengineering in southern Europe, as well as for precision medicine and advanced therapies, with a research centre for bioengineering applied to health.

This project will accelerate the internationalisation of the biomedical technology sector and contribute to the development of a medical bioengineering hub in southern Europe. The Regional Ministry stresses that the benefits of this alliance will be the increase in the capacity to link academic research sectors with industrial sectors and the acceleration of knowledge transfer.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is an organisation with a worldwide partnership programme, with centres in Europe, America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. In Europe, it has collaborative centres in Austria, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal and Sweden.

The Barcelona Zona Franca becomes the incubator of logistics innovation for startups

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The incubator has 18 actors using and developing new technologies which provide innovative solutions for the logistics sector, with the aim of selecting the 25 most attractive and innovative startups. The initiative is supported by the Incyde Foundation and the Feder Funds.

The incubator provides companies with the necessary equipment to develop disruptive logistics initiatives. With solutions in artificial intelligence, internet of things, big data, 3D printing, warehouse robotisation and green logistics, the incubator offers a think tank for the development and integration of Industry 4.0 in the logistics sector.

The project, supported by the Incyde Foundation and European Feder funds, also provides startups with funding of between 10,000 and 30,000 euros to scale their businesses, physical infrastructure, mentoring services and access to an entrepreneurial ecosystem to boost their networking.

Catalonia at the world’s most important Industry 4.0 trade fair, Hannover Messe

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The Minister for Enterprise and Employment of Catalonia, Roger Torrent, attended the Hannover Messe trade fair in Germany to promote Catalonia as one of the leading regions in Industry 4.0 in southern Europe. The fair was attended by more than 200,000 visitors and leading companies in the industrial sector.

During the visit, Torrent held several meetings with leading companies in the Industry 4.0 sector, such as Siemens Energy and SAP, and also met with executives from Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the most important applied research centre in Europe. The mission was organised by the ACCIÓN-Catalonia Trade & Investment offices in Germany and Denmark.

Torrent stated that Catalonia was one of the industrial engines of Europe and had one of the most advanced digital ecosystems on the continent, which, together with the generation of specialised talent and the presence of key scientific-technical infrastructures, placed it as one of the most capable regions in Industry 4.0. During his participation in the Hannover Messe fair, the minister focused on the latest trends in advanced manufacturing and automation, as well as the use of new energy resources such as hydrogen and how industry is incorporating technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and the cloud.

The minister travelled to Denmark to strengthen international connections in digitalisation and sustainability. During his visit, he met with different relevant technology centres such as Digital Hub Denmark, the State of Green and the Danish Technological Institute. He also held meetings with executives from companies such as Hempel and IO Interactive. The aim was to look for new ways to collaborate with Catalonia and to learn about the latest trends in digitalisation and sustainability in the country.

LaSalle invests in a Scanell logistics ship in Barcelona for 35 million

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LaSalle has invested 25 million to raise the property to 21,000 m2. The ship, which has been occupied by the French group Daher since the second quarter of 2022, is located at quince kilometres from Barcelona and 25 kilometres from the port.

Scannell Properties is a private equity company specializing in promoting developed real estate. They have offices in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, where they have carried out over 360 projects with a total volume of 7.8 million m2.

Since its inception to the national market, the company has deployed a growth strategy, buying land in different parts of the territory. The last operation was at the La Cova industrial estate in Manises, Valencia, with the development of a 19.171 m2 logistical platform.

The logistics centre will be state-of-the-art, sustainable, with additional offices and adapted to customer needs. It will be erected on a plot of 26,589 m2, where a warehouse of 16,612 m2, with offices and anexos buildings, will be built, totaling 2,559 m2 more.

It will have twenty loading docks, a large 32-metre maneuvering beach and a ship-free height of over 11 metres. It will have outdoor parking areas. It is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2023.

The German company BASF will build a new international hub of engineering on the Tarragona plant

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Carles Navarro, the general manager of BASF Spain, announced this during the annual results presentation. He commented that Spain plays an important strategic role on the company’s gloal map.

Two locations in the Spanish territory will increase their activities. On the one hand, the center of production in Tarragona, which houses the engineering unit. And on the other hand, Madrid, will take advantage of the synergy with our main partners in the projects of naïveness in the country. One important point in these two new projects is the creation of new jobs, in both locations.

During this 2023, the group will invest some 43 million euros in Spain to improve facilities and processes. In digital transformation, Spain ratified its strategic position in 2022. In Tarragona, at the production center, it has continued to advance with its own private red 5G facility, becoming one of the first companies in Spain, and pioneering chemistry to receive a 5G spectrum of its own to operate.

ICC is performing a new 22.400 m2 logistic project in Sabadell

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ICC, the company specializing in the promotion and management of logistical assets and Toyota Material Handling Espaaa have begun construction of the Sabadell ICC Logistic Park, a new project of more than 22,400 m2.

The hub logistic will be erected over a 37,247 m2 (3,247 sq ft) parent cell and will consist of two modules, one of which will be 16,500 m2, which will be the new headquarters for the Japanese company. This module is joined by another 5,900 m2, currently available.

This new Logistics Park will have the ICC label, which supports the highest levels of sustainability in the construction process and in the use of the building. In this respect, the logistics centre will have the most vanguard systems for waste management and energy efficiency.

Use measurements such as photovoltaic panels, LED lights, etc. In order to make it sustainable, the building is planned to opt for the LEED Gold certification granted by the US Green Building Council.

José Luis Martínez, a member of the ICC, comments, “the demand for logistical space remains strong in Catalonia and in this sense logistical centres with such an excellent location as we find ourselves in will continue to awaken interest from both tenants and investors.”

Toyota, future tenant of the new center

Toyota Material Handling Espaaa is one of the future tenants, who will move their headquarters from Barberà del Vallès to Sabadell next year. This location change is part of the company’s growth consolidation strategy, which aims to improve service.

With this privileged location, the firm will offer greater coverage thanks to its connections and facilities, created to provide good service.

The Barcelona Tech Association inaugurates Pier07, a new hub of business innovation dedicated to health

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Tech Barcelona and the Government of Catalonia have presented Pier07, a new hub for business innovation in the field of life and health sciences.

