1. ICT Sector
in Barcelona

2. Edition
Barcelona City Council
Economy, Business and Employment Area
Llacuna 162
08018 Barcelona
www.bcn.cat/barcelonabusiness
With the help of
Table of contents
Design and layout: g.grafic
D.L. (Copyright): B-11044-2012
Barcelona, January 2012
01. Barcelona, the Mediterranean’s innovation hub 05
02. 10 reasons to invest in Barcelona 06
03. ICT, a strategic sector for Barcelona and Catalonia 08
04. The top 10 strong points of Barcelona and Catalonia’s
ICT sector
01. Leader of southern Europe in ICT take-up 10
02. Availability of ICT infrastructure 11
03. Concentration of ICT companies 12
04. Networks to support research and technology transfer 14
05. Centre of talent, creativity and entrepreneurship in Southern Europe 16
06. Commitment of public institutions to ICT promotion 18
07. Tradition of collaboration 20
08. Barcelona, a laboratory for innovation 22
09. City of congresses and world capital of mobile telephony 24
10. Ideal city for ICT business 25
05. Links 26

3. 01
Barcelona,
the Mediterranean’s
innovation hub
Euro-Mediterranean region
catalONIA
Barcelona
Barcelona, located in north-eastern In 2010, Catalonia was home to more In addition, Barcelona is leading Spain’s
Spain and on the shores of the Medite- than 3,400 international firms and recei- movement towards a knowledge eco-
rranean, is one of the principal European ved 36% of all annual foreign inves- nomy. 29% of all companies and 48% of
cities and the centre of a vast metropoli- tment in Spain, 90% of this concentra- employees are working in sectors that are
tan region of more than 160 towns, and ted in the Barcelona area. knowledge rich, in which ICTs play a major
with a population of more than 5 million role. Regarding this last point, and given
people. It is the economic, cultural and Taking into account the distribution of the importance of technology innovation
administrative capital of Catalonia and the gross value added across business activi- for the competitiveness, productivity and
centre of an emerging area of econo- ties, Catalonia is Spain’s top autonomous internationalization of businesses, the
mic activity in Southern Europe, with 17 region in the industrial sector, accounting information and communication technology
million people and 800,000 businesses. for 25.2% of the total market. In terms of sector (ICT) is one of the key sectors for
The Euro-Mediterranean region, including services, it is positioned second regarding Barcelona and Catalonia.
the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Aragon and national gross value added generated.
the south-east of France, is positioning Catalonia accounts for 28.2% of all Catalonia has 3,349 ICT companies, a
itself in new strategic and internationally- Spain’s companies in industries with high quarter of all ICT companies in Spain, which
competitive sectors, consolidating itself and medium high-tech and knowledge- generate 20% of the national turnover in the
internationally as a major European based services. ICT sector. Almost 70% of ICT companies
metropolis. are located in the province of Barcelona,
Additionally, Barcelona’s entrepreneurial and these mainly have fewer than 50 emplo-
With a long industrial tradition and a activity rate in 2010 was 5.5%, above yees and focus on providing ICT services and
dense business fabric, Barcelona has a both the Spanish and European avera- developing quality software.
highly diversified economic structu- ges according to the Global Entrepre-
re. Its more traditional sectors coexist neurship Monitor (GEM) 2010. The high capacity, security and reach of
with new emerging ones, creating new ICT infrastructure available in Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
clusters of knowledge that prioritise spe- Barcelona’s international economic and its metropolitan area have positioned
cialisation and competitiveness, focusing activities are mainly driven by the Trade the Catalan capital at the forefront of
on internationalisation and creating a dy- Fair, the Port, Airport, the Zona Franca Mediterranean countries. These, and other
namic and innovative city economy. This Consortium, Barcelona’s Tourism Con- reasons, have helped Barcelona get
has helped to drive Barcelona’s strategic sortium, Barcelona City Council and its nominated the world capital of mobile
leadership in these fields. new technological innovation districts. telephony until 2018.
05

4. 02
10 reasons
to invest in
Barcelona
Barcelona offers a 01. Strategic geographic location 06. Human resources prepared for the future
number of different Barcelona now has one of the leading labour markets in Europe in terms of critical
Two hours by road from France and one day from the main European
elements that make it an cities. The gateway to Southern Europe and capital of the Union for the mass in high value-added sectors; highly productive, one of the best in Europe
attractive place to live, Mediterranean, Barcelona’s port, airport, logistics parks, international according to the OECD; 8 public and private universities; a number of prestigious
work and do business. trade fairs and city center are found within a five-kilometer radius. business schools including ESADE, IESE and EADA; 34 international schools; wide-
spread use of new technology and a natural tendency for innovation and creativity.
