Knowledge transfer
The strategic actions designed to address the challenge of knowledge transfer are aimed at fostering innovation, improving collaboration between the various stakeholders in the knowledge system and ensuring that the results of research and development translate into tangible benefits for the city's economy and society.
Through these initiatives, Barcelona aims to become a hub for innovative projects that strengthen its socio-economic fabric.
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The Support Programme for Scientific Infrastructures seeks to maintain and strengthen research competitiveness at national and international levels. The aim of this programme is to guarantee the modernisation and enlargement of critical infrastructures that support research, as well as to incorporate cutting-edge technologies that facilitate the generation of first-rate knowledge.
The programme will be organised into three levels:
- Modernising infrastructures: ensuring that high-tech laboratories, data facilities and other key infrastructures receive the upgrades needed to meet current and future demands of scientific research.
- Fostering competitiveness: increasing our research centres’ ability to attract and retain quality talent through the features of the local infrastructure.
- Effective financial support: implementing a resource allocation system that optimises the distribution of annual funding to ensure that investments are strategic and focused on tangible results.
These measures will help to bring scientific infrastructures up to the demands of current and future research, promote talent retention and optimise the allocation of funding.
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Barcelona City Council has developed the Barcelona Deep Tech Node via Barcelona Activa and in conjunction with the main universities based in the city. This strategic alliance fosters scientific and technological entrepreneurship to facilitate emerging companies’ and spin-offs’ access to the market. As a public-private accelerator, it offers support programmes for the creation and growth of emerging science- and tech-based companies.
In parallel, in 2022 Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Activa launched the Barcelona Deep Tech Fund, which invests ten million euros in private national or international (EU) venture capital entities. After the call for applications closed, Barcelona City Council committed €9,500,000 to new venture capital entities.
To complement these actions, the Barcelona Deep Tech Summit serves as an annual meeting point for emerging companies, researchers, investors and companies. The last Barcelona Deep Tech Summit was held in November 2023 and had more than 1,300 attendees and 80 speakers. This conference focuses on thematic areas such as the energy transition, Industry 4.0, health and space technologies.
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This programme is a key initiative to address contemporary urban challenges related to research and innovation with a metropolitan perspective. Innovation hubs are dynamic ecosystems where collaboration among various actors fosters interdisciplinarity, knowledge transfer and access to funding. Six knowledge, research and innovation areas have been identified in the city of Barcelona: the Ciutadella of Knowledge, the Diagonal Health Hub, the Diagonal Besòs Campus, the Collserola Health Campus, 22@ and La Industrial+. In addition to identifying these hubs, the programme will promote the construction of infrastructures that serve the scientific community and knowledge transfer, such as shared laboratories, the shared use of unique scientific infrastructures and residences for students and research staff.