The initiative has been supported by ACCIÓ-Catalunya Trade . Investment, which has allocated ,125,000 to the promotion of the project. The headquarters, located in Via Laietana de Barcelona, has been inaugurated by the Minister of Health, Manel Balcells, the Secretary of Business and Competitiveness and the Director General of ACCIÓ-Catalunya Trade . Investment, Albert Castellanos, the President of Tech Barcelona, Miguel Vicente, the CEO of the entity, Miquel Martí.

The entrepreneurial innovation hub Pier07 is intended to boost innovation in the field of health and life sciences, and it becomes a key space for the development of projects in these sectors in the city of Barcelona.

During the inauguration of Pier07, Tech Barcelona president Miguel Vicente noted that “this space represents a unique opportunity for the creation and consolidation of companies in the health sector, as well as to encourage collaboration and innovation among the various agents of the ecosystem”. In addition, he noted that, “from Tech Barcelona we are committed to promoting entrepreneurial growth and entrepreneurship, and Pier07 is an example of this”.

The Secretary of Enterprise and Competitiveness and Director General of ACCIÓ-Catalunya Trade In Investement, Albert Castellanos, has also highlighted the importance of this new hub, stating that “Pier07 is a benchmark in the life and health sciences sector, and its typology has proved very effective in accelerating business development in this area”. He also stressed the contribution of this project to consolidating and projecting Barcelona as an innovative and dynamic city.

For its part, the Health Minister, Manuel Balcells, has subtracted the upsurge in having a space like Pier07, which allows technological advances in the field of health to be put into practice and people’s quality of life to be improved. “The Health . Life Sciences sector is a fundamental pillar of our economy, and with initiatives like this we can continue to drive its growth and its positive impact on society,” she said.

Catalonia received a record sterling investment of 6.4 billion in 2022

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This increase is partly due to 229 investment projects by multinational companies, 11% more than in 2021, which will generate some 19,500 new jobs when implemented.

The fDi Markets database is an international tool used by multinational companies to study future business investment projects.

The Catalan Minister for Business and Labour, Roger Torrent, has highlighted that the record number of foreign investment registered in Catalonia in 2022 is excellent, as it is linked to the productive economy and will generate stable and quality jobs.

The Government of Catalonia has broken a historical record in attracting foreign investment in 2022 through ACCIÓ-Catalunya Trade . Investment. Despite the volatility that this type of indicator can generate, Torrent has underlined that the volume of foreign investment recorded in Catalonia in the last five years has reached 20.3 billion euros, representing a 29% increase compared with the previous period.

Over the last five years, 950 projects have been registered, an increase of 58%, and 44,500 associated jobs have been created, representing an 82% increase.

In short, foreign investment in Catalonia is experiencing steady and solid growth that is contributing to boosting the productive economy and generating quality jobs.

Torrent has stated that the main investment projects in 2022 were from companies in the United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and China. The main sectors were ICT, machinery and equipment, infrastructure, electronic and electrical equipment, food and pharmaceutical industry.

Financial Times Group highlights Catalonia and Barcelona as leaders in attracting foreign investment in Europe

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According to FDi Magazine of the Financial Times group, Catalonia and Barcelona are the region and city, respectively, with the best strategy for attracting foreign investment in Europe. This ranking is highly valued by multinationals to study future business investment projects and recognises the strategy carried out by the Generalitat de Catalunya, especially that of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, which attracted 94 foreign investment projects, an investment of 620 million euros and the creation of more than 3,400 jobs by 2022. Of particular note is the ProACCIO Green programme, which offers support and aid to business projects related to sustainability.

The project of the South Korean company Iljin Materials, which will invest 600 million euros to open its first factory in Europe in Catalonia and create 500 jobs, stands out as an example of the success of the strategy of attracting foreign investment. FDi Magazine also highlights the presence of 12 universities in Catalonia that are helping to accelerate the region’s transformation into a leader in Industry 4.0. Catalonia was ranked first, along with Ile-de-France (France), in the category of Large European Regions of the Future – FDI Strategy. 

The recognition shows that Catalonia is attractive for foreign investment and is a magnet for high added value projects, according to the Catalan Minister of Enterprise and Employment, Roger Torrent. He also commented that “a large number of foreign companies in Catalonia decide to reinvest here again, so they have confidence in the country and in our government”.

The document places the Catalan capital in first place in fDI’s European Cities and Regions of the Future 2023 – FDI Strategy category. The award also highlights “the city’s successful technology ecosystem, which received a boost last year with Intel’s decision to partner with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center to establish a microchip design lab”. Barcelona is ahead of European cities such as Dublin, Berlin, Munich and Milan.

Microsoft is planning to hire 100 new employees at its artificial intelligence centre in Barcelona

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The company has already hired around 80 people for the AI centre in recent months and plans to expand its team further. The news comes as Microsoft confirms the global layoff of 10,000 employees, representing around 5% of its total workforce.

On the other hand, Granados said the job cuts will not affect data centre projects in Spain, but some areas will be reprioritised towards more strategic projects. 

Microsoft opened its AI centre in Barcelona in September 2021 and it is the first of its kind in Spain, the fourth in Europe and the eighth in the world.

Investment in healthcare startups increases significantly in Catalonia

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According to Biocat’s annual report, the Catalan healthcare startup ecosystem raised a total of 445 million euros in 2022, almost double the amount raised the previous year. The healthcare sector already represents 8.7% of Catalan GDP and is made up of 1,350 companies and a hundred research institutions, with an aggregate workforce of 247,600 workers. The CEO of Biocat, Robert Fabregat, highlights that “the ecosystem has continued to grow in most of the identifiers, despite the unstable international situation”, and describes 2022 as “historic”.

The €122 million round from Impress, which specialises in digital treatments for invisible braces, was the highest in the history of the healthcare sector and has driven investment growth. However, the sector would still have outperformed last year’s investment even without the Impress deal, attracting €323 million.

The biotech sector also broke records with €185m, while investment in digital health companies declined for the first time in five years, falling 40% compared to 2021, with only €39m.