Today the city is a highly
interesting location for 02. Comprehensive transport infrastructure
new economic activities. A network of motorways connected to Europe; the fastest growing airport 07. Excellent quality of life
Some good reasons in Europe; the top Spanish port and largest container port in the Medite- For the 14th year running, Barcelona boasts Europe’s best quality of life for
rranean; wide reaching underground, train and bus networks; high-speed employees*. It has a mild climate, sun, beaches, culture, splendid leisure time
to invest here are as
train connections to the European rail network as of 2013. and arts programmes, a network of 4,500 educational institutions, modern and
follows accessible health system. It is easy to get around on the public transport system
03. Center of a large, dynamic and diverse and boasts beautiful parks that surround the city.
economic area
The Barcelona area has nearly 5 million inhabitants. It is the capital of Ca- 08. Large-scale urban-planning projects for
the future
talonia, with 7.5 million inhabitants, and the center of the Mediterranean
Basin, an economic area with 18 million inhabitants. It accounts for 70% Transformation of 1,000 ha and 7 million m2 of floor space.
of Catalonia’s GDP, and is the sixth largest urban area in Europe and has Llobregat Area: commitment to logistics, aerospace and mobility, with expansion
the fifth highest concentration in Europe in terms of industry. Catalonia of the port and airport.
has nearly 7,000 businesses working in innovation related activities, most Besòs Area: urban renewal, universities and research and innovation centers;
of which are located in Barcelona and its surrounding area. Porta Europa-La Sagrera: arrival of the high-speed train; 22@Barcelona: the new
technology and innovation district, and the Diagonal-Besòs Campus for activities
related to energy, water and sustainable mobility.
04. Successful foreign investment Vallès Area: strategic concentration of technology, nanotechnology and research
facilities; the Alba Synchrotron, the Vallès Technology Park and the UAB Re-
Barcelona is ranked the 6th best city in Europe for business*, and Cata-
lonia accounts for approximately 36% of all foreign investment in Spain search Park.
and is home to more than 3,400 foreign companies, 90% of whom are
located in the Barcelona area. 09. Competitive real estate market
Wide range of offices, retail spaces and industrial warehouses with excellent
05. Internationally renowned positioning price/quality balance and a high occupation rate.
Barcelona tops a number of international rankings, which rate its urban
environment, ability to attract foreign capital, entrepreneurial spirit and 10. Unique public/private cooperation
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
quality of life very highly. Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Government are highly committed to
companies; the success of traditional public/private collaboration has been key to
*According to Cushman & Wakefield, European Cities Monitor 2011. Barcelona’s transformation.
06 07

5. 03
ICT,
a strategic
sector for
Barcelona
and Catalonia
The Information Technology In recent years, Barcelona, like other enterprising Catalan spirit, means that ICT business sales volume scientific production, while in terms 10 reasons to invest in the ICT
advanced economies in the world, has the city benefits from a higher degree (millions), 2009 of Europe, it was placed 6th 6. sector in Barcelona
and Communications sector
put a great deal of effort into promo- specialization, flexibility, and adaptabi-
(ICT) is one of the key bu- ting ICTs, making it a strategic sector lity to highly dynamic environments. 17,500 Firms’ innovation capacity is the 01 Leader of southern Europe in
siness areas for Barcelona for the future of the city’s business cornerstone of the knowledge-based ICT take-up
15,000
and Catalonia, both in terms power and its social make-up, and Distribution of businesses in the
14,363
13,739 14,176 economy. The ICT sector is the most
02 Availability of ICT
of what it represents for the marked by the globalized economy ICT sector, by subsector, 2009 12,500 innovative in Catalonia and Spain.
