Description
Barcelona has always had a strong commitment to make its Higher Education sector an engine for its economy, knowledge-generation and innovation. It is a strategic sector that will be developed over the coming years, according to the strategic plan “Barcelona Vision 2020”, which explicitly identifies this area as one of the potential motors for the economy of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona.
The Higher
Education Sector
in Barcelona
01. Barcelona, the Mediterranean’s innovation hub 05
02. 10 reasons to invest in Barcelona 06
03. Higher Education, a strategic sector
for Barcelona and Catalonia 08
04. 10 reasons that make Barcelona and Catalonia
a benchmark in Higher Education
01. A strategic sector for Barcelona and Catalonia 10
02. Catalonia’s Higher Education system 12
03. A range of excellent and specialised programmes 14
04. Quality and sophisticated research 16
05. Benchmark knowledge facilities 18
06. The city’s main projects 20
07. Do it in Barcelona: capacity to generate and attract talent 22
08. Barcelona University Centre: welcoming, accommodation
and living in Barcelona 24
09. Higher Education in the city environment. Barcelona, an open
door of resources to accompany you 25
10. Testimonials about Barcelona and Higher Education 26
05. Links 27
Table of contents
Edition
Barcelona City Council
Economy, Business and Employment Area
Llacuna 162
08018 Barcelona
www.bcn.cat/barcelonagrowth
With the help of
Design and layout: g.gra?c
D.L. (Copyright): B-38802-2011
Barcelona, November 2011
05
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Barcelona, located in north-eastern
Spain and on the shores of the
Mediterranean, is one of the principal
European cities and the centre of a
vast metropolitan region of more than
160 towns, and with a population of
more than 4.8 million people. It is the
economic, cultural and administrative
capital of Catalonia and the centre of
an emerging area of economic activi-
ty in Southern Europe, with 17 million
people and 800,000 businesses. The
Euro-Mediterranean region, including
the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Aragon
and the south-east of France, is
positioning itself in new strategic and
internationally-competitive sectors,
consolidating itself internationally as
a major European metropolis.
With a long industrial tradition and
a dense business fabric, Barcelona
has a highly diversi?ed economic
structure. Its more traditional sectors
coexist with new emerging ones,
creating new clusters of knowled-
ge that prioritise specialisation and
competitiveness, focusing on interna-
tionalisation and creating a dynamic
and innovative city economy. This has
helped to drive Barcelona’s strategic
leadership in these ?elds.
In 2011, Catalonia was home to more
than 5,000 international companies
and it received 135 foreign investment
projects, 85% of which were located in
and around Barcelona.
Taking into account the distribution
of gross value added across business
activities, Catalonia is Spain’s top
autonomous region in the industrial
sector, accounting for 23.6% of the
total market. In terms of services, it is
positioned second regarding national
gross value added generated.
Additionally, Barcelona’s entrepreneu-
rial activity rate in 2010 was 5.5%,
above both the Spanish and European
averages according to the Global En-
trepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2010.
Barcelona’s international economic
activities are mainly driven by the
Trade Fair, the Port, Airport, the Zona
Franca Consortium, Barcelona’s
Tourism Consortium, Barcelona City
Council and its new technological
innovation districts.
Barcelona and Catalonia are lea-
ding Spain’s movement towards
a knowledge economy. As such,
Catalonia accounts for 21.6% of
Spain’s innovation-based companies
and 22.5% of all Spanish spending on
innovation activities.
Regarding this last aspect -and given
its importance for the development of
competitiveness, productivity, attracting
and retaining talent, and the interna-
tionalisation of companies-, Higher
Education is a key sector for Barcelona
and Catalonia. Barcelona and Cata-
lonia have positioned themselves as
international benchmarks in the training
sector, bringing together
12 universities, a variety of top bu-
siness schools and more than thirty
international schools that all together
offer more than 500 masters and post-
graduate programmes to more than
233,000 students.
This wide ranging offer has meant
that 36.9% of Catalonia’s population
now has university studies, rates that
are higher than the European avera-
ge (29.7%), and a trend which is still
increasing.
Barcelona,
the Mediterranean’s
innovation hub
01
EURO-MEDITERRANEAN REGION
CATALONIA
BARCELONA
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02
10 reasons
to invest in
Barcelona
Barcelona offers a
number of different
elements that make it an
attractive place to live,
work and do business.
Today the city is a highly
interesting location for
new economic activities.
Some good reasons
to invest here are as
follows
06. Human resources prepared for the future
Barcelona has one of the leading labour markets in Europe in terms of critical
mass in high value-added sectors; highly productive, one of the best in Europe
according to the OECD; 8 public and private universities; a number of pres-
tigious business schools including ESADE, IESE and EADA; 34 international
schools; wide-spread use of new technology and a natural tendency for innova-
tion and creativity.
07. Excellent quality of life
For the 14
th
year running, Barcelona boasts Europe’s best quality of life for emplo-
yees*. It has a mild climate, sun, beaches, culture, splendid leisure time and arts
programmes, a network of 4,500 educational institutions, modern and accessible
health system. It is easy to get around on the public transport system and boasts
beautiful parks that surround the city.
08.
Large-scale urban-planning projects for
the future
A complete and renewed offer in terms of intelligent land for the development of
new economic projects in the main sectors of the knowledge economy, which
is transforming more than 1,000 ha and 7 million m
2
of build surface space in
Barcelona’s metropolitan area.
09. Competitive real estate market
Wide range of of?ces, retail spaces and industrial warehouses with excellent
price/quality balance and a high occupation rate.
10. Unique public/private cooperation
Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Government are highly committed to
companies. The success of traditional public/private collaboration has been key to
Barcelona’s transformation.
*According to Cushman & Wake?eld, European Cities Monitor 2011.
01. Strategic geographic location
Two hours by road from France and one day from the main European
cities. The gateway to Southern Europe and capital of the Union for the
Mediterranean, Barcelona’s port, airport, logistics parks, international
trade fairs and city center are found within a ?ve-kilometer radius.
02. Comprehensive transport infrastructure
Network of motorways connected to Europe, the fastest growing Euro-
pean airport; Spain’s top port connected to the European railway network
on international gauge track, Europe and the Mediterranean’s top interna-
tional cruise port, placed 4
th
in the world ranking; extensive metro, railway
and bus network, high-speed train that will connect the city with the
European network in 2013.
03.
Center of a large, dynamic and diverse
economic area
The Barcelona area has nearly 5 million inhabitants. It is the capital of
Catalonia, with 7.5 million inhabitants, and the center of the Mediterra-
nean Basin, an economic area with 18 million inhabitants. It accounts for
70% of Catalonia’s GDP, and is the 6
th
largest urban area in Europe and
has the 5
th
highest concentration in Europe in terms of industry. Catalonia
has nearly 7,000 businesses working in innovation related activities, most
of which are located in Barcelona and its surrounding area.
04. Successful foreign investment
Barcelona is ranked the 6
th
best city in Europe for business*, and Catalo-
nia accounts for approximately 36% of all foreign investment in Spain and
is home to more than 5,000 foreign companies, most of which are located
in the Barcelona area.
05. Internationally renowned positioning
Barcelona tops a number of international rankings, which rate its urban
environment, ability to attract foreign capital, entrepreneurial spirit and
quality of life very highly.
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09
Higher
Education, a
strategic sector
for Barcelona
and Catalonia
03
Barcelona has always had a
strong commitment to make
its Higher Education sector
an engine for its economy,
knowledge-generation and
innovation. It is a strategic
sector that will be develo-
ped over the coming years,
according to the strategic
plan “Barcelona Vision
2020”, which explicitly
identi?es this area as one of
the potential motors for the
economy of the Metropolitan
Region of Barcelona.
Catalonia has a total of 233,538
students at 12 universities, 8 of
which are located in the metropoli-
tan area of Barcelona, and ?rst-rate
business schools -two of these
are among the top 25 in the world,
according to international rankings.
In terms of university research,
Catalonia boasts more than 550
consolidated research groups, 137
R&D centres and over 300 univer-
sity departments. According to data
from Eurostat (2009), 36.9% of the
population in Catalonia has univer-
sity degrees, signi?cantly above the
European average of 29.7%, and
following a clear upward trend.
Higher Education institutions, which
are responsible for transmitting
knowledge through undergraduate
and graduate degrees, are also
major generators of new knowledge
across all disciplines, both in terms
of basic knowledge and that applied
through technology development
and applications. As such, Higher
Education institutions are training
the researchers, professionals and
entrepreneurs of the future. In short,
they generate talent for society. The
ability to attract and retain this talent
is a key to success for businesses
and regions that want to be innovati-
ve and competitive in a high growth
environment subject to continuous
change in terms of technology, eco-
nomics and business.
A few years ago, Catalonia, and
Barcelona in particular, started
positioning itself as an international
benchmark in education -under-
graduate and especially graduate
studies- with the capacity to produce
a skilled and talented workforce, and
yet also capable of attracting talent
from around the world- all this with
the objective of creating a dynamic
economy, generating new knowled-
ge and stimulating innovation and
its transformation, and as such
contributing to economic and social
development. Currently Catalonia
has more than 233,000 students,
with about 20,000 coming from
outside Catalonia, and the majority
of these attending universities in the
metropolitan area of Barcelona.
This positioning hasn’t been limited
to the local sphere, but rather
extended to the global environment,
effectively putting Barcelona on the
map in terms of being a benchmark
in Higher Education, especially in
certain subject areas.