Venture capital continues to be the main source of funding, providing 343 million euros, 77% of the total. The Biocat report on the Catalan healthcare sector shows that in 2022 competitive grants were the second most important source of funding for Catalan healthcare startups, with 53 million euros (12% of the total). This figure is the highest ever and almost doubles the figures achieved in previous years. The main contributions came from the European Innovation Council (EIC Accelerator) and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI).

The health sector in Catalonia shows great business and research dynamism, with more than 1,200 active clinical trials in Catalan hospitals and a participation in 75% of the clinical trials carried out in the rest of Spain. Half of these trials focus on oncology, followed by cardiovascular diseases, ophthalmology, central nervous system, mental health and minority diseases. It should be noted that Catalonia ranks fifth in Europe in terms of scientific publications per million inhabitants.

Port of Barcelona traffic hits record high leaving pandemic behind

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After the pandemic, the Port of Barcelona has resumed its activity, surpassing the highest figure in the historical series so far, the 67.8 million tonnes in 2018.

The Port of Barcelona has registered a record at the operational level in 2022 and has managed to exceed its pre-pandemic turnover with 181 million euros. Although this income has been affected by a €25 million recovery plan to cope with the crisis, the year’s profits have improved on those of 2019, reaching €63 million. The Port’s president, Lluís Salvadó, highlighted these results as good, given the complicated international context in which they have been perceived.

The port’s total traffic has recorded a homogeneous growth in all segments, except for container traffic, which has remained similar to the previous year. Excluding containers, the most dynamic traffics have been potash and hydrocarbons, with an increase of 53% and 34.5%, respectively, driven by the investments made in previous years and the energy crisis. 

On the other hand, car traffic has improved significantly with an increase of 18.4%. It should be noted that exports have been affected by the lack of semiconductors and the closure of the Nissan plant. Imports grew by 63% and overall traffic by 145.7%.

José Alberto Carbonell, general manager of the Port of Barcelona, comments, “in recent years, the Port of Barcelona has become a distribution hub”, in order to understand the increase in traffic, with cars coming from Asia and being distributed throughout Europe from the Catalan capital. Electric cars account for 20% of imports, which are increasing and have made China the main origin, relegating Japan.

At present, the segment that continues to suffer the effects of covid are cruises, with 2.3 million passengers registered in 2022, still far from the 3.1 million of 2019, but above the 521,000 of 2021. Moderate growth is expected, between 2% and 3%, although improvements are expected on issues such as the recovery of routes with Barcelona as a home port and deseasonalisation.

Investment plan

The Barcelona Port Authority plans to invest some 300 million euros during 2023, according to Salvadó, “a qualitative leap” compared to previous years, with 32 million invested in 2021. Updating port infrastructures will be the most important item, with 200 million euros earmarked for new berths at the Moll de l’Energia and the enlargement of the Moll Adossat. 

In addition, 35 million euros will be invested in the electrification of the port and 28 million euros in new railway accesses. 31 million euros will also be earmarked for the renovation of the Port Vell, with the aim of preparing it for the America’s Cup.

Colt Technology, Barcelona Cable Landing Station’s first terrestrial customer

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The Barcelona Cable Landing Station is a submarine fibre optic cable landing station located in Sant Adrià de Besòs, which is taking its first steps after its commissioning. The first cable powered by Meta has been announced and an agreement has been signed with the operator DE-CIX. In addition, the British multinational Colt Technology Services, which specialises in terrestrial fibre optic routes and network services, has become the station’s first terrestrial customer.

Colt Technology Services will be based in Sant Adrià to connect its cable landing station, the Barcelona Cable Landing Station, to Europe’s leading digital hubs such as Paris, London and Frankfurt. The company will have access to more than 1,000 data centres and 31,000 buildings in 220 cities in some thirty countries in Europe, Asia and North America. In addition, it will also provide an express overland route to other cable landing stations such as Lisbon, Bilbao and Marseille.

Colt Technology already had a presence on the Iberian Peninsula, where it has deployed a fibre optic network, nodes and data centre connections in cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao and Lisbon. In Barcelona, the company has 13 data centre connection points and will now add one more. The London-based company has also previously worked with the owner of the submarine cable station, Catalan company AFR-IX Telecom, which provides Internet access in more than 50 African countries.

The Barcelona Cable Landing Station has the capacity to accommodate up to eight submarine fibre optic cables from Africa, the Mediterranean and Asia, as well as terrestrial customers such as Colt. The third cable to arrive is expected to be the Medusa cable, built by AFR-IX and Nokia Group’s Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), the longest cable in the Mediterranean at 8,700 kilometres. The station is expected to reach full capacity in 2027.

Catalonia closes 2022 with the lowest unemployment since 2007

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The difference between this year and the previous year is very notable, in December 2022 there were 22,820 fewer people registered as unemployed, compared to the same month in 2021, that is -6.18%.

The highest figures since records began in 2004 were reached, with 3,615,780.

Compared to December 2021, there was a fall in unemployment of 11.74% in Tarragona, -11.25% in Lleida, -9.88% in Girona and, finally, -4.31% in Barcelona. 

The number of unemployed people in Spain as a whole remains below 3 million, decreasing by 1.52% compared to the figures of November 2022. Over the past year, unemployment in Catalonia fell by -8.64%, below the Spanish average. 

More than one third -38% of all new contracts have been indefinite since the labour reform of the Gobierno Español came into force.

The Port Olímpic moves towards a sustainable economy and nautical activities

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Barcelona City Council’s Governing Committee has begun processing the Special Urban Development and Uses Plan for the Port Olímpic. The aim is to turn this infrastructure into a space without barriers and with better connections, to create an area that promotes the blue economy and gastronomy, and to democratise access to marine activities.

The scope of the plan covers a total area of 180,925 square metres, of which 103,561 correspond to the land where the port infrastructure will be built, including the Mestral, Marina, Gregal, Xaloc and Dic de Recer, while the rest, 77,363 square metres, correspond to the sheltered sheet of water. The total ceiling foreseen for the scope of the plan is 32,700 square metres.

According to the City Council, the plan confirms the commitment to the nautical sector, the sustainable economy and catering as the central axes of the new Port Olímpic’s activity. 