80.8% of ICT companies in Catalonia infrastructure
city itself, but also what it and the rising demand for social servi-
10,000 have introduced some form of innova-
ces aimed at citizens.
does for improving compa- 60%
55.90%
tion activity during the last two years
03 Concentration of ICT
nies competitiveness and 7,500 companies
Thanks to this initiative, the Barcelona 50% -clearly higher than innovation carried
better use of ICT. area now has more than 2,150 ICT1, 5,000 out in other sectors, which on average 04 Networks to support research
40%
companies, 210 technology parks, stands at one third of companies. and technology transfer
2,500
29.10%
technology centres and research 30%
facilities, and 9 international scientific 0 Regarding workforce availability, 05 Centre of talent, creativity and
20%
benchmark facilities like the Barce- 2008 2009 Forecast 2010 Catalonia has more than 110,0007 entrepreneurship in Southern
lona Supercomputing Centre –or the 10% 8.80% highly-trained ICT professionals capa- Europe
6.10% Source: FOBSIC
National Microelectronics Centre’s ble of developing technology-based
Sala Blanca2. 0% projects and generating world- lea- 06 Commitment of public institu-
Hardware Software Telecomunications IT services On the other hand, Barcelona is
ding projects. tions to ICT promotion
leading Spain’s progress in the
Catalonia accounts for a quarter Source: FOBSIC knowledge economy sector. 29% 07 Tradition of collaboration
of all IT companies in Spain and of companies and 48% of the city’s
1/3
Observation Foundation for the Information Society generates 20% of national turnover Despite the economic situation in the employees are working in knowled- 08 Barcelona, a laboratory for
in Catalonia (FOBSIC). The ICT business sector in
Catalonia, – Structure and value elements in ICT in the ICT sector3. The core of ICT world and a certain decline in produc- ge-based sectors, where ICTs play a innovation
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
companies in Catalonia – tivity in 2009, the Catalan ICT sector
activities in Catalonia and Barcelona major role5. A strategic commitment
2
Barcelona City Council, Economy, Business and
Employment Area, Barcelona Datasheet 2011 is based around a pool of small and has shown considerable strength and to move towards an economy based 09 City of congresses and world
FOBSIC, The ICT business sector in Catalonia,
4,5,7 medium-sized businesses designed a spirit of improvement. In 2010, tur- on knowledge and creativity has capital of mobile telephony
– Structure and value elements in ICT companies in to provide ICT services and develop nover reached nearly 14 billion Euros, brought about significant progress.
Catalonia –
quality software. The size of ICT bu- a figure similar to 20084. Especially outstanding is Barcelona’s 10 Ideal city for ICT business
6
Barcelona City Council, Economy, Business and
Employment Area, Barcelona Datasheet 2011 sinesses in Barcelona, driven by an 15th place in the world ranking of
08 09

6. 04
The top 10 BARCELONA CITY
strong points of
Barcelona and
Catalonia’s
ICT sector MEDITERRANEAN SEA
Public Wi-Fi network map
Source: Barcelona Municipal Institute of
Information Technology (IMI)
01.
Leader of 02.
southern Availability Specifically, the city has the fo-
llowing facilities:
01 Industrial (automotive)
02 Culture
Europe in ICT of ICT infras-
- Optics Network: Barcelona has a 03 Audiovisual
take-up tructure network of 325 km of fibre optics and 04 Logistics
other complementary infrastructure.
Barcelona is a highly- Currently, the use of new technologies Spanish average (34%) and the Euro- Scientific and technology - Corporate Network: Barcelona has
A feasibility analysis is also underway
is essential for the majority of Catalan pean EU-15 average (30%). facilities (ICT) are crucial regarding a Foodstuff Ring, which
modern city regarding ICT a closed broadband infrastructure,
will be geared to one of the strategic
companies, with a significant and gradual for research and innovation most with 1 Gbps links, which covers
take-up. With higher values adoption by micro firms, as reflected in The City Council is a clear example of segments in the sector.
systems, for developing bu- council-related groups.
than the average in Cata- data from 2010: With 98% of companies eGovernment, with projects such as As well, several rings have been
lonia, Barcelona has one connected to the Internet, Catalonia eTràmits and l’Expedient Electrònic, both siness competitiveness and
- Municipal Wi-Fi network: The launched aimed at public sectors and
of the highest rates of ICT has a higher rate than the average for designed to simplify administrative pro- for facing existing and future municipal Wi-Fi network complements services:
adoption both in busines- Spain (97%) and Europe EU15 (95%) cesses and provide end-to-end digital social challenges. Barcelona the corporate network’s connectivity,
ses and at home, but also and is now positioned as one of the services to minimize the interactions of and its metropolitan area offer and provides workers and services 01 Science
Mediterranean’s most open regions. citizens and businesses with govern- tremendous ICT capacity, se- throughout the city. The council Wi-Fi
on the development of The quality of internet access is also ment. In 2009, 1.2 million procedures
02 Health
curity and diversity that have network consists of 469 active nodes,
eGovernment. better, with almost all firms using broad- were carried out online, representing reaching 30% of the city.