This trend towards the internationa-
lisation of Higher Education offered
at Catalan institutions has increa-
sed over recent years and is now a
strategic priority, especially given the
framework of the European Higher
Education Area (EHEA), initiated by
the 1999 Bologna Declaration.
EHEA is based on four principles:
quality teaching, the mobility of
students and teachers, recognition
of teaching diversity, and improving
the competitiveness of graduates in
Europe’s open labour market.
The objective of this document is
to explain the current and future
trends of the Higher Education sec-
tor in Barcelona and more generally
in Catalonia and its basic characte-
ristics, via the following 10 points:
01 A strategic sector for
Barcelona and Catalonia
02 Catalonia’s Higher Education
system
03 A range of excellent and
specialised programmes
04 Quality and sophisticated
research
05 Benchmark knowledge facilities
06 The city’s main projects
07 Do it in Barcelona: capacity to
generate and attract talent
08 Barcelona University Centre:
welcoming, accommodation
and living in Barcelona
09 Higher Education in the city
environment
10 Testimonials about Barcelona
and Higher Education
These ?t perfectly with the Higher
Education priorities promoted by
Barcelona in recent years: a range
of high-quality degree and graduate
programmes, excellence in certain
?elds of specialisation, the capacity
to generate and attract talent, the
internationalisation of the sector,
support for the creation of quality and
added value jobs, and the promotion
of entrepreneurship.
Different faculties of Barcelona
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11
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona
and Catalonia
a benchmark
in Higher
Education
04
Barcelona has built up a signi?cant
business fabric, the result of a long
and deeply-rooted industrial tra-
dition that has consolidated many
industries and clusters of innovative
and very competitive companies.
Catalonia and Barcelona’s busi-
ness frame is characterised by the
dominance of SMEs (Small and
Medium Enterprises), but also in
terms of internationally recognised
?rms in the ?elds of infrastructure
management, energy, and ?nancial
services. It is also a very strong in
the services sector in general,
especially the development of the
tourism sector as a major driver for
the local economy.
As well, Barcelona has made a stra-
tegic commitment to the develop-
ment and consolidation of emerging
industries such as Information and
Communications Technology (ICT),
design, media, energy and biotech-
nology. These sectors have become
clusters, mostly located in the city’s
innovation district, 22@Barcelona.
In this district alone there are more
than 4,500 companies employing
more than 56,000 employees. These
businesses are committed to innova-
tion and the creation of high added
value employment and they especia-
lly need the talent that is emerging
from Catalonia’s Higher Education
institutions or from other countries.
01.
A STRATEGIC
SECTOR FOR
BARCELONA
AND CATALONIA
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Catalonia and Barcelona
in particular have a large
number of Higher Education
institutions with a proven
track record and signi?cant
international prestige.
These institutions are well connec-
ted to Higher Education institutions
in other countries, via permanent
and ?rm collaboration agreements
aimed at encouraging student
mobility between institutions, coor-
dinating research, or collaborating
with the teaching of graduate pro-
grammes. As such, thanks to this
international experience and aca-
demic and research background,
Catalonia’s institutions have beco-
me true international benchmarks
in some areas of knowledge.
The Catalan Education system is
made up by:
Universities
12 universities form part of the
Catalan Education system.
The Metropolitan Region of Bar-
celona boasts the following public
universities:
University of Barcelona (UB): ba-
sed in Barcelona, this is Catalonia’s
pioneering university with 555 years
of history behind it. It has numerous
sites and af?liated centres and its
main programmes are in the ?elds
of social sciences and the sciences.
Autonomous University of Bar-
celona (UAB): Founded in 1968,
it offers a wide range of studies
both in science and social scien-
ces. It now has three campuses:
Bellaterra focused on teaching and
research; Sabadell for technology,
work and enterprise, and ?nally,
Sant Pau for the health sciences.
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
(UPC): It has its beginnings in what
was then known as the Higher Tech-
nical Institute founded in 1968 and
which brought together the existing
technical schools in Barcelona of
the time. In 1971, this became the
UPC. Over the years other techni-
cal schools joined the UPC and its
university sites spread across the
country. Its teaching programmes
are basically in the technology and
science areas.
Pompeu Fabra University (UPF):
established in 1990, it has three
campuses located in the heart of
the city. With a recognised teaching
quality, highly targeted research, and
high levels of internationalization, it
focuses on three areas of experti-
se: social sciences and humanities,
health sciences and life sciences,
and communication and information
technologies.
02.
CATALONIA’S
HIGHER
EDUCATION
SYSTEM
Another university brings together on-
line studies:
Open University of Catalonia
(UOC): which was created in 1995
thanks to the development of new
information technologies (ICT) and
the information society that developed
around it, and that offers an educatio-
nal model based on the personalisation
of courses, accompanying students in
an on-line context
There are also the following private
universities:
Ramon Llull University (URL):
Founded in March 1990, its taught
courses are varied, but specialise in
the social sciences area and others
like engineering, architecture or the
health sciences and sports.
International University of Cata-
lonia (UIC): Founded in October
1997, it offers studies in such
diverse areas as law, architecture,
management and public administra-
tion, areas related to health sciences
and information technology, among
others.
Abat Oliba University (UAO):
started offering courses in 1974. Its
teaching focus is mainly on econo-
mics and social sciences.
Outside the metropolitan area, there
are four other universities:
Rovira i Virgili University (URV),
in Tarragona-Reus, was created in
1991. With a range of about 50
courses, its main objective is to put
knowledge to work for society in
order to contribute to the social and
economic development of its local
environment.
University of Girona (UdG): was
established in 1991 with a clear
vocation to serve its community and
the world. Here there are more than
forty degrees on offer in 5 areas of
knowledge: science, health scien-
ces, social sciences, humanities and
technical sciences.
University of Lleida (UL): was foun-
ded in 1991. Because of its relation-
ship with the local community, UdL is
noted for its agricultural and forestry
studies, but also in other areas.
University of Vic (UVic): since 1997
UVic offers applied teaching, which is
both open and transparent, focusing
on the changing needs of society. It
has studies in experimental science
and technology in medical sciences,
the humanities, and social sciences.
University Foundations
These include IL·3 (UB), IDEC (UPF),
and the Polytechnic Foundation of
Catalonia - FPC (Technical University
of Catalonia), the International Gra-
duate Institute (UOC), which provide
Life Long Learning programs to
professionals and companies mainly
aimed at professionals, with a high
degree of specialisation.
Business Schools
Barcelona has one of Europe’s
highest concentrations of presti-
gious business schools. Especially
noteworthy are IESE, ESADE, and
EADA, which are among the best
schools in the world, according to a
ranking by the Financial Times. At
the European level, IESE was placed
fourth and ESADE seventh, regar-
ding the ranking of the best MBA full
time programmes in Europe.
EAE, BES-La Salle, ESIC and BSM
(IDEC), amongst others, also have
strong international reputations.
Inter-university postgraduate
specialist platforms
Some prominent examples of
platforms also located in Barcelona
include Barcelona Graduate School of
Economics (BGSE), including the par-
ticipation of the UPF and the UAB and
the Institute of International Studies
(IBEI) with the active participation of
the UB, UAB, UPF, and the UOC.
The Catalan education system focuses
on excellence in teaching, research
and development initiatives that boost
both these aspects.
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
Catalonia has 12 universities,
8 of these in Barcelona and its
metropolitan area.
The best-placed Spanish universi-
ties in the international university
rankings are located in Barce-
lona. Barcelona has exceptional
business schools, positioned
high in international benchmark
rankings. 2 of these are amongst
the world’s top 25, namely IESE
and ESADE, and they attract huge
student interest from around the
world. Barcelona comes 8
th
regar-
ding the top cities preferred by
students for an MBA.
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Catalonia and Barcelona
have a wide variety of
graduate studies in subject
areas such as the arts and
humanities, sciences, health
sciences, social sciences
and law, engineering and
architecture.
In Catalonia, education insti-
tutions offer more than 500
post graduate and masters
programmes.
These programmes have three main
traits: they focus on research, cour-
ses for professionals, and manage-
ment training. Particularly important
in Barcelona are those courses
aimed at professions, followed by
research and management.
Barcelona, a multilingual city,
this means it can offer many of
these programmes in different
languages, or in a combination
of various languages. The main
teaching languages are Catalan,
Spanish and English.
Barcelona and its strategic
commitment to inter-university
and international programmes.
Barcelona and its institutions of
Higher Education have always
been very open to collaboration
between institutions, not just in
the same geographical area, but
also regarding a spirit of interna-
tional cooperation especially with
universities and business schools
located in other countries. These
inter-university programmes have
been designed with others to allow
students to complete their training
by taking courses in more than one
institution and thus bene?ting from
inter-university and often interna-
tional expertise.
Many programs offered by the
Catalan universities are part of
Erasmus Mundus, along with other
European and foreign universi-
ties, and which have created very
internationalised post-graduate
programmes.
The support of Education
institutions of excellence in
Barcelona.
In Barcelona there are a series
of Higher Education programmes
that are internationally renowned
in their ?elds that attract students
from around the world. These pro-
grammes, called Masters of Global
Excellence, include 92 masters.
Regularly updated information can
be found at:
www.barcelonaglobalmasters.com
These programmes have partly or
wholly taught courses in English,
with international students from
around the world that have ex-
cellent academic records. These
programmes have a 60% in-take
of international students.