In relation to the blue economy, nautical training, dissemination and recreational activities are promoted, with the aim of helping the people of Barcelona to gain a better relationship with the sea. The presence of entrepreneurs and nautical service companies will also be encouraged.

The plan places emphasis on improving accessibility to the Port of Barcelona, with the construction of new accesses from the Vila Olímpica and the beach, as well as the creation of public spaces specifically designed for walking and sporting activities. The City Council has reported that the works for the construction of the new access from the coastal ring road are progressing at a ‘good pace’, as well as the adaptation of the premises of the Moll of Mestral and the urbanisation of the Dic de recer. In addition, the refurbishment of the Sailing Centre is being put out to tender.

The plan also stresses the importance of promoting the use of green spaces, renewable energy and waste collection, among other initiatives to combat climate change and increase commitment to sustainability. 

Spain records 15% increase in the number of deep tech startups, with 291 in Catalonia

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The technology startups currently employing the most people are in the biotechnology and artificial intelligence sectors. According to the study, deep tech companies employ more than 1,700 people.

Over the last five years there has been a boom in the creation of technology start-ups in Catalonia. The Minister of Enterprise and Employment, Roger Torrent, encourages to continue building this ecosystem of universities and top-level research centres in order to have more professionals in the advanced technology sector.

These startups provide pioneering technological and knowledge solutions in the fields of science, technology and engineering. They are completely new solutions, with the aim of creating new markets, such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology.

In 2022, a record was set in Catalonia, with some 159 million euros invested in this sector, making Barcelona the first hub in southern Europe based on the financing of deep tech startups.

The government also announced that a special fund with a budget of 2.5 million euros will be set up to subsidise deep-tech companies and those with a lifespan of less than three years. This grant, which will be in place from this year, will provide beneficiaries with up to 250,000 euros interest-free for the first four years. The creators of these start-ups will only have to repay 80% of the total credit received. This will contribute to the growth of Catalonia’s high-tech industry.

If these investments are realised, President Pere Aragonès expects more than 1,800 new job opportunities.

The Generalitat de Catalunya celebrates Cisco’s investment by opening its first semiconductor design centre in Barcelona

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This is a strategic investment that will have a significant impact on boosting R&D activity in Catalonia. For the Government, this is an important investment linked to semiconductors, with the aim of boosting local industry and attracting new foreign investment projects to the sector. 

 

Government of Catalonia is delighted that the US multinational Cisco is opening a semiconductor design centre in Barcelona, making it the first city in the European Union to have such an infrastructure.

 

This type of investment is highly competitive internationally and contributes to guaranteeing Catalonia’s technological independence, as well as that of Europe. 

 

The relationship between Catalonia and Cisco has been growing closer in recent months. The Catalan president, Pere Aragonès, met during the last Mobile World Congress with the CEO of the multinational, Chuck Robbins, as well as with the company’s vice-president, Mark Patterson, and the general manager of Cisco in Spain, Andreu Vilamitjana. 

 

The new semiconductor design centre in Barcelona has created 150 new skilled jobs. The company has also expanded its Barcelona design centre by 1,200 m2 and plans to build a new 3,000 m2 building in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat with a test laboratory.

Renfe invests 5 million euros in new access controls at Rodalies stations

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The project tendered by Renfe for the supply, replacement, installation and maintenance of access control machinery at Rodalies de Catalunya stations involves an investment of €5,122,342.32 including IVA.

 

The obsolete access control equipment is being replaced to install it in stations that do not have access control and wherever it is necessary. 

 

The new installations will be adapted for people with reduced mobility, will be bi-directional, and will have contactless card reader devices, 1D/2D barcodes and T-Mobilitat barcodes, both at the entrance and exit. 

 

This project responds to one of the points of Renfe’s Strategic Plan. This document includes the promotion of digital transformation and the provision of security and comfort for the customer. 

 

It is an action financed by NextGenerationEU funds. 

INCASÒL has been chosen as a partner in the Greening Cities partnership, framed in the Urban Agenda of the European Union

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The choice of INCASÒL’s participation was made by experts contracted by the European Commission, highlighting “the work, experience and ideas of INCASÒL” as an important partner for this project.

 

The project will be coordinated by the Nuovo Circondario and the Romanian Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administrations, and will involve some twenty European organisations.

 

The initiative will focus on green and blue infrastructures in an urban context, taking into account aspects such as sustainable transport, water management or urban agriculture.

 

Being a partner in this project aims to develop action plans to improve existing regulations in order to meet the challenges of cities and urban areas. Furthermore, to improve and support innovative and more accessible financing funds for urban areas. On the other hand, to share and develop knowledge. 

Five urban innovation projects win the third edition of the “La ciudad proactiva” call for proposals

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BIT Habitat, in charge of promoting urban innovation to respond to social, economic, technological and environmental challenges, launches the third edition of “La ciudad proactiva. Innovación con impacto”.

 

The winning projects will receive half a million euros, which will be used to finance up to 80% of each project. 

 

The five winning projects present solutions to address the challenges of energy transition, climate emergency, urban transformation, housing and social cohesion. 

 

The winning projects are:

 

  • Logirepak: presented by Fundación Catalana para la Prevención de Residuos y Consumo Responsable [Recero] y Design by Intuition [Paka] Urban logistics network for the reuse of packaging for fresh food in city markets. Subsidised with 120,000 €. 
  • TEPAC: presented by the following organisations: Batec Pol Cooperatiu per la Transició Energètica, Azimut 360 y La Fabric@. Seeking to unblock the use of communal rooftops to facilitate the construction of energy communities. Subsidised with 120,000 €.
  • RAVALoritza: presented by Transfolab Bcn and Raons públiques, participatory design and co-creation of furniture for the space of the Casal dels Infants del Raval youth group, with an educational strategy. Subsidised with around €40,000. 
  • RESPIRA: project presented by the group formed by Noumena Design Research Education, el Instituto de Arquitectura Avanzada de Cataluña, la Asociación de Vecinos y Vecinas del Poblenou and Plataforma de Entidades de las Roquetes. Subsidised with nearly €100,000.
  • DaTaLoG: initiative presented by Universidad Pompeu Fabra and Ideas for Change.Data trust that will allow, in a participatory manner, the use of water, electricity and gas consumption data to make better decisions on access, savings and the impact of energy consumption. Subsidised with approximately €115,000. 