03 Education
band Internet access (specifically, 98.9% 37% of the total volume of transactions positioned the city it ahead of 04 Inter-Administration
of companies with 10 or more emplo- during 20099. others countries in the Medi- The development of broadband brings
yees and 97.2% of micro-enterprises), terranean. faster and more automated informa- Thanks to high speed national and
rates that are higher than the average for But the use of ICT is not unique to tion flows between companies, which international network connection
Europe (UE15) 8, standing at 93%. companies. Catalan people are used to improves competitiveness. With this in infrastructure, such as fibre optics, and
incorporating modern technology into mind, the autonomous regional Gover- access to benchmarking scientific and
The public administration’s commitment their daily lives. Virtually all homes in nment has recently created so-called technical facilities, like the Barcelona
to provide quality telecommunications Catalonia (95.1%) have a cell phone, “Ring Sectors.” So far, the Catalan Supercomputing Centre, and other tools
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
8
FOBSIC, The ICT business sector in Catalonia, – Struc- networks throughout the country means and 73.1% have a computer and 67.2% Government has developed different that facilitate collaboration, Catalonia is
ture and value elements in ICT companies in Catalonia –
9
Barcelona City Council
that mobile broadband adoption rates in have broadband internet10. ring sectors: providing different business sectors with
10
FOBSIC, Survey on the facilities and use of Information Catalan companies has already reached tools that can help develop competitive-
Communication Technologies (ICT) in homes in Catalonia 42.2% of companies with more than These values are above the Spanish ness in their business area, and at the
(2010) – Volume and facilities (ICT)
10 employees and 21.2% of micro and European UE-15 11 averages. same time also strengthen the Catalan
11
ONTSI, Annual Report on the Information Society in
Spain 2009 (2010 Edition) firms, a rate that is well above the ICT sector.
10 11

7. 04
The top 10
strong points of
Barcelona and
Catalonia’s
ICT sector
03.
Concentration
of ICT companies
Catalonia has 3,349 com- The corporate structure of the ICT the keys to its success is the ability to - Abertis Telecom, of image and printing for Europe, the - Telefónica R&D, is the research and
sector in Catalonia is dominated by buy branded clothing at very afforda- European leader in infrastructure Middle East and Africa (EMEA). development wing of the Telefónica
panies in its ICT sector, a
small businesses with fewer than 50 ble prices. management and telecommunications www.hp.com Group. Telefónica R&D is one of the
quarter of all IT companies employees, providing ICT services services. Together with Indra, they top private R&D activities and facilities
in Spain, generating 20% and developing quality software. - Spamina, created by Catalan plan to create a benchmark centre - IBM, has an IBM Innovation Centre in Spain.
of national turnover in the The highly-innovative nature and entrepreneur Dídac Lee, develops and in Barcelona as part of the “Smart in Barcelona specialized in solutions www.tid.es
ICT sector12. Almost 70% of talent required in the ICT sector has provides innovative solutions for email Cities” framework. for banking. This centre is part of a
companies in the ICT sector allowed Catalonia to create a very security in Cloud, Hybrid and Private www.abertistelecom.com network of 40 innovation centres that - T-Systems, part of the Deutsche
specialized sector, with the ability to Cloud Computing environments. It has IBM has spread across 32 countries. Telecom group, was one of the pio-
are located in the province
offer complementary products and offices in Europe and America and - Cisco Systems, lworld leader in www.ibm.com neering companies that set up in
of Barcelona, and site-wise, services that can satisfy the current partners worldwide. network solutions and Internet infras- 22@Barcelona. There, have their
they are mainly concentra- demand for diversified ICT products tructure. Along with Barcelona City - Indra, this leading IT company has headquarters for the Iberian Penin-
ted in technology parks and and services both locally and outside - Digital Legends Entertainment, Council, they will develop a bench- a centre of excellence located in the sula, providing ICT infrastructure and
enterprise zones like 22@ Catalonia. Approximately 45%13 of created by Xavier Carrillo, is revolutioni- mark urban architecture platform, a 22@Interface Building in Barcelona, services to multinational companies
Barcelona, Barcelona Tech- ICT companies in Catalonia have zing the video game industry and spe- basic element in the Barcelona 2020 and in Lleida they are developing a and public institutions.
