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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

Barcelona Catalonia
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