 

In addition to financial support, BIT Habitat will provide the projects with expert mentoring and facilitate access to technology in order to develop prototypes. It will also provide technical accompaniment and communication and dissemination support. 

Currently, 22 innovative projects are underway thanks to this aid initiative launched in 2022.

The expansion of Parc de l’Alba and the Synchrotron is now a reality

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He made the visit accompanied by the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Joaquim Nadal, and with them was the director of the ALBA Synchrotron, Caterina Biscari. Also present during the visit were Joan Gómez, Director General of Research, Carlos Cordón, the mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès, Javier Lafuente, the rector of the UAB, Pere Solà, the director of Parc de l’Alba and Joan Borràs, the territorial delegate of Barcelona. 

 

Aragonès highlighted the ALBA II project as “one of Catalonia’s great scientific assets and an exceptional research tool”.  

 

TRANSFER OF LAND FOR THE ALBA II PROJECT

 

At the end of the visit, the President, accompanied by the Councillor and the director of ALBA, confirmed the transfer of the adjacent land to ALBA. This land will double the current surface area of the ALBA Synchrotron.

 

It is an opportunity for the future development of a scientific and innovation pole in collaboration with other institutions. 

 

The ALBA II project foresees the construction of three new extra-long beamlines to be located on the new land allocated to the project. The project will carry out the modernisation of existing scientific instruments, the development of the infrastructure to store and analyse data and the creation of a state-of-the-art instrument that will be available, from 2030 onwards, to the public and private scientific community with the aim of solving societal challenges and advancing knowledge of the world around us. 

Approval of the Biopol-Granvia del Hospitalet Urban Development Master Plan

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This is the new version of the instrument, previously called PDU Gran Via-Llobregat, after the reformulation during the last two years after the courts declared it null and void in 2020.

 

This Pla Director Urbanístic is the way to establish the urban planning guidelines to develop the innovation and health “biocluster”. A group of companies linked to biomedicine in which the Bellvitge Hospital, the UB Health Sciences campus, the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the Duran i Reynals Hospital, headquarters of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) will be present.

 

This project is led jointly by the Generalitat and the city council, which have stated that, “The mission of the new PDU is the transformation and development of the land to promote the implementation of a new pole of economic activity linked to research, biomedical research and health sciences”.

 

This project affects 8% of the territory of l’Hospitalet de Llobregat and involves an investment of some 229 million euros. The initial validation of this process is the most relevant procedure. The corresponding provisional and definitive approvals will follow later.

 

This project aims to strengthen and consolidate biomedical research and innovation through an ecosystem that attracts companies in the health sector. The initiative is expected to create around 50,000 jobs and a turnover of more than 7 billion euros.

Barcelona to invest 10 million euros in funds from fund managers based in the metropolitan area

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The City Council’s aim is to consolidate the city as the digital capital of southern Spain. According to Deputy Mayor Jaume Collboni, ten million euros will be invested in six private venture capital funds through a new public-private fund, Barcelona Accelera. 

 

The six selected funds must commit to invest at least three times the amount committed by the city council, which in no case can be their initial investment, as their contribution will represent a maximum of 10%.

 

The aim of the council is to recover the capital invested within a decade and to promote start-ups in the city.

 

The projects will be chosen through a competition, in which certain requirements must be met. Some of these requirements are to be based in the Catalan capital or in a town in the metropolitan area and to form part of one of the strategic sectors that form part of the ‘Barcelona Green Deal’ schedule.  In addition, the city council will take into account for part of the investment, companies led by women. 

 

The initiative will be led by the municipal economic development agency Barcelona Activa. 

 

Aena boosts the growth of El Prat airport planned for 2024

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To begin with, a hotel will be put out to tender in Terminal 2 from 2024, although construction will not be completed until 2026. There are also plans for 36 hectares of logistics space in front of T2 and, in time, the development of a hotel in T1, as well as offices. So far, Aena has not been able to carry out any of the project due to a lack of political consensus.

Despite opposition to airport expansion, Aena plans to develop 151 hectares at Barcelona airport. On the other hand, at Madrid-Barajas Airport, Aena awarded P3, a subsidiary of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, the development of 32 hectares for logistics uses for around 170 million euros. The next step will be to add offices and hotels to the airport city by the end of next year. 

During the first half of 2025 it is planned to launch the logistics hub at the Costa del Sol-Malaga Airport and during the first six months of 2026, its hotel hub. The master plans for Valencia and Seville are expected to be finalised in 2023. 

More than 9,000 multinationals set up in Catalonia

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The long list has just been joined by technology companies such as Cisco and its first European chip design centre in Ca L’Alier, the investments of Lenovo and Intel in the BSC, or that of the American MPS in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. There have also been incorporations in the automotive sector, with the South Korean ILJIN, and in the health sector, with AstraZeneca’s new technology centre for rare diseases, the digital centre of the Swiss company Ypsomed and Veeva, which specialises in software development for the pharmaceutical industry. 

In numbers, they have surpassed those before the pandemic, when there were 8,908 (2019). As a result, Acció is working with a portfolio of 613 foreign investment projects, which is 56% more than in 2020. 

Typology of companies

The more than 9,000 multinationals established in Catalonia account for 18.5% of employment in Spain. It is worth noting that the majority are located in the Barcelonès region (60.8%), Vallès Occidental (11.2%) and Baix Llobregat (10.6%).

Micro-companies are predominant with a percentage of 42.6%, ahead of small companies (29.1%), medium-sized companies (19.8%) and large companies, which account for the lowest percentage (8.5%). On the other hand, companies more than 20 years old since their creation stand out (33%). 

In terms of sectors, infrastructure and construction are by far the main players, with almost 2,000 companies, representing 13.1% of the total. They are followed by ICT and Industry 4.0 companies with 897, or 9.8%, and machinery and capital goods with 658, or 7.2%. 