another office outside Catalonia. cializes in the development of games vision. software lab. Together with Abertis www.t-systems.es
nology Park, the UAB’s re- for mobile platforms. www.cisco.com Telecom, they plan to create a bench-
search park or Tecnocampus Thanks to their talent and the entre- mark centre in Barcelona as part of - Yahoo! Research Barcelona,
Mataró - Maresme. preneurship systems in Catalonia, Driving this ICT sector -that is - Fujitsu, is the world’s third largest the “Smart Cities” framework. located in 22@Barcelona, is the
there are some fine examples of small primarily made up of SMEs- Barce- IT company, the fourth largest global www.indracompany.com Yahoo’s European research laboratory
companies that have managed to be- lona is the main location for those provider of technology services, and focusing its work on data mining on
come international benchmarks, like: big international IT companies that the first in Japan. - Microsoft, has set up its head- the Web, in close collaboration with
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
have opted for the Catalan capital www.fujitsu.com quarters for a IFR Software Factory the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in
- Privalia, a company founded by to boost their business. They also for Microsoft Dynamics in Catalonia, Barcelona.
Lucas Carné and José Manuel energize and strengthen the ICT sec- - Hewlett-Packard, Hewlett- and in 2006 it created the Innova- http://research.yahoo.com/
Villanueva, which is a private site for tor in Catalonia. Examples of these Packard’s international centre in tion Productivity Centre in central
FOBSIC, The ICT business sector in Catalonia,
12,13
– Structure and value elements in ICT companies in
internet purchases and one of the large IT companies that have set up Barcelona will concentrate all the Catalonia.
Catalonia – most successful in the world. One of in Catalonia include: multinational’s marketing in the area www.microsoft.com
12 13

8. 04
The top 10
strong points of
Barcelona and
Catalonia’s
ICT sector
04.
Networks to
Barcelona Supercomputing Centre - National Supercomputing Centre
support
research and
technology Centre for Science Services and Academics in Catalonia (CESCA)
transfer
Catalonia is Spain’s most Evolution of spending on R&D as a percentage of Catalonia and - CERCA Centres: Specialized ICT research Scientific facilities internatio-
important setting for scien- Spain’s GDP includes 39 centres of excellence centres: nally recognized:
ce, and also a leader in the dedicated to research in Catalonia. In
Catalonia Spain Barcelona Digital Technology Barcelona Supercomputing
1.8 2009, CERCA centres’ turnover was
Mediterranean. In 2009, some 1.68 Centre Centre - National Supercompu-
1.63 187.5 million Euros, with the support
3.284 billion Euros was inves- 1.6
1.61 www.bdigital.org ting Centre
of more than 2,750 researchers.
ted on R&D14here, representing 1.48
Barcelona Media Innovation www.bsc.es
1.42
1.33 1.35 Centre (CIMB) Marine Research and Experi-
1.68% of national GDP15. Its 1.4
1.27 - Science and Technology Park
1.35 1.39 1.39 www.barcelonamedia.org mentation Channel
R&D production represents 1.19 Network (XPCAT):
1.2 1.27
Catalonia Technological Centre http://ciemlab.upc.edu/
almost a quarter of all produc- 1.06 1.03 1.06 1.04
1.20 brings together large areas of
knowledge production, transfer, and in (CTTC) International Centre for Nume-
tion in Spain, and nearly 1% of 1.0 0.90 0.92 0.99 1.05
1.06
1.12
general, knowledge use, and XPCAT www.cttc.es rical Methods in Engineering
the world’s production, similar 0.91 0.91
0.87 0.86 also acts as point of contact for the i2CAT Foundation www.cimne.upc.es
to countries like Finland or 0.8 0.81 0.80
research and innovation community. www.i2cat.net Computing and Communications
Scotland . There has been a
16
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009* 2010* Centre of Catalonia
strategic commitment to move * Data 2009 and 2010 for Spain calculated with respect to base 2008 GDP Source: INE
Thanks to Government support and
www.cesca.es
towards a knowledge based Catalonia’s excellent R&D centres, the
country’s researchers have been able Structural Biology Proteomics
economy and this has allowed Barcelona and Catalonia’s clear com- Catalonia has an extensive support Facility
mitment to research and technology network for research and technology to capture approximately 2%17 of the
Barcelona to position itself in http://ibb.uab.es/ibb/
transfer as a source of business transfer. Specifically: European Union’s 7th Framework Pro-
15 place in the world rankings
th
gramme finances for R&D, an amount Laboratory for Nuclear Magnetic
competitiveness is mirrored by
of science production and sixth significant growth in R&D spending, - TECNIO Network: which is far higher than its weight in Resonance Scans
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
at the European level. both public and private, over the past the TECNIO network boasts more terms of population, and which makes http://www.rmn.ub.es/lrb/
10 years. Specifically, in just the last than 100 agencies and 3,000 Catalonia Spain’s most active region Plataforma Mouse Clínic
14
INE 2 years, investment in research and researchers, and in 2009 it recorded in terms of leading 7th Framework www.imb-cnm.csic.es
15
Research observatory development has increased nearly a turnover of over 146 million Euros, Programme activities (149 in 2009)18,
16
ACC1Ó Synchrotron (ALBA)
13%, with public investment in R&D creating 10 new spin-offs. in other words, in over 35% of those
17
CERCA www.cells.es
18
CDTI especially noteworthy. activities led by Spain.
