Barcelona is emerging as a European benchmark in the field of science and innovation, and the City Council wants it to go further. To propel the growth of this area, the council has designed a new Strategic Plan for Science and Innovation, which foresees an investment of 130 million euros until 2027, with 32.5 million annually for four years.
This plan incorporates knowledge transfer and innovation as central axes to promote an economic diversification that in turn contributes to internationalizing the city. To advance towards this objective, the strategy doubles the resources foreseen in the previous plan, and aspires to represent a "qualitative leap," as proclaimed by the mayor, Jaume Collboni.
Of the 130 million euros that the City Council will allocate to this area until 2027, 50 million will be for actions aimed at knowledge transfer; 45 will be for scientific culture; 20, for research; 13.5, for the ecosystem, and two, for training. This allocation will be joined by that of other actors, public and private, who lead and co-finance the promotion of projects in this area.
The city has identified six key areas in the field of knowledge, research, and innovation to enhance it as an international benchmarkWith eight lines of action and 50 measures, "it is not an abstract plan; there is a lot of concreteness and improvements that, in the end, are focused on social well-being and the progress of the city," added the mayor. In addition, the strategy prioritizes maintaining the "virtuous collaboration among all agents that are part of this ecosystem." Eight hospitals, with their respective research centers; eight universities; six hubs, six technology parks, 1,350 companies and more than 40,000 researchersconform this biome at the metropolitan level.
Through this plan, Barcelona sets its sights on sectors such as chip design and production, biotechnology, health sciences, digital technology, and quantum technology. To this end, it will continue working to attract international investments and promote scientific infrastructures and events such as congresses, to consolidate Barcelona as a city of science at an international level.
To this end, the city has identified six key areas in the field of knowledge, research, and innovation. The Ciutadella del Coneixement will be the focus of the scientific ecosystem in the park area located in the city center, while the Diagonal-Besòs Campus will be promoted as a catalyzing space for economic activity, innovation, knowledge, and talent linked to the green economy.
At the other end of Diagonal, the new Clínic and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center configure the future Diagonal Health Axis, while the Escola Industrial site promotes a new innovation hub and 22@ continues to be a benchmark in economic activity and technological transfer. The map of Barcelona's scientific axes is completed by areas bordering Collserola, which stand as a life and health sciences hub, with institutions such as the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute and the future CaixaResearch Institute.
To foster knowledge transfer, a new key player is added to the equation: the arrival in Barcelona of the first Fraunhofer Institute center at the national level. The organization, the largest and most prestigious in Europe in applied research, will locate its new headquarters in the Barcelona Science Park, in alliance with the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (Ibec).
The plan also focuses on deeptech initiatives, which involves expanding venture capital funds to 60 million in four years, as well as consolidating the Barcelona Deep Tech Summit as an ecosystem meeting, and the Barcelona Deep Tech Node as an instrument to support startups and spin-offs in the sector. The plan also aims to promote events such as the City and Science Biennial in 2025 and 2027, and to promote Barcelona as an international university city.
The new strategy also aims to advance towards climate neutrality, as well as expand and promote the participation of women in the technological and scientific fields. To move towards this horizon, the City Council is committed to strengthening the Barcelona Innovation Coast (BIC) platform, which aims to promote knowledge transfer and innovation in the city and its metropolitan area.
Tax bonuses for competitiveness
The commitment to these areas and their revitalization will materialize in a proposal for a municipal ordinance on tax relief for innovation and knowledge transfer, with the dual objective of strengthening the business fabric and attracting new talent. Specifically, the proposal involves a 95% tax relief on the Real Estate Tax (IBI). This bonus, already active for research centers and universities, will be extended to economic activities considered of special interest or municipal utility for companies that invest in research and innovation.
In addition, it is proposed to promote bonuses on the Economic Activities Tax (IAE), starting from 50% for investments in fixed assets of more than one million euros, and for companies that establish innovation centers or startups in the city. Furthermore, economic aid will be promoted to encourage the strategic hiring of scientific and research personnel, all with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness of Barcelona's business fabric and taking firm steps towards consolidating the city as an international benchmark.