On the other hand, the origin of these companies is varied, but by far the largest proportion comes from Europe (74%). Behind them are those from North America (15%) and Asia (8%). Finally, the countries that account for 57.7% of the total are France, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy.

The port of Barcelona wins the European Sea Ports Organisation’s annual award

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The European association of ports (European Sea Ports Organisation) has awarded Barcelona. The city of Barcelona is ahead of five other European ports with the award, and is also ahead of Ceuta, the other Spanish candidate nominated for this recognition.

With the award, ESPO recognises the Port of Barcelona for its work in connectivity with the city for the maritime transport of passengers. In addition to rewarding the environmental and social sustainability of the project, which was a requirement to qualify for the award.

One of the members of the jury, Dimitrios Theologitis, emphasised that “the Catalan site has one of the largest port investment projects in Europe today”, congratulating it on its action, following the plan defined during the 1992 Olympic Games.

On the other hand, the President of the Port of Barcelona, Damià Calvet, celebrated the recognition of ESPO. A few hours after the winner of the award was announced, the highest authority of the Port of Barcelona related the award to the execution of the current strategic plan. Moreover, he commented, “if we did not have this strategic plan, it would be open to criticism, but we have it and it is being well executed”. 

Calvet admitted that, “it makes us particularly excited because it recognises the effort to think, reach a consensus and connect the port with the city, while maintaining port activity”. 

Barcelona improves its attraction of talent in Europe after the new law on ‘Startups’

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There are several factors that determine a professional’s decision when deciding where to develop his or her career or invest. Not only the quality of life or pleasant weather. 

Barcelona has positioned itself in recent years as a winning city in the league of attracting international talent, even so, its potential has not been maximised as a result of some shortcomings. Some of these include excessive bureaucracy, a lack of English-language education and a number of other shortcomings that prevent the city from exploiting its full potential.

The Barcelona Global association’s main objective is to eliminate or reduce these obstacles. The organisation is convinced that Barcelona has the potential to become one of the world’s leading cities for talent and the economy. 

The new Startups Law, which the association has been working on for more than five years, has specific objectives. Starting with effectively improving taxation, reducing bureaucracy and boosting the entrepreneurial ecosystem and attracting talent. 

Although the regulation is an improvement for the whole of Spain, it will mainly benefit the Catalan capital, according to Maite Barrera, president of the association involved. The city will be able to better capitalise on the changes introduced, given that it is currently considered the third favourite city in Europe to create a startup.

Some of the successful tech companies born in Barcelona are Glovo, Wallbox, Travelperk, Factorial, eDreams and Privalia, all of which have added value to the Catalan capital. In addition, the new law will attract digital hubs of large companies such as Nestlé, Pepsico, HP and Amazon, among others. 

Barcelona is pioneer in setting up an interchangeable battery station for cars and motorbikes

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Cepsa and Acciona-Silence have joined forces to promote this electric battery exchange point for cars and motorbikes. Barcelona is the pioneer city in setting up this station. The main objective of the project is to facilitate the rapid recharging of batteries. 

Carlos Sotelo, CEO of Silence and Mobility Acciona explains, “the user arrives and has an already charged battery at his disposal”. The executive adds, “we are talking about a system that is more economical and cleaner than petrol”. 

The exchange station will be located on Carrer Comte d’Urgell. In the coming months, the two companies plan to build ten similar facilities in Barcelona and the country’s capital. 

Main advantages of the service

The main advantage of this new service is its immediacy, as the process is very similar in time to refuelling. In addition, this service encourages the use of electric vehicles, offering a 40% saving on the purchase cost. In this case, the batteries are not included, they are rented.

This service will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers will pay a monthly fee to take advantage of the service and, according to media reports, a fee that is significantly lower than that paid for fuel.

 This test responds to the need to anticipate future scenarios such as the increasing demand for green hydrogen in road vehicle transport. The ultimate goal is for the population to have access to renewable energy sources, in the shortest possible time, in order to guarantee long journeys without problems. 

In 2022 the tourism sector in Catalonia will provide 7.8% more employment than in 2021

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During October, tourist employment in Catalonia fell by 4.3% compared with September. In figures, 12,496 workers were no longer employed in October compared with the previous month. This event coincides with the end of the summer season and is not perceived as negative, as compared with the previous year, recruitment has increased by 7.8%. 

In Spain as a whole, the tourism sector employed 2.5 million people in October, 69,834 fewer than in September. Even so, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism emphasised that this is the best historical record for the tenth month of the year. In the whole of Spain the growth was 6.4%.

Compared to last year, the number of employed workers increased by 10.2%, a figure that is worth noting. On the other hand, self-employed workers decreased by 1%.  In figures, there were 225,703 employees and 55,240 self-employed.

Inflation in Catalonia falls in the last quarter of the year

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The improvement has been noticeable during the last months of the year, as in September we were 1.7 percentage points below the previous month’s 10.2%. It is worth noting that July recorded an all-time high of 10.3%. 

This change in prices has been mainly influenced by the decrease in the prices of electricity, gas, clothing and footwear. On the other hand, food and non-alcoholic beverages increased. 

As for the food sector, fresh vegetables and pulses have increased (+24.6%), as well as oils and fats have increased in price (+22.6%). On the other hand, the most significant increase was in sugar 36.5%. 

Other categories that experienced an increase were transport (+8.3%), restaurants and hotels (+7%).

It is worth noting that the only category where prices fell was communications (-2%).

Pimec issues a warning after celebrating October’s decline

The association of small and medium-sized enterprises, Pimec, welcomed this improvement in prices in October, but warned that inflation could be reflected in other areas. 

The organisation said in a statement that actions were being taken to curb the rise in electricity prices and were having an effect. But on the other hand, it remarked that this was not possible with fuel prices or the food sector. 

The employers’ organisation claims that prices remain very high in all sectors, even in those that are gradually decreasing. 

Nestlé invests 100 million euros in its Girona factory

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The Swiss multinational Nestlé will invest 100 million euros in the Girona factory over the next three years. The aim is to strengthen the production of single-dose capsules, as well as the production of soluble coffee with Spray Dry technology. The investment also involves the installation of state-of-the-art technology to accelerate the improvement of sustainability and logistics.