14 15

9. 04
The top 10
strong points of
Barcelona and
Catalonia’s
ICT sector
05.
Centre of talent,
creativity and
entrepreneur-
ship in Southern
Europe
The Scorecard on Prosperity The culture of innovation is deeply consolidating new companies that Creativity in art, science and entre- of the most significant features of The availability of highly-qualified and
2010 publication (Toronto rooted in our region, with the relative have an international projection. The preneurship has made Catalonia a the demographic configuration of ICT multilingual personnel from presti-
amount of innovation distributed commitment of private investment to benchmark worldwide. professionals in Catalonia and makes gious universities, and the Catalan
Board of Trade) puts Barce- equally between SMEs and large new businesses is reflected by the in this group one of the best prepared capital’s vibrant and cosmopolitan
lona in third place in the ove- companies. 80.8% of Catalan ICT amount of active Business Angel So, it is not surprising that Barcelona in Spain, and significantly different to character were the main reasons why
rall world prosperity ranking companies have introduced some networks actively investing in this leads advances in the knowledge eco- the overall economy. over 3,400 foreign companies have
ahead of metropolitan areas form of innovation in their businesses region, which in fact represents 40% nomy, with 29% of companies and settled in Catalonia to establish their
like San Francisco, Paris, over the past two years. of the supply in the whole of Spain20. 48% of employees in the city wor- Currently, 62% of Catalonia’s new technology projects.
king in knowledge-based sectors. 110,000 ICT professionals have
Madrid, Hong Kong and Barcelona City Council promotes
Catalonia boats a tremendous university degree-level studies and Following a growth model based on
Seattle. Recently, Catalonia new business creation via the local Catalonia’s university system, made they represent 3.48% of all emplo- the knowledge-economy and creativi-
entrepreneurial spirit, according to
received the Entrepreneurial data from the 2010 Global Entre- development agency Barcelona up of 12 public and private univer- yees in Catalonia. In recent years, ty, in 2009 Catalonia saw its research
Award 2010, awarded by preneurship Monitor (GEM), which Activa, it provides entrepreneurs with sities and a range of 400 different the percentage of IT professionals community rise to a total of 47,324
the Committee of Regions, shows that the rate of entrepreneu- contacts and innovation areas with degrees on offer, is one of the drivers has increased and now stands at a employees dedicated to research and
quality services and facilities. generating and attracting talent for rate which is slightly higher than the development. In this community,
a European Union agency. rial activity (APR) in the province of
Barcelona is 5.5%, higher than the Catalonia, and, in the Spanish context, European average. 40 researchers have received fun-
Moreover, Catalan people are This support process is rounded off it attracts far more graduate and ding from the European Research
Spanish and European averages19.
talented, creative and have with incubators for innovation, quali- doctoral students. According to the The technological expertise of ICT Council’s (ERC) Starting Independent
an incredible capacity for Barcelona has a variety of organized ty services and facilities, such as: Times Higher Education Rankings, professionals is complemented by Researcher Grants and Advanced
work, with such virtues seen Business Angel networks (Business - Glòries Business Incubator the University of Barcelona (UB) and excellent business schools located Investigators Grants until 2009, a sig-
in the likes of Ferran Adrià, Angels Network Catalonia, BCN Bu- - BCN Nord Technology Park the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in Barcelona, like ESADE and IESE, nificant number bearing in mind that
- Almogàvers Business Factory are among the best 200 universities which provide experience in busi- the rest of the Spain has obtained 26
Antoni Gaudí, Salvador Dalí siness Angels, networks of investors
at IESE andESADE, SeedRocket, worldwide. ness management and strengthen such grants. This excellent team of
and Montserrat Caballé. the creation of technology-based international researchers means that
Eix Technova, Keiretsu,...), as well 30 local incubators in the Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
as seed, growth and risk capital area and the rest of Catalonia: Regarding graduates from the companies and innovation based on the province of Barcelona generates
funds, (Emprendedor XXI, Nauta, and - Esade Creàpolis: it host more than Catalan university system, 13.8%21 information technologies. According 15% of applications and 22.4% of
19
Global Entrepreneneurship Monitor (GEM)
Catalonia 2010 BCN Empren,....). These provide the 50 companies from different sectors. obtained an ICT-related bachelor’s to the Financial Times, in 2010 ESA- Spain’s utility models.