03.
A RANGE OF
EXCELLENT AND
SPECIALISED
PROGRAM
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
University Students:
233,538
(2009-2010)
International students:
Barcelona has 20,000
international students. More
than 5,000 are on masters
and postgraduate courses
in addition to 2,000 doctoral
students.
Programmes:
517 post graduates
Professors and
investigators:
15,486 people
(2009-2010)
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Catalonia accounts for
15% of the population of
Spain, yet it contributes
20% to Spain’s GDP and
generates 25% and 2.5% of
Spain’s and Europe’s scien-
ti?c production respectively.
This is especially relevant
in the ?elds of biomedicine,
science and technology.
The overall rate of research
and development (R&D) in
Catalonia stood at 1.68%
of GDP in 2009, above the
Spanish average (1.38%).
Barcelona occupies the 18
th
and
6th positions in the worldwide and
European rankings respectively in
terms of scienti?c output. In 2010
they contributed 11,798 scienti?c
publications.
To achieve this reputation in
research, Catalonia has made sig-
ni?cant investments that represent
25.2% of all research spending in
Spain.
The improvement in research in
Catalonia has been recognised by
the European Research Council,
with nearly 60% of their grants
awarded to Spain between 2007
and 2010 going to researchers
working in centres located in
Catalonia (38 grants from a total
of 64). Barcelona accounts for the
majority of these with 31 of the 38
researchers located in centres in
the city itself.
Patents and Utility Models
Barcelona and Catalonia head the
ranking of applications for patents
and utility models in Spain. In
2008 there were 397 PCT patent
registrations in Barcelona, a ratio
of patents per million inhabitants
of 74.92.
Regarding patent applications,
Barcelona and Catalonia represent
16.9% and 20% respectively of all
Spanish applications (2008).
04.
QUALITY AND
SOPHISTICATED
RESEARCH
In terms of utility models, Barce-
lona and Catalonia account for
23.6% and 27.5% of the Spanish
total respectively (2008).
Employment
Catalonia has seen the number
of people engaged in intensive
research increase from 18,300 in
1996 to 47,300 in 2009, re?ecting
a wider commitment to research, in-
novation and knowledge generation.
With regard to the percentage of
the population working in science
and technology, Catalonia occupies
the 5th position in the European
regional ranking with 630,000 wor-
kers boasting a higher education
degree engaged in these activities.
This fact has helped attract 22% of
Spain’s innovation-based compa-
nies to Catalonia.
Collaboration between
universities and business
Companies and Higher Education
institutions also collaborate closely
with the development of specific
research-related projects, whether
defined by companies themselves
or coming from university research
units, or jointly defined. The exper-
tise of universities in certain areas
and the availability of infrastruc-
ture provide companies with new
ways to develop their ideas in the
best way possible.
Research and Innovation
Map
In 2008, Barcelona created the
Research and Innovation Map.
Initially it included Bio and IT facili-
ties, but gradually it has expanded
to include more ?elds. Currently, it
boasts 417 facilities and projects
across the following ?elds:
The map summarises Barcelona
and the metropolitan area’s capa-
bilities in research, technology and
innovation.
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
38 grants grants awarded to
Catalonia:
- Starting Grants (26)
- Advanced Grants (12)
21 of the 38 grants have been
awarded to researchers on the
ICREA programme, a policy
measure designed to attract the
best talent in the world.
Research Institutions (9)
Research Centres (169)
Technology Centres (25)
Scienti?c-technical
Facilities (6)
Technology and Research
Parks (12)
Creativity Environments (15)
Support for Innovation (30)
Finance for Innovation (36)
Successful Cases (115)
Image courtesy of Polytechnical University of Catalonia (UPC)
Image courtesy of University of Barcelona (UB)
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Barcelona has several
prestigious international
facilities with a huge po-
tential for doing advanced
research. These facilities
are a magnet for talent,
especially for scientists
from around the world and
for building and developing
new projects.
Alba Synchrotron -
Consortium CELLS
This facility boasts the most
powerful synchrotron light source
in Southern Europe and it is cu-
rrently Catalonia’s most advanced
scientific facility. It will help place
Catalonia at the cutting edge of
molecular analysis applications
across many fields. Thanks to the
synchrotron facility, many expe-
rimental laboratories now stand
to benefit from this light source
on a range of different research
projects. Some 160 people -scien-
tists, engineers and technicians-
currently work there.
National Supercomputing
Centre (Mare Nostrum
Supercomputer)
This is a benchmark centre and one
of the world’s fastest supercom-
puters. Its mission is to research,
develop and manage information
technologies to facilitate scienti?c
progress. This facility is participa-
ting in European supercomputing
projects along with 5 other EU
member countries. It has more than
200 researchers from over
20 countries working there. The
main areas of research being done
here are related to computer, life
and Earth sciences.
05.
BENCHMARK
KNOWLEDGE
FACILITIES
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
Barcelona Biomedical
Research Park (PRBB)
This is a major scienti?c facility that
came about from an initiative led by
the Autonomous Regional Govern-
ment of Catalonia, Barcelona City
Council and the UPF, in connection
with Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar.
It incorporates six closely coordina-
ted public research centres and is
designed to generate knowledge in
the ?eld of health and life sciences,
and also to transfer technology and
knowledge to the business world.
The pro?le of the 1,300 people that
work there is very international.
Barcelona Science Park
(PCB)
This facility is designed to promote
innovation mainly in the field of life
sciences, especially incorporating
the collaboration of universities
and companies. Developed by
the University of Barcelona, it was
Spain’s first science park and has
become an international bench-
mark regarding the fostering of
innovation. The park boasts 2,200
professionals with 3 research ins-
titutes, 75 companies, an incubator
for biotechnology companies and
70 research groups.
National Centre for Genome
Analysis (CNAG)
This centre was created in 2009
in order to carry out projects
analysing large-scale DNA
sequences in collaboration with
researchers from Catalonia, Spain
and Europe. CNAG offers a wide
range of applications, including
the complete sequencing of de
novo genomes, the re-sequencing
of complete genomes, the re-
sequencing of specific regions,
the sequencing of micro-RNA
(RNAseq) or mRNA, the location
of binding sites in DNA or RNA
(ChIPseq), epigenome sequencing
and validation of genomic variants.
This facility is expected to become
one of Europe’s top 5.
Alba Synchrotron - Consortium CELLS
National Supercomputing Centre (Mare Nostrum Supercomputer)
Barcelona Science Park (PCB)
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Higher Education Cluster:
Barcelona Campus
The Higher Education sector in
Barcelona and Catalonia is in fact
organised by a variety of stakehol-
ders that interact and work together
to develop a range of highly attracti-
ve programmes for students. The
clearest example of this is the
future association Barcelona Cam-
pus. It will establish strengthening
links between academic institutions
offering graduate programmes
whilst jointly tackling some of the
major challenges facing the sector
and the process of adapting to the
European Higher Education Area.
This entity represents the Higher
Education cluster, bringing together
all the sector’s institutions in Barce-
lona and most of those in Catalonia.
It also facilitates the collaborative
action of Higher Education institu-
tions in ?elds such as internationa-
lisation and improving excellence
in training. Barcelona Campus is
the brand name for channelling all
these activities.
International Corporate
Universities Forum (ICUF)
Barcelona is the gateway to
southern Europe, the centre of an
emerging Euro-regional economic
centre, the capital of the Medi-
terranean, a bridging location to
North Africa and a platform link
with Latin America. With its long
industrial tradition and a dense
business fabric, Barcelona has
made a strategic commitment
to the information economy and
knowledge-intensive activities, es-
pecially in advanced services and
new economic activities.
Aligned with this objective, Bar-
celona City Council has made a
strategic commitment to the Higher
Education sector, speci?cally for
strategic corporate training and
executive education, by organising
the ?rst edition of the Internatio-
nal Corporate Universities Forum
(ICUF) in 2010. This is designed
as an annual international event
for multinational executives from
around the world in charge of stra-
tegic corporative education, that -in
collaboration with the educational
stakeholders in the city- meet for
two days to debate and exchange
ideas on the key issues facing
corporate training strategy, learning
and best practices cases, and to
identify future trends in the industry.
Barcelona is a model for public-
private cooperation and as such
this project has been given full
backing by other institutions
such as Barcelona’s Chamber of
Commerce and the Autonomous
Regional Government of Catalonia’s
own Education Sector (universi-
ties and business schools). ICUF
is also being sponsored by large
businesses working the ?eld of
corporate universities. This is a
network initiative including the
city’s and country’s main economic
development stakeholders, business
schools and university foundations,
and the actual business community.
ICUF has contributed to Barcelona’s
positioning as a benchmark –in
a permanent or temporary way-
for large corporations’ executive
training and an ideal meeting point
for those responsible for com-
panies’ executive education and
management strategy all around
the world. Some of the main factors
that have been decisive in this
positioning include Barcelona’s
excellent geographical position, its
good international connections, and
its meetings facilities for hosting
multinational companies’ strategy
meetings for their management
teams. Barcelona is second-placed
in the world ranking of cities
organising international meetings
out of a total of 135. A ?nal key to
the city’s success in this area is its
internationally renowned business
schools, like IESE and ESADE, and
its prestigious universities.
