Poblenou: from industrial past to ideas laboratory

When we talk about the future of 22@, we inevitably talk about the city, transformation and, above all, knowledge. 22@ represents one of the most ambitious urban operations of recent decades in our country and is, at the same time, a great urban laboratory that challenges all agents involved. From Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), we feel not only an active part of this process, but also co-responsible for its success.

Since its origins, UPF has contributed to the urban and social revitalization of Barcelona, through a presence rooted in and committed to the city. We did so in the 90s in Ciutat Vella, with the recovery of several historic buildings such as the Rectorate headquarters, and in Sant Martí, with the Ciutadella campus, rehabilitating the old military barracks on Wellington Street.

Later, with the recovery of the Vila Olímpica, we promoted the Mar campus. And, already in the 21st century, we brought the Poblenou campus to life, in the heart of 22@, where the old Ca l'Aranyó factory —a key piece of Barcelona's industrial architecture— has become a new knowledge factory. This deployment responds to a strategic vision that intertwines university and city: an open and cohesive Barcelona with a university that acts as a driver of change and opportunities.

The university not only has to train talent, but also co-design the future of the neighborhood together with companies and institutions.

On the Poblenou campus, UPF works closely with the business, institutional and creative ecosystem of 22@. It is here where we train professionals in communication, languages and engineering; where we research, innovate and promote projects that connect science and society. But the future challenge goes further. The university not only has to train talent, but also co-design the future of the neighborhood together with companies and institutions. An open innovation model, rooted in the territory, where shared value is generated: a farmhouse of innovation, where ideas with a global vocation are cultivated from the local fabric.22@ has to be a neighborhood where students, entrepreneurs, researchers, residents, and ideas coexist. An international neighborhood, with a global vocation, but with the soul of a city.

In this context, the role of the university goes beyond the transmission of knowledge. It is a space for experimentation, critical thinking, and connection with major global challenges: sustainability, digitalization, diversity, artificial intelligence, and social well-being. The Poblenou campus, with its interdisciplinary nature, is the ideal setting for this open dialogue between scientific fields, productive sectors, and citizen groups. This is also one of the added values of the UPF model: the ability to integrate academic excellence with a committed and transformative perspective.

The UPF contributes to building the future from knowledge, critical spirit, and civic commitment

Because if we want fairer, more resilient, and inclusive cities, we must strengthen the links between the university world and its environment. And this is only possible if we actively engage in the development of the territory, sharing spaces, projects, and visions. In 22@, UPF aspires to continue being a node in this urban innovation network.A university that, faithful to its foundational values, contributes to building the future from knowledge, critical spirit, and civic commitment.

From UPF we will continue working to make this district an example of how knowledge can build a city. Because, in the end, this is also our mission: to educate, research, and transform. Always from the city, and for the city.