20
AEBAN, 2010
21
FOBSIC, The ICT business sector in intelligent capital needed to cover fi- - Technova: it hosts 16 companies. degree (telecommunications, compu- DE and IESE were amongst the top
Catalonia, – Structure and value elements in
nancial needs, whilst offering support - Barcelona Technology Park: ter, electronics or audiovisuals). The 10 business schools in Europe.
ICT companies in Catalonia – IESE Business
School headquarters during the process of creating and it hosts 30 ICT companies. percentage of graduates in ICT is one
16 17

10. 04
The top 10
strong points of
Barcelona and
Catalonia’s
ICT sector
06.
Commitment
of public
institutions
to ICT promotion
In recent years, public The development of these policies - 22@Barcelona: is an innovation direct investment in the city, whilst - Localret: is a consortium made up innovation, create jobs and improve
authorities at the local, na- has expanded the range of ser- district offering modern spaces for generally encouraging the promotion of local administrations in Catalonia the balance of technology across the
vices for citizens, increasing the the strategic clustering of knowledge- of economic and business activity in and designed to support the develop- country.
tional, state and internatio- usage rate of ICTs by businesses, the region.
intensive activities. 22@Barcelona ment of telecommunications network
nal level have shown their strengthening the ICT sector and supports innovation and access to services, as well as the application - Centre for Industrial Technologi-
support for developing po- helping Catalonia to generate highly technology through initiatives such - Barcelona Digital Technology of ICT in order to enhance local cal Development (CDTI): is a public
licies aimed at boosting the innovative projects for the world, as as Barcelona Urban Lab, and cluster Centre: ICT technology centre that government objectives in promoting a business entity, part of the Ministry
knowledge economy and presented during the World Mobile promotions in ICT, Media, Medical contributes significantly to the pro- knowledge society. of Economy and Competitiveness,
Congress. Technology (TechMed), Energy and motion of ICT use in business and in which promotes innovation and
the ICT sector as a motor
Design. general society in Catalonia. - Inter-departmental Commission technology development in Spanish
for innovation and growth. Main programmes being develo- for Research and Innovation (CIRI): companies.
ped by different public adminis- - Barcelona Activa: is the City Catalonia: aims to develop, define and coordinate
trations in order to promote the Council’s local development agency. - ACC1Ó: is an agency that develops government strategies and policies in
knowledge economy: It has become a leader in local and the competitiveness of Catalan bu- research and innovation.
international support programmes for siness. It specializes in fostering the
Barcelona: entrepreneurs, innovation, professional innovation and international business Spain:
- Barcelona City Council: In recent development and job creation. and has a network of 34 offices - Ministry of Industry, Energy and
years the City Council has made a worldwide. Tourism: the driving force behind
clear commitment to the ICT sector as - Cibernàrium: offers training pro- Avanza Plan, a programme to pro-
a driver of business competitiveness grammes and promotes technology - Directorate General of Telecom- mote the knowledge society via the
and as a tool to serve the citizens on behalf of Barcelona Activa - City munications and the Information incorporation of ICT in business.
better. The main lines promoted Council. It provides training for pro- Society (DGTSI): has the objective
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
by the City Council have been: the fessionals and companies, as well as of extending and facilitating access to - Ministry of Economy and Compe-
modernization of municipal infrastruc- Internet training for beginners. telecommunications networks to the titiveness: promotes a programme
ture technology, the development of entire population of Catalonia, while called INNPACTO, which aims to
eGovernment projects, an open data - Chamber of Commerce: offers contributing to the development of the encourage the creation of coopera-
project, and Barcelona’s bid to beco- support for innovation, interna- information society, strengthening and tion projects between research ins-
me a world benchmark Smart City. tionalization, training and foreign consolidating the Catalan ICT sector. titutions and companies to promote
18 19

11. 04
The top 10
strong points of
Barcelona and
Catalonia’s
ICT sector
07.
