Science and Innovation
Barcelona Science and Innovation is a Barcelona City Council initiative that develops support policies for research and knowledge, as well as academic and scientific development. It aims to foster the process of transferring knowledge from the field of science and research to the business world and society in general.
Barcelona is the first city in Spain and the fourth in the European Union in regard to scientific production, as shown in various international rankings, such as the index published every year in Nature magazine. Its position is the result of the excellence, innovation, and impact of research generated through a first-rate scientific network in which the general public also participates.
As a result of this activity, the science and technology sector has a direct impact on the Metropolitan economy, positioning Barcelona as one of the principal Mediterranean cities for science and exercising a strong attraction for talent and opportunities from all over the world. It is also a major platform where scientific knowledge, which is also understood as being part of our culture, is promoted and transferred to the general public.
For all of these reasons, Barcelona has become the cultural and scientific capital of Spain, a recognition it shares with the City of Madrid, which should mean improved resources for funding the city's main scientific and cultural institutions.
The 2020-2023 Barcelona Science Plan coordinates the science and universities policy for the Metropolitan Area, with the aim of making the city a European capital for science and innovation.
It establishes 4 priority areas of work, with 15 goals and over 50 initiatives:
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- Goal 1: Consolidate the Hypatia Prize and work towards the recognition of this award within the framework of the EU.
- Goal 2: Make Barcelona a reference point for ethical, political and social debate regarding scientific progress in digitalisation, biogenetics, biomedicine and artificial intelligence.
- Goal 3: Recognise the scientific merits of the local and international research community.
- Goal 4: Establish agreements with European and international cities to define and share solutions to current urban challenges and facilitate collaborations between the key players from the corresponding cities.
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- Goal 5: Encourage dialogue and collaboration between the scientific players, hospital centres and universities and the City Council, including operators from the scientific sector and establish scientific knowledge as one of the essential tools in the governance of the city.
- Goal 6: Consolidate the line of grants for scientific and research activities to tackle the most urgent challenges faced by the city, with particular attention on revitalising the city after Covid-19.
- Goal 7: Guarantee accessible housing for international researchers and those from other places within the State during the three years of the plan.
- Goal 8: Promote urban projects that catalyse the research and innovation activities of the city and the metropolitan region.
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- Goal 9: Reinforce the educational scientific programmes and the range of scientific activities throughout the educational cycle, prioritising gender perspectives, functional diversity, origin and income.
- Goal 10: Reinforce the activities for the dissemination and communication of science to generate critical thinking skills, knowledge and scientific vocation in all age groups.
- Goal 11: Promote scientific reflection with citizens.
- Goal 12: Create and further community and participative science spaces in the field of research and in scientific dissemination and communication.
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- Goal 13: Foster the relationship between art, science, technology and society from a cross-cutting perspective by promoting places that encourage co-creation among various profiles and areas.
- Goal 14: Promote links between the scientific players and the city's innovation projects and facilities.
- Goal 15: Facilitate the transfer of scientific knowledge to social and economic players, particularly those that have few or no resources for their own research and are working towards an equal and environmentally sustainable economy.