In recent years Barcelona
has pushed through a se-
ries of major Higher Educa-
tion projects that have had
a dual purpose. On the one
hand, they aim to develop
what will be a key economic
sector for the future espe-
cially training, learning and
development; and, on the
other hand, they will bring
together the promotion of
knowledge generation and
the attraction of talent in
the overall environment.
Some of the leading projects in
this field are:
International Excellence
Campus (CEIs)
CEIs objectives, amongst others, are
to improve the quality of universities,
promote their internationalisation
in terms of training and research,
and to establish a closer relations-
hip between universities and their
surrounds. The CEI award is given by
the Spanish government’s Ministry
of Education to the most active co-
llaboration projects. It has become a
true hallmark of quality and prestige
to those educational institutions that
receive it.
Catalonia has a number of Interna-
tional Excellence Campuses:
In 2009 winners included:
- Barcelona Knowledge Campus
(BKC), a joint project between the
UB and UPC.
- UAB CEI, a UAB project commit-
ted to knowledge generation and
innovation.
In 2010 award winners included:
- Barcelona University Campus
Health (HUBc), a University of
Barcelona project.
- Campus Energy UPC: Energy for
Excellence, a UPC project.
- Campus UPF-Icària International,
a UPF project.
CEIs projects also include the
participation of municipalities,
research centres, hospitals, asso-
ciations, etc...
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04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
06.
THE MAIN
HIGHER
EDUCATION
PROJECTS
International Excellence
Campus (CEIs) awards: 2 in the
2009 awards and 3 in the 2010
awards. Catalonia and Barcelona
lead the International Excellence
Campus ratings in Spain.
ICUF 2011
Participants:
256 (100 executives)
Companies:
174 (66 multinationals)
27 private collaborators
–sponsors and knowledge
partners- amongst them the
city’s main business schools
(IESE, ESADE and EADA).
Barcelona’s pavilion at Expo 2010 Shangai
Professionals that want to
develop their careers in
Barcelona
Do it in Barcelona, provides infor-
mation about job opportunities in the
city and a range of resources to help
candidates prepare for company
selection processes. As such, they
provide resources to facilitate the
design of a career strategy, the pre-
paration of CVs, interviews and other
key factors in the selection process.
It also provides access to a series of
industry reports that allow candida-
tes to get in-depth information about
the city’s sectors and their economic
structure.
Professionals looking to develop
their careers in Barcelona can ?nd
this information and interesting
resources at www.bcn.cat/treball/
en, including more than 1,000 job
pro?les and 7,000 job offers for
those looking for career opportuni-
ties in the city.
Entrepreneurs that want to
launch their business idea in
Barcelona
Barcelona has consolidated its
position as Europe’s sixth-best city
to set up a business, which makes it
attractive for business creation. The
programme offers opportunities for
entrepreneurs regarding of?ce and
real estate to locate their business,
counselling regarding the prepara-
tion and development of business
plans and ancillary services to sup-
port entrepreneurs.
There are a lot of tools, types of
information and resources available
for entrepreneurs, many of these
found via the online Do it in Barce-
lona programme.
Setting up in Barcelona
This is a practical guide available via
the Do it in Barcelona programme
that provides entrepreneurs all the
information needed to start a new
business venture, including the
different legal forms of companies,
incentives, institutions and specia-
lised types of ?nancing, taxation,
access to support services and
start-up advice, of?ce space to start
a company, and entrepreneur net-
working possibilities. This guide is
not only aimed at people who want
to develop an idea and set up a
company, but also for entrepreneurs
or professionals that want to move
their business to Barcelona.
These services help provide support
for entrepreneurs developing a
business idea in Barcelona.
Barcelona is also working on
programmes for Higher Education
graduates in the city to help them
foster new business start-ups with
support from the local environment.
Talent developed via universities
and business schools has access
to resources to translate their
knowledge into new innovative
business realities.
Barcelona is not just trying to at-
tract and generate academic talent,
but rather also laying the foundation
for incorporating this talent into the
business ?eld via highly quali?ed
job creation and also the creation
of companies based on knowled-
ge and innovation, meaning they
collaborate with the transformation
of the city’s economic model.
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Do it in Barcelona is the
name given to a global plat-
form aimed at attracting and
retaining talented profes-
sionals and entrepreneurs.
Launched in 2009 by Bar-
celona City Council’s deve-
lopment agency, Barcelona
Activa, the idea is to provide
all the necessary information
needed to attract talent to
the city at different levels:
Students: those wanting to con-
tinue their studies at an academic
institution in Barcelona.
Researchers: those wanting to
carry out research in Barcelona-
based centres.
Professionals: those wanting to
develop career plans in Barcelona.
Entrepreneurs: those looking to
launch a business idea in Barcelona.
The Do it in Barcelona programme
provides support to these 4 groups,
taking into account the peculiarities
of each, but also providing support for
job creation and entrepreneurship in
Barcelona.
Students wanting to continue
their studies at an academic
institution in Barcelona
Do it in Barcelona helps students
with accommodation (via BCU) and
the procedures to meet the requi-
rements for the of?cial recognition
of country-of-origin studies, access
to programmes of excellence aimed
at international students, as well as
offering more information about the
cultural events and activities going
on in the city.
On the other hand, Higher Edu-
cation institutions have ongoing
agreements with companies to help
students gain internships in
positions related to the programme
they are enrolled on. These intern-
ships mainly take place in the ?nal
year of undergraduate and postgra-
duate programmes for those on pro-
fessional or management courses,
and this possibility enhances the
attractiveness of training program-
mes offered in Barcelona.
Researchers who want to do
research in Barcelona-based
centres
Do it in Barcelona provides access
to a range of speci?c services in
collaboration with the Catalan Foun-
dation for Research. Services include
an online guide to help researcher
mobility, a Job Centre speci?cally for
researchers (700 user organization
and 2000 CVs), a R&D resource
engine search tool with information
about calls for grants and funding, in-
formation, news, etc.., and a helpdesk
with personalised attention.
07.
DO IT
IN BARCELONA:
CAPACITY TO
ATTRACT AND
GENERATE TALENT
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
Some of the locations for en-
trepreneurs in Barcelona:
- Multisector Incubator (Viver
Glòries) or specialised ones
(Espai Almogàvers)
- Barcelona Nord Technology
Park (aimed at companies with
a technological base)
Search tool:
- BCN Business Spaces: search
engine for of?ces and premises
- Barcelona Venture Hub
(offers temporary of?ces for
international investors)
Barcelona boasts renowned
international institutions
that offer highly specialised
programmes and a com-
mitment to overall exce-
llence in Higher Education,
whilst providing an open and
cosmopolitan city environ-
ment that combines tradition
and modernity, a mix that is
highly valued abroad.
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Barcelona offers newco-
mers a variety of services
ranging from support upon
arrival, advice about ?nding
accommodation, access to
information and resources
to help integration and how
to enjoy the city.
As regards accommodation -parti-
cularly that of students and other
members of the academic and
research community-, the city boasts
a Barcelona University Centre (BCU)
service. BCU coordinates with other
institutions in the Higher Education
sector and companies offering ac-
commodation. It manages the welco-
ming processes of new students and
provides information and advice on
accommodation issues and life in the
city outside the university experien-
ce. Its remit concerns communities
coming from outside Catalonia so,
as well as students, it offers support
to teachers and foreign researchers
arriving in Barcelona.
Barcelona pioneered the implemen-
tation of initiatives to support the
arrival of foreign students when the
BCU platform was set up, and which
apart from welcoming and accom-
modation services also manages
initiatives to improve the cultural and
social integration of this university
group in Barcelona.
Barcelona boasts benchmark and
highly innovative companies offering
quality accommodation services in this
sector, with many of these undergoing
a process of expanding their Barcelo-
na operations because of the growth
in foreign students coming to the city.
BCU has a website (www.bcu.
cat) where you can find diffe-
rent types of accommodation:
flats, rooms, rooms with fami-
lies, student halls, short stay
accommodation, teachers’ ac-
commodation, each adapted to
the individual’s needs. Thanks
to its network of collaborators,
it offers a choice of 13,000
beds in Barcelona, 50 halls of
residence with 8,000 rooms for
students, doctors, and recently
arrived researchers.
08.
BARCELONA
UNIVERSITY CEN-
TRE: WELCOMING,
ACCOMMODATION
AND LIVING
IN BARCELONA
09.
HIGHER EDUCATION
IN THE CITY
ENVIRONMENT.
BARCELONA, AN OPEN
DOOR OF RESOURCES
TO ACCOMPANY YOU
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
In fact, Barcelona has established
itself as the best European city for
its quality of work, which means
added value for those who come to
work here, to continue their studies
or start a new company. Barcelona
facilitates the arrival of students,
teachers, researchers and entre-
preneurs who decide on the city
for their training and its helps them
integrate quickly into city life.
Welcome to Barcelona
This program is available to people
who have arrived in the city and
provides a series of resources that
facilitate their integration into the
new host city. A One-stop Window
for City Procedures has been set
up to help newcomers carry out
procedures like getting on the city
council’s registry or getting a library
card with just one click.
Online procedures guide
This was the ?rst welcoming service
provided by a local authority and
designed to help and guide those
who need a visa to enter Spain.
Relocation Guide. Welcome to
Barcelona
This is a resource with information
about everything you need when
you are considering coming to live
in Barcelona. It is aimed mainly at
professionals to help them with their
adaptation process to the city, so
they to can get to know how the city
works, its cultural offer, accommo-
dation services and its schools and
universities.