Jordi Jaen, director of the Nestlé factory in the Catalan city, says, “We are very proud to attract this investment to the Girona factory in recognition of the professional qualifications and skills of the team. It also represents a step forward in the consolidation of the factory as a reference plant for the Group”.

In addition, the investment will mean an increase in production capacity, which will maintain the factory’s current level of employability and create new job opportunities for years to come. Nestlé employs around 276,000 people and is present in 186 countries.

It should be noted that there will be a reorganisation of some activities, such as the closure of the decaffeinated coffee production area.

Over the last few years, the Girona factory has grown considerably to become a world reference centre for the manufacture of soluble coffee and beverages in single-dose capsules.

Successful Saló Nàutic closes with 50.000 visitors and more than 700 vessels

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This year’s event had a clear focus on sustainability, featuring electric and hybrid boats.

The 60th edition of the Saló Nàutic Internacional de Barcelona closed on 16th October with more than 50,000 visitors, 279 exhibitors, more than 700 boats and 80 novelties, according to the Fira de Barcelona.

It was held at the Moll de la Madera, the Moll de España and the Marina Port Vell in Barcelona and lasted five days. The event has increased its offer by 22% and has increased its space by 40%, according to the Fira de Barcelona.

The event aimed to promote sustainability in the sector, showcasing new electric and hybrid boats. The show was attended by 400 international buyers, who were able to see 28 catamarans and 14 boats, which are candidates for the Mejor Barco Europeo del Año.

The fair has been the setting for the presentation to visitors of the America’s Cup, which will be held in 2024 off the coast of Barcelona. For this reason, the New Zealand organising team has been present and the visit of the members of the Swiss team Alinghi, a group that is already training in the Catalan capital, has been reported.

INNOVATION

Fifteen start-ups from seven different countries have presented their projects for a digitised and less aggressive marine environment. A small-scale boat has been presented, with an aesthetic similar to that of a car, which functions as a taxi but at sea. This is the project of the company Seabubble and the difference it presented compared to similar projects from other years is that the boat is completely electric. The aim of this proposal is to save time and energy, according to statements made by Joan Company, one of the promoters of this project.

Another innovation presented during the show was a remotely operated life-saver, with the purpose of reaching the victim as quickly as possible. It is a project created by a Valencian company called Proteus. The lifeguard has a built-in microphone and loudspeaker, so that the rescuer and the victim can be in contact.

The event organisers have declared that “it has been one of the best events in recent years thanks to the large number of visitors registered, the quality of the offer and the business contacts generated”, which helps to reinforce the event as a leader and benchmark in the sector in Spain.

Barcelona is home to 3 of the best universities in the world according to the THE Ranking

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A prestigious ranking of the best universities, headed by Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge, has ranked the Universitat de Barcelona, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra as the best Spanish educational centres.

Barcelona has three of the two hundred best universities in the world, according to The World University Ranking, published by The Times Higher Education, the most renowned magazine in university education. The ranking involved the analysis of 2,325 academic centres from a total of 104 countries. Despite the fact that only 1,799 universities competed, which are those that met the requirements for classification.

The 182nd place in the ranking of the best universities in the world is occupied by the Universitat de Barcelona, followed by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, which occupies the consecutive position, 183rd. And with very little difference is the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in the 186th position of the ranking.

The Top 200 ranking is led by ten American and British universities, but it is worth noting that the only Spanish universities on the list are from Barcelona.

INDICATORS THAT ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN THE RANKING PROCESS

The Times Higher Education ranking is based on thirteen indicators that measure five specific areas: teaching, research, academic appointments, internationalisation and knowledge transfer, and it should be noted that not all universities score equally well on these indicators. The three Barcelona universities have a similar score, with the Universitat de Barcelona obtaining a total score of 55.7 points, the Autónoma de Barcelona a total of 55.6 and Pompeu Fabra a total of 55.4.

The rector of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Oriol Amat, attended the celebration ceremony in which the data of the study was released, held in New York. He said, “We once again remain among the top 200 universities in the world and among the leaders in Spain. Constant improvement is one of the main pillars of UPF’s work, and the rankings help us to know what we are doing well and what we can improve”.

In the case of the UPF, it stands out for its business and law branches, its research and its international impact. The UAB is one of the best universities to study humanities and the quality of its teaching stands out in Europe. And the UB stands out as one of the most prestigious universities in the world in terms of research impact, especially in the field of medicine.

By the end of this year the Barcelona Cable Landing Station will be ready to receive the first submarine cables.

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The first digital port in Catalonia is located in Sant Adrià de Besòs. It will be a strategic area for fibre optic connections in southern Europe.

Barcelona Cable Landing Station is the first landing station to be built in Catalonia with an international dimension. This infrastructure will soon become a benchmark digital port in the Mediterranean. The first two cables are expected to arrive at the end of the year, although the infrastructure is ready to receive up to eight submarine fibre optic cables.

The infrastructure has involved an investment of seven million euros. All the capital has been provided by AFR-IX telecom, which is a Catalan telecommunications company that has promoted the project and will soon move its headquarters to the building.

“Considering that 98% of internet traffic is carried by submarine cable, Barcelona Cable Landing Station will be a key part of gaining connectivity with the world,” said Norman Abi, CEO of the company.

Over the next ten years, all eight international submarine cables are expected to land, making the infrastructure an essential hub for the digital economy of the entire country, creating an alternative to the port of Marseille, which is currently suffering from saturation due to the high number of cables landing there.

WHAT IS A SUBMARINE CABLE?

Submarine cables perform the same function as an aircraft at an airport, but in this case they carry information. The data on these fibre optic cables is sent from the landing station to different data centres.

In this case, it is the first open port in Catalonia and the second in Spain, i. e-access for unrestricted cable access. It is an innovation, since usually each company that owns a cable has to build its own landing station for the cable connection.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The location of the digital port is in Sant Adrià de Besòs. It is a two-storey building with a total area of 2,657 m2 in which eight rooms have been fitted out for laying the submarine cables, each with a capacity for 16 telecommunications racks. The facilities meet all safety standards, as well as energy efficiency, since the structure has 194 solar panels.