Tradition of
Media-TIC building, Barcelona Digital Tecchnology centre Headquarters
collaboration new business culture based on - Sensors and intelligent cities: - Health: More than 200 companies
collaboration and open innovation. The incorporation of ICT in the design, (consulting, computer services, medical
The initiative is promoted by Barcelona planning and management of urban equipment, communications, applica-
Digital Technology Centre and spaces and services in cities are key tion developers, etc.) and institutions
22@Barcelona. tools to face future challenges in cities, (groups of hospitals, health centres,
generating new business opportunities technology centres, public administra-
Catalan ICT companies’ Clusters are groups of companies that can promote entrepreneurship, - Cluster Security: This cluster for the ICT sector. As such, a new tions) form part of the TicSalut Busi-
collaboration with other and organisations that can create attract talent and protect intellectual is made up of more than 120 ICT cluster of ICT companies related to the ness Council Foundation that, with the
sinergies in a business area and property. companies (products, integrators, VAR, world of sensors and intelligent cities support of the Generalitat of Catalonia,
national and international related fields, improving competi- projects and retailers) and institutions is being developed and which currently generates promotion strategies in
companies has fostered tiveness through the interaction of Following international models, and (universities, technology centres, busi- includes about 100 companies (sen- the sector and networking across the
improvements in the areas its stakeholders. To make a cluster using cluster policy experiences ness organisations, support organisa- sors, communications networks and health field.
of joint funding, training, that acts as a vector in a certain area developed in Catalonia since 1993, tions) involved in the field of informa- applications, street furniture and equi-
innovation and the business there should be a number of factors various public authorities (mainly the tion security. The initiative is promoted pment, and services) and institutions One of the key factors of Catalonia’s
that Barcelona has: on the one hand, City Council, DGTSI and ACC1Ó), in by the Chamber of Commerce and (local administrations, universities and ICT development that can ensure
competitiveness of those
there has to be a lot of young entre- collaboration other institutions and the Information Security Centre of technology centres, support organisa- the success of a cluster policy is its
companies involved. preneurial companies, which provide organizations, like the Chamber of Catalonia (CESICAT) with the support tions). The initiative is being promoted long-standing associative tradition,
the cluster an innovative drive, and Commerce or 22@Barcelona, have of Generalitat of Catalonia. by i2cat Foundation, with support from collaboration and networking capa-
on the other hand, there should be launched several projects aimed the Generalitat of Catalonia city. Two out of three companies are
a consolidated group companies at stimulating ICT clusters. These - Mobility (Clúster6m): Clúster6m involved in a Catalan ICT association22.
prepared to re-invest some of their clusters, which are at different deve- contains more than 100 companies - Education (LogosNet): is an initiative These traits have helped Barcelona, for
profits in promoting and encouraging lopment stages, demonstrate a clear (navigation and positioning solutions, promoted by CETEI-Fundació Joan example, become a leader regarding
research and investigation, like in strategy commitment to promoting a vehicle communications, mobile XXIII (Ituarte Technologies Centre) the number of collaborative projects
the case of Catalonia. Finally, there strong and leading Catalan ICT sec- devices and applications, integrators) Bdigital Technology Centre with the carried out as part of the 7th Fra-
should be a solid range of inter- tor both at home and internationally: and institutions (research centres, uni- support of ACC1Ó, the Ministry of Te- mework Programme in Spain and in
nationally recognised educational versities and government) in order to lecommunications and the Information Southern Europe.
institutions that facilitate knowled- - ICT Cluster at Barcelona Digital. carry out projects that improve mobility, Society at the Generalitat of Catalonia
ge transfer between universities, The ICT cluster at Barcelona Digital business competitiveness and the and Barcelona City Council (22@).
research centres and business, while brings together about 60 ICT firms welfare of citizens. The initiative, pro- The initiative aims to improve the com-
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
The ICT Sector in Barcelona
providing highly qualified human mainly from the metropolitan area moted by the city councils of the Delta petitiveness of ICTs and education in
resources. of Barcelona (companies, associa- area (El Prat de Llobregat, Sant Boi Catalonia by trying to understand the
tions, chambers of commerce and de Llobregat, Viladecans, Castelldefels ICT needs of the education sector and,
In addition, Barcelona has the support technology centres). This cluster and Gava) has the support of the Ge- moreover, strengthening the competiti-
22
FOBSIC, The ICT business sector in Catalonia, neralitat of Catalonia and Barcelona’s
– Structure and value elements in ICT companies
of public institutions that promote aims to boost the competitiveness of veness of companies in the sector.
in Catalonia – the right policies, and environments Catalonia’s ICT sector, promoting a Provincial Government.
20 21