Barcelona, a university campus
for Corporate Training
Barcelona is the second-best city in
the world regarding the organisation
of international meetings thanks to
its excellent geographical location,
good international connections, and
facilities for hosting meetings and
important corporate events. This, in
addition to the fact it boasts some
of the best business schools in the
world, means that Barcelona is an
ideal place to host training events for
large corporations.
Barcelona, a magnet for events
Higher Education is generating,
either directly or indirectly, nume-
rous events that are being held in
the city. As such, besides being an
ideal location for corporate training,
it also has well-equipped facilities
for organising these types of events
on a permanent basis. Some of the
most noteworthy regarding this point
include the Barcelona International
Convention Centre (CCIB), the city’s
wide range of hotels, facilities at
the Fira de Barcelona trade fair site,
and the headquarters of Telefónica
University, among many others.
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04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
10.
TESTIMONIALS
ABOUT BARCELONA
AND ITS HIGHER
EDUCATION
Positive experiences of
those who form part of the
Higher Education sector in
Barcelona
“Barcelona is becoming one of
the key innovation hubs worldwide
thanks to the efforts of local and
international people that come
to the city to study, work and
innovate”.
Francesc R. Subirada.
Associate Director. Barcelona
Supercomputing Center.
“Barcelona is a hive of innovation
and dynamism. It is attractive in
a multitude of ways. People want
to go there and people always
leave inspired and that is why
Telefonica decided to locate its
Corporate University there.”
Rory Simpson.
Chief Executive learning Of?cer Telefonica, SA
“We successfully compete for
the best scienti?c talent at an
international level, at least in
biomedical research. At PRBB
we have now 1.400 people from
52 different countries working in
cutting edge science and 40%
are foreigners. Furthermore,
the associated Pompeu Fabra
University (UPF) is the Spanish
university with most grants from
the European Research Council
(22). I think it’s dif?cult for young
intellectuals to ?nd a better place
to dive into excellence.”
Dr. Reimund Fickert.
Project Director at the Barcelona
Biomedical Research Park (PRBB)
“Barcelona is the de?nitive choi-
ce for graduate studies because
of the quality of education, new
friendships from all over the
world, and the cosmopolitan
atmosphere. What else do you
need?”
Ignasi Vendrell.
Social Media & Public Relations professor.
Barcelona University. President of
www.bestrelations.com
Links
05
Entities connected to
Higher Education
Autonomous Regional Govern-
ment of Catalonia – Secretary for
Universities and Research
www.gencat.cat/economia/ur/in-
dex_en.html
Association of Public Universities
of Catalonia (ACUP)
www.acup.cat
Agency for the Quality of the Uni-
versity System of Catalonia (AQU)
www.aqu.cat
Barcelona University Centre
(BCU)
www.bcu.cat
Barcelona Global Masters
www.barcelonaglobalmasters.com
International Corporate
Universities Forum (ICUF)
www.icufbcn.com
Universities
University of Barcelona (UB)
www.ub.edu
Autonomous University of
Barcelona (UAB)
www.uab.cat
Universitat Politècnica
de Catalunya (UPC)
www.upc.edu
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
(UPF)
www.upf.edu
Ramon Llull University (URL)
www.url.edu
Open University of Catalonia
(UOC)
www.uoc.edu
International University of
Catalonia (UIC)
www.uic.es
Abat Oliba University (UAO)
www.uao.es
Rovira i Virgili University (URV)
www.urv.cat/en_index.html
University of Girona (UdG)
www.udg.edu
University of Lleida (UL)
www.udl.es
University of Vic (UVic)
www.uvic.es
University Foundations
IL·3http://www.il3.ub.edu
IDEC
www.idec.upf.edu
Polytechnic Foundation
of Catalonia (FPC)
www.fpc.upc.edu
Inter University Platforms
Barcelona Graduate School of
Economics (BGSE)
www.barcelonagse.eu
Barcelona International Institute
Studies (IBEI)
www.ibei.org
Business Schools
ESADE Business School
www.esade.edu
IESE
www.iese.edu
EADA
www.eada.edu
EAE
www.eae.es
BES-La Salle
www.salle.url.edu
ESIC
www.esic.es
Barcelona School of Management
www.barcelonaschoolofmanagement.es
Facilities
Alba Synchrotron
www.cells.es
Supercomputador Mare Nostrum
National Centre
www.bsc.es
Barcelona Biomedical Research
Park (PRBB)
www.prbb.org
Barcelona Science Park
www.pcb.ub.edu
National Centre for Genome
Analysis (CNAG)
www.cnag.cat
Local and regional
organisms
22@Barcelona
www.22barcelona.com/en
Invest in Catalonia
www.acc10.cat/ACC1O/cat/interna-
cionalitzacio/invest-catalonia
Barcelona Activa
Economic, Business and
Employment Area -
Barcelona City Council
www.bcn.cat/barcelonagrowth
Do it in Barcelona
(Barcelona Activa)
www.doitinbcn.com
Barcelona Chamber of Commerce
www.cambrabcn.org
Spanish organisms
Ministry of Education
www.educacion.es
Universidad.es
www.universidad.es/404_es/lang.en
With co-?nancing
www.bcn.cat/barcelonagrowth
doc_581771607.pdf
Barcelona has always had a strong commitment to make its Higher Education sector an engine for its economy, knowledge-generation and innovation. It is a strategic sector that will be developed over the coming years, according to the strategic plan “Barcelona Vision 2020”, which explicitly identifies this area as one of the potential motors for the economy of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona.
The Higher
Education Sector
in Barcelona
01. Barcelona, the Mediterranean’s innovation hub 05
02. 10 reasons to invest in Barcelona 06
03. Higher Education, a strategic sector
for Barcelona and Catalonia 08
04. 10 reasons that make Barcelona and Catalonia
a benchmark in Higher Education
01. A strategic sector for Barcelona and Catalonia 10
02. Catalonia’s Higher Education system 12
03. A range of excellent and specialised programmes 14
04. Quality and sophisticated research 16
05. Benchmark knowledge facilities 18
06. The city’s main projects 20
07. Do it in Barcelona: capacity to generate and attract talent 22
08. Barcelona University Centre: welcoming, accommodation
and living in Barcelona 24
09. Higher Education in the city environment. Barcelona, an open
door of resources to accompany you 25
10. Testimonials about Barcelona and Higher Education 26
05. Links 27
Table of contents
Edition
Barcelona City Council
Economy, Business and Employment Area
Llacuna 162
08018 Barcelona
www.bcn.cat/barcelonagrowth
With the help of
Design and layout: g.gra?c
D.L. (Copyright): B-38802-2011
Barcelona, November 2011
05
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Barcelona, located in north-eastern
Spain and on the shores of the
Mediterranean, is one of the principal
European cities and the centre of a
vast metropolitan region of more than
160 towns, and with a population of
more than 4.8 million people. It is the
economic, cultural and administrative
capital of Catalonia and the centre of
an emerging area of economic activi-
ty in Southern Europe, with 17 million
people and 800,000 businesses. The
Euro-Mediterranean region, including
the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Aragon
and the south-east of France, is
positioning itself in new strategic and
internationally-competitive sectors,
consolidating itself internationally as
a major European metropolis.
With a long industrial tradition and
a dense business fabric, Barcelona
has a highly diversi?ed economic
structure. Its more traditional sectors
coexist with new emerging ones,
creating new clusters of knowled-
ge that prioritise specialisation and
competitiveness, focusing on interna-
tionalisation and creating a dynamic
and innovative city economy. This has
helped to drive Barcelona’s strategic
leadership in these ?elds.
In 2011, Catalonia was home to more
than 5,000 international companies
and it received 135 foreign investment
projects, 85% of which were located in
and around Barcelona.
Taking into account the distribution
of gross value added across business
activities, Catalonia is Spain’s top
autonomous region in the industrial
sector, accounting for 23.6% of the
total market. In terms of services, it is
positioned second regarding national
gross value added generated.
Additionally, Barcelona’s entrepreneu-
rial activity rate in 2010 was 5.5%,
above both the Spanish and European
averages according to the Global En-
trepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2010.
Barcelona’s international economic
activities are mainly driven by the
Trade Fair, the Port, Airport, the Zona
Franca Consortium, Barcelona’s
Tourism Consortium, Barcelona City
Council and its new technological
innovation districts.
Barcelona and Catalonia are lea-
ding Spain’s movement towards
a knowledge economy. As such,
Catalonia accounts for 21.6% of
Spain’s innovation-based companies
and 22.5% of all Spanish spending on
innovation activities.
Regarding this last aspect -and given
its importance for the development of
competitiveness, productivity, attracting
and retaining talent, and the interna-
tionalisation of companies-, Higher
Education is a key sector for Barcelona
and Catalonia. Barcelona and Cata-
lonia have positioned themselves as
international benchmarks in the training
sector, bringing together
12 universities, a variety of top bu-
siness schools and more than thirty
international schools that all together
offer more than 500 masters and post-
graduate programmes to more than
233,000 students.
This wide ranging offer has meant
that 36.9% of Catalonia’s population
now has university studies, rates that
are higher than the European avera-
ge (29.7%), and a trend which is still
increasing.
Barcelona,
the Mediterranean’s
innovation hub
01
EURO-MEDITERRANEAN REGION
CATALONIA
BARCELONA
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02
10 reasons
to invest in
Barcelona
Barcelona offers a
number of different
elements that make it an
attractive place to live,
work and do business.
