Knowledge transfer to society with the new Strategic Plan on Science and Innovation

The plan includes a set of initiatives organised into five strategic areas, eight spheres of action, five driver projects, ten strategic projects and forty-six specific measures:

• Area 1 Public-private governance: consolidate Barcelona Innovation Coast (BIC), a leading platform for innovation and knowledge transfer in Barcelona and its metropolitan area.
• Area 2 International promotion: develop the science capital agreements to boost resources and Barcelona’s visibility in the field of science and technology through, for instance, attracting investment and sciences events and the recognition of science and research careers with the Hypatia Award etc.
• Area 3 Research and innovation hubs: develop a programme of knowledge, research and innovation facilities in coordination with the Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB). Six areas have been identified in the city: to lead the major urban transformation of the Ciutadella del Coneixement knowledge hub, strengthen the Campus Diagonal-Besós, support the projects in the Eix Diagonal Salut, consolidate the Zona Nord – Collserola, drive the 22@ and provide support for the project La Industrial+.
• Area 4 Develop the science and technology network in strategic sectors: a by-law will be proposed to provide tax breaks for research and transfer, to attract and retain companies with intensive R+D activities. The 95% discount in property tax will be retained for research centres and universities, with a new property tax discount planned for economic activities considered of special municipal interest or use. As for the tax on economic activity, discounts are anticipated from 50% for fixed investments or assets of over one million euros, plus the generation of jobs and companies establishing innovation centres or start-ups in the city.
• Area 5 Promotion of research, talent and scientific employment:  the new CreaFeina Investiga programme will be developed, with plans also including the consolidation of various types of subsidies plus the biannual promotion of the Research and Innovation Call and the Young and Emerging Research Call. Support will also be given to projects centring on the climate emergency and on urban innovation through the Ciutat Proactiva programme.
• Area 6 Innovation and knowledge transfer: Barcelona will get the first centre in the Spanish state for the Institut Fraunhofer, Europe’s largest and most prestigious applied research organisations. The intention is also to consolidate the Barcelona Deep Tech Node initiative, providing support for deep tech start-ups and spin-offs.
• Area 7 Citizens and science culture: new editions are planned for the City and Science Biennial in 2025 and 2027. Similarly, the Science Festival will continue to be organised annually as a meeting space between members of the public and the city’s science ecosystem.
• Area 8 Science training and vocations in the city: the Prometeus programme will be maintained to guarantee access to university and training throughout life, thanks to support and guidance for young people in underprivileged social and economic circumstances, plus the STEAM Barcelona plan, to continue fostering knowledge skills and science and technology vocations with the gender perspective right across the education community. The intention is also to promote Barcelona as a university city at a national and international level.

Future goals for the plan also include further progress in becoming climate neutral, broadening women’s participation in science and technology, and contributing to public governance based on the technological humanism of artificial intelligence (AI). In different sectors, Barcelona aspires to play a decisive role in the design and production of electronic and photonic chips, consolidate its position as a capital for biotechnology and health sciences, and also as a European capital for the creation and use of digital and quantum technologies.