New incubator dedicated to the logistics business in the Zona Franca de Barcelona

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The Zona Franca Consortium of Barcelona has won a public call for grants from the Incyde Foundation of the Spanish Chambers of Commerce to set up a high-tech logistics 4.0 Incubator, which will be located in the DFactory Barcelona.

After resorting to a public call for aid from the Incyde Foundation of the Spanish Chambers of Commerce, it has allowed them to cover 50% of the two million euros of investment planned for this initiative. This project will be active towards the beginning of 2023, according to sources from the Zona Franca.

The project will cover different objectives oriented towards emerging technologies within the logistics sector. The incubator aims to improve business competitiveness, the value of new technological applications and increase economic activity in the Zona Franca de Barcelona by increasing its attractiveness. In order to optimise the different processes, it involves robotics and automated warehouses. And to optimise the processes, the big date will be used to collect all the data generated.

The incubator will enable Catalonia to prosper with competitive advantages. It will make up 29% of Spain’s logistics surface area. It has some 39,000 companies in the sector, which is why it is a key territory for boosting the sector. The main improvements will be in the efficiency and versatility of production processes, as well as the internationalisation of initiatives and the development of innovation and specialised talent.

On the other hand, the opportunities of this project are to increase the economic impact and develop greater digital competences, both in skills and knowledge to consolidate the logistics centre.

Incyde has launched 23 high-tech incubators throughout Spain. Pepe Navarro, State delegate in the Zona Franca Consortium of Barcelona, stressed the importance of this because, “it is a key moment in the development of the logistics sector”. He added that the objective is to strengthen and reinforce the role of the Zona Franca.

Catalonia recovers 88% of the international tourism compared to the previous 2019

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According to a study conducted by the Agència Catalana de Turisme, Catalonia has recovered 88% of international tourism this year, compared to 2019. There has also been an increase in business tourism, with 81% compared to 2019.

On the other hand, the most visited tourists were from the United States, 33.5% more than three years ago. This was followed by the Dutch with an increase of 24.11% and Switzerland and the Nordic countries with almost a quarter. Although the figures for France and Ireland were only 5% more than in 2019.

Although the figures are positive compared to 2019, expenditure and overnight stays are still lower than in the year before the pandemic. According to research, these facts are conditioned by the closure of powerful international markets such as Japan, Russia and China.

“We have to look at where we are and put the tools in place to adapt to the medium and long-term transformations,” said the Minister for Enterprise, Roger Torrent, looking ahead to 2023, and affirming that it will be a key year for defining what tourism is expected in the territory.

The District, a new opportunity to open our activities to the world

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From October the 19th to October 21st Barcelona has held a new real estate fair that aims to be a new voice within the real estate industry. During those days, Barcelona, its Metropolitan Area, and Catalonia, through the name Barcelona Catalonia, have been sharing their projects amongst the international public that attended the fair. Barcelona Catalonia has also held different debates and conferences both at the Main Auditorium and at the Innovation Arena.

The Barcelona Catalonia Conference, which took place on Friday the 21st at the main auditorium revolved around the idea of talent and innovation and how those are key factors for a stable business environment, and how Barcelona and Catalonia manage them. der the title of “Barcelona Catalonia: Talent & Innovation Hub”, the session was moderated by the associated director of the bTEC foundation Diagonal-Besòs Campus at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and the speakers were Jordi Arrufí, director of Talent & Knowledge at the Mobile World Capital Barcelona, John Derweduwe, managing Partner for Spain and Portugal at Heylen Warehouses, and Eusebi Carles, partner at capital markets offices at Cushman & Wakefield.

All the panel agreed on the fact that Barcelona and Catalonia are perfect places to locate a company and to develop its innovation projects. Arrufí argues that Barcelona is appealing to tech companies as it has rejoined “academia, the start-ups, investors and R&D centers”, creating a space where all those companies and institutions can help each other, creating a great networking environment. There’s another aspect added to it, that has been pointed out by Derweduwe, that is that Catalunya is not only the “powerhouse of Spain” but also offers “cheaper land” as well as “qualified workforce”.

Looking at the future, the three of them agreed that some changes need to be done in order to appeal to more companies and their workers. For Carles, it is essential to make the “office more attractive”, incorporating more “collaborative spaces”. Ironically the lack of them during the pandemic is what made companies realize their great value of them.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR PROJECTS WITH THE INTERNACIONAL PUBLIC

On top of the Barcelona Catalonia Conference, the different Barcelona Catalonia partners had a space at the Innovation Arena to present their main projects on the real estate sector, and how it is interesting for the international public to invest in Barcelona, its metropolitan area, and Catalunya.

The mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat, Pilar Díaz, presented the main developing sectors of the city, a growing city next to Barcelona and the main communication facilities. Those sectors, Porta Barcelona, el Gall and ARE Montesa, are perfect both for economic activity and residential land, with a special focus on the hospitality sector.

The mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès, Carlos Cordón, and Joaquim Maria Vidal, from INCASÒL’s sales department, presented the Parc de l’Alba, a growing sector at Cerdanyola del Vallès with both residential and economical land. It is a great sector for innovation and technological infrastructures, as it is located next to research hubs such as the Alba synchrotron and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. It is also next to AP-7, the main road connecting south Spain with Europe, and no further than 20 minutes from the main communication facilities.

Finally, Albert Dalmau, manager of Economy, Resources, and Economic Promotion at the Barcelona City Council presented Barcelona’s Green Deal, an ambitious plan to transform the city towards a more sustainable and appealing place, starting with seven strategic areas. The idea is to pacify those areas, rehabilitating old buildings and creating more green spaces integrated with the city and its architecture.

SYNERGIES

During the celebration, more than 380 international experts met and shared the major unknowns, challenges and trends facing the industry today and provided useful responses to address these unknowns.

On the other hand, they had more than 250 exhibition signatures presenting their real estate projects. Thus, international investors were able to know at first hand the real estate assets that will mark the future of investments. Several networking activities took place to boost the real estate business. There was a unique program of Premium meetings to encourage synergies.