Today the city is a highly
interesting location for
new economic activities.
Some good reasons
to invest here are as
follows
06. Human resources prepared for the future
Barcelona has one of the leading labour markets in Europe in terms of critical
mass in high value-added sectors; highly productive, one of the best in Europe
according to the OECD; 8 public and private universities; a number of pres-
tigious business schools including ESADE, IESE and EADA; 34 international
schools; wide-spread use of new technology and a natural tendency for innova-
tion and creativity.
07. Excellent quality of life
For the 14
th
year running, Barcelona boasts Europe’s best quality of life for emplo-
yees*. It has a mild climate, sun, beaches, culture, splendid leisure time and arts
programmes, a network of 4,500 educational institutions, modern and accessible
health system. It is easy to get around on the public transport system and boasts
beautiful parks that surround the city.
08.
Large-scale urban-planning projects for
the future
A complete and renewed offer in terms of intelligent land for the development of
new economic projects in the main sectors of the knowledge economy, which
is transforming more than 1,000 ha and 7 million m
2
of build surface space in
Barcelona’s metropolitan area.
09. Competitive real estate market
Wide range of of?ces, retail spaces and industrial warehouses with excellent
price/quality balance and a high occupation rate.
10. Unique public/private cooperation
Barcelona City Council and the Catalan Government are highly committed to
companies. The success of traditional public/private collaboration has been key to
Barcelona’s transformation.
*According to Cushman & Wake?eld, European Cities Monitor 2011.
01. Strategic geographic location
Two hours by road from France and one day from the main European
cities. The gateway to Southern Europe and capital of the Union for the
Mediterranean, Barcelona’s port, airport, logistics parks, international
trade fairs and city center are found within a ?ve-kilometer radius.
02. Comprehensive transport infrastructure
Network of motorways connected to Europe, the fastest growing Euro-
pean airport; Spain’s top port connected to the European railway network
on international gauge track, Europe and the Mediterranean’s top interna-
tional cruise port, placed 4
th
in the world ranking; extensive metro, railway
and bus network, high-speed train that will connect the city with the
European network in 2013.
03.
Center of a large, dynamic and diverse
economic area
The Barcelona area has nearly 5 million inhabitants. It is the capital of
Catalonia, with 7.5 million inhabitants, and the center of the Mediterra-
nean Basin, an economic area with 18 million inhabitants. It accounts for
70% of Catalonia’s GDP, and is the 6
th
largest urban area in Europe and
has the 5
th
highest concentration in Europe in terms of industry. Catalonia
has nearly 7,000 businesses working in innovation related activities, most
of which are located in Barcelona and its surrounding area.
04. Successful foreign investment
Barcelona is ranked the 6
th
best city in Europe for business*, and Catalo-
nia accounts for approximately 36% of all foreign investment in Spain and
is home to more than 5,000 foreign companies, most of which are located
in the Barcelona area.
05. Internationally renowned positioning
Barcelona tops a number of international rankings, which rate its urban
environment, ability to attract foreign capital, entrepreneurial spirit and
quality of life very highly.
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Higher
Education, a
strategic sector
for Barcelona
and Catalonia
03
Barcelona has always had a
strong commitment to make
its Higher Education sector
an engine for its economy,
knowledge-generation and
innovation. It is a strategic
sector that will be develo-
ped over the coming years,
according to the strategic
plan “Barcelona Vision
2020”, which explicitly
identi?es this area as one of
the potential motors for the
economy of the Metropolitan
Region of Barcelona.
Catalonia has a total of 233,538
students at 12 universities, 8 of
which are located in the metropoli-
tan area of Barcelona, and ?rst-rate
business schools -two of these
are among the top 25 in the world,
according to international rankings.
In terms of university research,
Catalonia boasts more than 550
consolidated research groups, 137
R&D centres and over 300 univer-
sity departments. According to data
from Eurostat (2009), 36.9% of the
population in Catalonia has univer-
sity degrees, signi?cantly above the
European average of 29.7%, and
following a clear upward trend.
Higher Education institutions, which
are responsible for transmitting
knowledge through undergraduate
and graduate degrees, are also
major generators of new knowledge
across all disciplines, both in terms
of basic knowledge and that applied
through technology development
and applications. As such, Higher
Education institutions are training
the researchers, professionals and
entrepreneurs of the future. In short,
they generate talent for society. The
ability to attract and retain this talent
is a key to success for businesses
and regions that want to be innovati-
ve and competitive in a high growth
environment subject to continuous
change in terms of technology, eco-
nomics and business.
A few years ago, Catalonia, and
Barcelona in particular, started
positioning itself as an international
benchmark in education -under-
graduate and especially graduate
studies- with the capacity to produce
a skilled and talented workforce, and
yet also capable of attracting talent
from around the world- all this with
the objective of creating a dynamic
economy, generating new knowled-
ge and stimulating innovation and
its transformation, and as such
contributing to economic and social
development. Currently Catalonia
has more than 233,000 students,
with about 20,000 coming from
outside Catalonia, and the majority
of these attending universities in the
metropolitan area of Barcelona.
This positioning hasn’t been limited
to the local sphere, but rather
extended to the global environment,
effectively putting Barcelona on the
map in terms of being a benchmark
in Higher Education, especially in
certain subject areas.
This trend towards the internationa-
lisation of Higher Education offered
at Catalan institutions has increa-
sed over recent years and is now a
strategic priority, especially given the
framework of the European Higher
Education Area (EHEA), initiated by
the 1999 Bologna Declaration.
EHEA is based on four principles:
quality teaching, the mobility of
students and teachers, recognition
of teaching diversity, and improving
the competitiveness of graduates in
Europe’s open labour market.
The objective of this document is
to explain the current and future
trends of the Higher Education sec-
tor in Barcelona and more generally
in Catalonia and its basic characte-
ristics, via the following 10 points:
01 A strategic sector for
Barcelona and Catalonia
02 Catalonia’s Higher Education
system
03 A range of excellent and
specialised programmes
04 Quality and sophisticated
research
05 Benchmark knowledge facilities
06 The city’s main projects
07 Do it in Barcelona: capacity to
generate and attract talent
08 Barcelona University Centre:
welcoming, accommodation
and living in Barcelona
09 Higher Education in the city
environment
10 Testimonials about Barcelona
and Higher Education
These ?t perfectly with the Higher
Education priorities promoted by
Barcelona in recent years: a range
of high-quality degree and graduate
programmes, excellence in certain
?elds of specialisation, the capacity
to generate and attract talent, the
internationalisation of the sector,
support for the creation of quality and
added value jobs, and the promotion
of entrepreneurship.
Different faculties of Barcelona
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10 reasons
that make
Barcelona
and Catalonia
a benchmark
in Higher
Education
04
Barcelona has built up a signi?cant
business fabric, the result of a long
and deeply-rooted industrial tra-
dition that has consolidated many
industries and clusters of innovative
and very competitive companies.
Catalonia and Barcelona’s busi-
ness frame is characterised by the
dominance of SMEs (Small and
Medium Enterprises), but also in
terms of internationally recognised
?rms in the ?elds of infrastructure
management, energy, and ?nancial
services. It is also a very strong in
the services sector in general,
especially the development of the
tourism sector as a major driver for
the local economy.
As well, Barcelona has made a stra-
tegic commitment to the develop-
ment and consolidation of emerging
industries such as Information and
Communications Technology (ICT),
design, media, energy and biotech-
nology. These sectors have become
clusters, mostly located in the city’s
innovation district, 22@Barcelona.
In this district alone there are more
than 4,500 companies employing
more than 56,000 employees. These
businesses are committed to innova-
tion and the creation of high added
value employment and they especia-
lly need the talent that is emerging
from Catalonia’s Higher Education
institutions or from other countries.
01.
A STRATEGIC
SECTOR FOR
BARCELONA
AND CATALONIA
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Catalonia and Barcelona
in particular have a large
number of Higher Education
institutions with a proven
track record and signi?cant
international prestige.
These institutions are well connec-
ted to Higher Education institutions
in other countries, via permanent
and ?rm collaboration agreements
aimed at encouraging student
mobility between institutions, coor-
dinating research, or collaborating
with the teaching of graduate pro-
grammes. As such, thanks to this
international experience and aca-
demic and research background,
Catalonia’s institutions have beco-
me true international benchmarks
in some areas of knowledge.
The Catalan Education system is
made up by:
Universities
12 universities form part of the
Catalan Education system.
The Metropolitan Region of Bar-
celona boasts the following public
universities:
University of Barcelona (UB): ba-
sed in Barcelona, this is Catalonia’s
pioneering university with 555 years
of history behind it. It has numerous
sites and af?liated centres and its
main programmes are in the ?elds
of social sciences and the sciences.
Autonomous University of Bar-
celona (UAB): Founded in 1968,
it offers a wide range of studies
both in science and social scien-
ces. It now has three campuses:
Bellaterra focused on teaching and
research; Sabadell for technology,
work and enterprise, and ?nally,
Sant Pau for the health sciences.
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
(UPC): It has its beginnings in what
was then known as the Higher Tech-
nical Institute founded in 1968 and
which brought together the existing
technical schools in Barcelona of
the time. In 1971, this became the
UPC. Over the years other techni-
cal schools joined the UPC and its
university sites spread across the
country. Its teaching programmes
are basically in the technology and
science areas.
Pompeu Fabra University (UPF):
established in 1990, it has three
campuses located in the heart of
the city. With a recognised teaching
quality, highly targeted research, and
high levels of internationalization, it
focuses on three areas of experti-
se: social sciences and humanities,
health sciences and life sciences,
and communication and information
technologies.
02.
CATALONIA’S
HIGHER
EDUCATION
SYSTEM
Another university brings together on-
line studies:
Open University of Catalonia
(UOC): which was created in 1995
thanks to the development of new
information technologies (ICT) and
the information society that developed
around it, and that offers an educatio-
nal model based on the personalisation
of courses, accompanying students in
an on-line context
There are also the following private
universities:
Ramon Llull University (URL):
Founded in March 1990, its taught
courses are varied, but specialise in
the social sciences area and others
like engineering, architecture or the
health sciences and sports.
International University of Cata-
lonia (UIC): Founded in October
1997, it offers studies in such
diverse areas as law, architecture,
management and public administra-
tion, areas related to health sciences
and information technology, among
others.
Abat Oliba University (UAO):
started offering courses in 1974. Its
teaching focus is mainly on econo-
mics and social sciences.
Outside the metropolitan area, there
are four other universities:
Rovira i Virgili University (URV),
in Tarragona-Reus, was created in
1991. With a range of about 50
courses, its main objective is to put
knowledge to work for society in
order to contribute to the social and
economic development of its local
environment.
University of Girona (UdG): was
established in 1991 with a clear
vocation to serve its community and
the world. Here there are more than
forty degrees on offer in 5 areas of
knowledge: science, health scien-
ces, social sciences, humanities and
technical sciences.
University of Lleida (UL): was foun-
ded in 1991. Because of its relation-
ship with the local community, UdL is
noted for its agricultural and forestry
studies, but also in other areas.
University of Vic (UVic): since 1997
UVic offers applied teaching, which is
both open and transparent, focusing
on the changing needs of society. It
has studies in experimental science
and technology in medical sciences,
the humanities, and social sciences.
University Foundations
These include IL·3 (UB), IDEC (UPF),
and the Polytechnic Foundation of
Catalonia - FPC (Technical University
of Catalonia), the International Gra-
duate Institute (UOC), which provide
Life Long Learning programs to
professionals and companies mainly
aimed at professionals, with a high
degree of specialisation.
Business Schools
Barcelona has one of Europe’s
highest concentrations of presti-
gious business schools. Especially
noteworthy are IESE, ESADE, and
EADA, which are among the best
schools in the world, according to a
ranking by the Financial Times. At
the European level, IESE was placed
fourth and ESADE seventh, regar-
ding the ranking of the best MBA full
time programmes in Europe.
EAE, BES-La Salle, ESIC and BSM
(IDEC), amongst others, also have
strong international reputations.
Inter-university postgraduate
specialist platforms
Some prominent examples of
platforms also located in Barcelona
include Barcelona Graduate School of
Economics (BGSE), including the par-
ticipation of the UPF and the UAB and
the Institute of International Studies
(IBEI) with the active participation of
the UB, UAB, UPF, and the UOC.
The Catalan education system focuses
on excellence in teaching, research
and development initiatives that boost
both these aspects.
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
Catalonia has 12 universities,
8 of these in Barcelona and its
metropolitan area.
The best-placed Spanish universi-
ties in the international university
rankings are located in Barce-
lona. Barcelona has exceptional
business schools, positioned
high in international benchmark
rankings. 2 of these are amongst
the world’s top 25, namely IESE
and ESADE, and they attract huge
student interest from around the
world. Barcelona comes 8
th
regar-
ding the top cities preferred by
students for an MBA.
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Catalonia and Barcelona
have a wide variety of
graduate studies in subject
areas such as the arts and
humanities, sciences, health
sciences, social sciences
and law, engineering and
architecture.
In Catalonia, education insti-
tutions offer more than 500
post graduate and masters
programmes.
These programmes have three main
traits: they focus on research, cour-
ses for professionals, and manage-
ment training. Particularly important
in Barcelona are those courses
aimed at professions, followed by
research and management.
Barcelona, a multilingual city,
this means it can offer many of
these programmes in different
languages, or in a combination
of various languages. The main
teaching languages are Catalan,
Spanish and English.
Barcelona and its strategic
commitment to inter-university
and international programmes.
Barcelona and its institutions of
Higher Education have always
been very open to collaboration
between institutions, not just in
the same geographical area, but
also regarding a spirit of interna-
tional cooperation especially with
universities and business schools
located in other countries. These
inter-university programmes have
been designed with others to allow
students to complete their training
by taking courses in more than one
institution and thus bene?ting from
inter-university and often interna-
tional expertise.
Many programs offered by the
Catalan universities are part of
Erasmus Mundus, along with other
European and foreign universi-
ties, and which have created very
internationalised post-graduate
programmes.
The support of Education
institutions of excellence in
Barcelona.
In Barcelona there are a series
of Higher Education programmes
that are internationally renowned
in their ?elds that attract students
from around the world. These pro-
grammes, called Masters of Global
Excellence, include 92 masters.
Regularly updated information can
be found at:
www.barcelonaglobalmasters.com
These programmes have partly or
wholly taught courses in English,
with international students from
around the world that have ex-
cellent academic records. These
programmes have a 60% in-take
of international students.
03.
A RANGE OF
EXCELLENT AND
SPECIALISED
PROGRAM
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
University Students:
233,538
(2009-2010)
International students:
Barcelona has 20,000
international students. More
than 5,000 are on masters
and postgraduate courses
in addition to 2,000 doctoral
students.
Programmes:
517 post graduates
Professors and
investigators:
15,486 people
(2009-2010)
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Catalonia accounts for
15% of the population of
Spain, yet it contributes
20% to Spain’s GDP and
generates 25% and 2.5% of
Spain’s and Europe’s scien-
ti?c production respectively.
This is especially relevant
in the ?elds of biomedicine,
science and technology.
The overall rate of research
and development (R&D) in
Catalonia stood at 1.68%
of GDP in 2009, above the
Spanish average (1.38%).
Barcelona occupies the 18
th
and
6th positions in the worldwide and
European rankings respectively in
terms of scienti?c output. In 2010
they contributed 11,798 scienti?c
publications.
To achieve this reputation in
research, Catalonia has made sig-
ni?cant investments that represent
25.2% of all research spending in
Spain.
The improvement in research in
Catalonia has been recognised by
the European Research Council,
with nearly 60% of their grants
awarded to Spain between 2007
and 2010 going to researchers
working in centres located in
Catalonia (38 grants from a total
of 64). Barcelona accounts for the
majority of these with 31 of the 38
researchers located in centres in
the city itself.
Patents and Utility Models
Barcelona and Catalonia head the
ranking of applications for patents
and utility models in Spain. In
2008 there were 397 PCT patent
registrations in Barcelona, a ratio
of patents per million inhabitants
of 74.92.
Regarding patent applications,
Barcelona and Catalonia represent
16.9% and 20% respectively of all
Spanish applications (2008).
04.
QUALITY AND
SOPHISTICATED
RESEARCH
In terms of utility models, Barce-
lona and Catalonia account for
23.6% and 27.5% of the Spanish
total respectively (2008).
Employment
Catalonia has seen the number
of people engaged in intensive
research increase from 18,300 in
1996 to 47,300 in 2009, re?ecting
a wider commitment to research, in-
novation and knowledge generation.
With regard to the percentage of
the population working in science
and technology, Catalonia occupies
the 5th position in the European
regional ranking with 630,000 wor-
kers boasting a higher education
degree engaged in these activities.
This fact has helped attract 22% of
Spain’s innovation-based compa-
nies to Catalonia.
Collaboration between
universities and business
Companies and Higher Education
institutions also collaborate closely
with the development of specific
research-related projects, whether
defined by companies themselves
or coming from university research
units, or jointly defined. The exper-
tise of universities in certain areas
and the availability of infrastruc-
ture provide companies with new
ways to develop their ideas in the
best way possible.
Research and Innovation
Map
In 2008, Barcelona created the
Research and Innovation Map.
Initially it included Bio and IT facili-
ties, but gradually it has expanded
to include more ?elds. Currently, it
boasts 417 facilities and projects
across the following ?elds:
The map summarises Barcelona
and the metropolitan area’s capa-
bilities in research, technology and
innovation.
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
38 grants grants awarded to
Catalonia:
- Starting Grants (26)
- Advanced Grants (12)
21 of the 38 grants have been
awarded to researchers on the
ICREA programme, a policy
measure designed to attract the
best talent in the world.
Research Institutions (9)
Research Centres (169)
Technology Centres (25)
Scienti?c-technical
Facilities (6)
Technology and Research
Parks (12)
Creativity Environments (15)
Support for Innovation (30)
Finance for Innovation (36)
Successful Cases (115)
Image courtesy of Polytechnical University of Catalonia (UPC)
Image courtesy of University of Barcelona (UB)
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Barcelona has several
prestigious international
facilities with a huge po-
tential for doing advanced
research. These facilities
are a magnet for talent,
especially for scientists
from around the world and
for building and developing
new projects.
Alba Synchrotron -
Consortium CELLS
This facility boasts the most
powerful synchrotron light source
in Southern Europe and it is cu-
rrently Catalonia’s most advanced
scientific facility. It will help place
Catalonia at the cutting edge of
molecular analysis applications
across many fields. Thanks to the
synchrotron facility, many expe-
rimental laboratories now stand
to benefit from this light source
on a range of different research
projects. Some 160 people -scien-
tists, engineers and technicians-
currently work there.
National Supercomputing
Centre (Mare Nostrum
Supercomputer)
This is a benchmark centre and one
of the world’s fastest supercom-
puters. Its mission is to research,
develop and manage information
technologies to facilitate scienti?c
progress. This facility is participa-
ting in European supercomputing
projects along with 5 other EU
member countries. It has more than
200 researchers from over
20 countries working there. The
main areas of research being done
here are related to computer, life
and Earth sciences.
05.
BENCHMARK
KNOWLEDGE
FACILITIES
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
Barcelona Biomedical
Research Park (PRBB)
This is a major scienti?c facility that
came about from an initiative led by
the Autonomous Regional Govern-
ment of Catalonia, Barcelona City
Council and the UPF, in connection
with Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar.
It incorporates six closely coordina-
ted public research centres and is
designed to generate knowledge in
the ?eld of health and life sciences,
and also to transfer technology and
knowledge to the business world.
The pro?le of the 1,300 people that
work there is very international.
Barcelona Science Park
(PCB)
This facility is designed to promote
innovation mainly in the field of life
sciences, especially incorporating
the collaboration of universities
and companies. Developed by
the University of Barcelona, it was
Spain’s first science park and has
become an international bench-
mark regarding the fostering of
innovation. The park boasts 2,200
professionals with 3 research ins-
titutes, 75 companies, an incubator
for biotechnology companies and
70 research groups.
National Centre for Genome
Analysis (CNAG)
This centre was created in 2009
in order to carry out projects
analysing large-scale DNA
sequences in collaboration with
researchers from Catalonia, Spain
and Europe. CNAG offers a wide
range of applications, including
the complete sequencing of de
novo genomes, the re-sequencing
of complete genomes, the re-
sequencing of specific regions,
the sequencing of micro-RNA
(RNAseq) or mRNA, the location
of binding sites in DNA or RNA
(ChIPseq), epigenome sequencing
and validation of genomic variants.
This facility is expected to become
one of Europe’s top 5.
Alba Synchrotron - Consortium CELLS
National Supercomputing Centre (Mare Nostrum Supercomputer)
Barcelona Science Park (PCB)
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Higher Education Cluster:
Barcelona Campus
The Higher Education sector in
Barcelona and Catalonia is in fact
organised by a variety of stakehol-
ders that interact and work together
to develop a range of highly attracti-
ve programmes for students. The
clearest example of this is the
future association Barcelona Cam-
pus. It will establish strengthening
links between academic institutions
offering graduate programmes
whilst jointly tackling some of the
major challenges facing the sector
and the process of adapting to the
European Higher Education Area.
This entity represents the Higher
Education cluster, bringing together
all the sector’s institutions in Barce-
lona and most of those in Catalonia.
It also facilitates the collaborative
action of Higher Education institu-
tions in ?elds such as internationa-
lisation and improving excellence
in training. Barcelona Campus is
the brand name for channelling all
these activities.
International Corporate
Universities Forum (ICUF)
Barcelona is the gateway to
southern Europe, the centre of an
emerging Euro-regional economic
centre, the capital of the Medi-
terranean, a bridging location to
North Africa and a platform link
with Latin America. With its long
industrial tradition and a dense
business fabric, Barcelona has
made a strategic commitment
to the information economy and
knowledge-intensive activities, es-
pecially in advanced services and
new economic activities.
Aligned with this objective, Bar-
celona City Council has made a
strategic commitment to the Higher
Education sector, speci?cally for
strategic corporate training and
executive education, by organising
the ?rst edition of the Internatio-
nal Corporate Universities Forum
(ICUF) in 2010. This is designed
as an annual international event
for multinational executives from
around the world in charge of stra-
tegic corporative education, that -in
collaboration with the educational
stakeholders in the city- meet for
two days to debate and exchange
ideas on the key issues facing
corporate training strategy, learning
and best practices cases, and to
identify future trends in the industry.
Barcelona is a model for public-
private cooperation and as such
this project has been given full
backing by other institutions
such as Barcelona’s Chamber of
Commerce and the Autonomous
Regional Government of Catalonia’s
own Education Sector (universi-
ties and business schools). ICUF
is also being sponsored by large
businesses working the ?eld of
corporate universities. This is a
network initiative including the
city’s and country’s main economic
development stakeholders, business
schools and university foundations,
and the actual business community.
ICUF has contributed to Barcelona’s
positioning as a benchmark –in
a permanent or temporary way-
for large corporations’ executive
training and an ideal meeting point
for those responsible for com-
panies’ executive education and
management strategy all around
the world. Some of the main factors
that have been decisive in this
positioning include Barcelona’s
excellent geographical position, its
good international connections, and
its meetings facilities for hosting
multinational companies’ strategy
meetings for their management
teams. Barcelona is second-placed
in the world ranking of cities
organising international meetings
out of a total of 135. A ?nal key to
the city’s success in this area is its
internationally renowned business
schools, like IESE and ESADE, and
its prestigious universities.
In recent years Barcelona
has pushed through a se-
ries of major Higher Educa-
tion projects that have had
a dual purpose. On the one
hand, they aim to develop
what will be a key economic
sector for the future espe-
cially training, learning and
development; and, on the
other hand, they will bring
together the promotion of
knowledge generation and
the attraction of talent in
the overall environment.
Some of the leading projects in
this field are:
International Excellence
Campus (CEIs)
CEIs objectives, amongst others, are
to improve the quality of universities,
promote their internationalisation
in terms of training and research,
and to establish a closer relations-
hip between universities and their
surrounds. The CEI award is given by
the Spanish government’s Ministry
of Education to the most active co-
llaboration projects. It has become a
true hallmark of quality and prestige
to those educational institutions that
receive it.
Catalonia has a number of Interna-
tional Excellence Campuses:
In 2009 winners included:
- Barcelona Knowledge Campus
(BKC), a joint project between the
UB and UPC.
- UAB CEI, a UAB project commit-
ted to knowledge generation and
innovation.
In 2010 award winners included:
- Barcelona University Campus
Health (HUBc), a University of
Barcelona project.
- Campus Energy UPC: Energy for
Excellence, a UPC project.
- Campus UPF-Icària International,
a UPF project.
CEIs projects also include the
participation of municipalities,
research centres, hospitals, asso-
ciations, etc...
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04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
06.
THE MAIN
HIGHER
EDUCATION
PROJECTS
International Excellence
Campus (CEIs) awards: 2 in the
2009 awards and 3 in the 2010
awards. Catalonia and Barcelona
lead the International Excellence
Campus ratings in Spain.
ICUF 2011
Participants:
256 (100 executives)
Companies:
174 (66 multinationals)
27 private collaborators
–sponsors and knowledge
partners- amongst them the
city’s main business schools
(IESE, ESADE and EADA).
Barcelona’s pavilion at Expo 2010 Shangai
Professionals that want to
develop their careers in
Barcelona
Do it in Barcelona, provides infor-
mation about job opportunities in the
city and a range of resources to help
candidates prepare for company
selection processes. As such, they
provide resources to facilitate the
design of a career strategy, the pre-
paration of CVs, interviews and other
key factors in the selection process.
It also provides access to a series of
industry reports that allow candida-
tes to get in-depth information about
the city’s sectors and their economic
structure.
Professionals looking to develop
their careers in Barcelona can ?nd
this information and interesting
resources at www.bcn.cat/treball/
en, including more than 1,000 job
pro?les and 7,000 job offers for
those looking for career opportuni-
ties in the city.
Entrepreneurs that want to
launch their business idea in
Barcelona
Barcelona has consolidated its
position as Europe’s sixth-best city
to set up a business, which makes it
attractive for business creation. The
programme offers opportunities for
entrepreneurs regarding of?ce and
real estate to locate their business,
counselling regarding the prepara-
tion and development of business
plans and ancillary services to sup-
port entrepreneurs.
There are a lot of tools, types of
information and resources available
for entrepreneurs, many of these
found via the online Do it in Barce-
lona programme.
Setting up in Barcelona
This is a practical guide available via
the Do it in Barcelona programme
that provides entrepreneurs all the
information needed to start a new
business venture, including the
different legal forms of companies,
incentives, institutions and specia-
lised types of ?nancing, taxation,
access to support services and
start-up advice, of?ce space to start
a company, and entrepreneur net-
working possibilities. This guide is
not only aimed at people who want
to develop an idea and set up a
company, but also for entrepreneurs
or professionals that want to move
their business to Barcelona.
These services help provide support
for entrepreneurs developing a
business idea in Barcelona.
Barcelona is also working on
programmes for Higher Education
graduates in the city to help them
foster new business start-ups with
support from the local environment.
Talent developed via universities
and business schools has access
to resources to translate their
knowledge into new innovative
business realities.
Barcelona is not just trying to at-
tract and generate academic talent,
but rather also laying the foundation
for incorporating this talent into the
business ?eld via highly quali?ed
job creation and also the creation
of companies based on knowled-
ge and innovation, meaning they
collaborate with the transformation
of the city’s economic model.
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Do it in Barcelona is the
name given to a global plat-
form aimed at attracting and
retaining talented profes-
sionals and entrepreneurs.
Launched in 2009 by Bar-
celona City Council’s deve-
lopment agency, Barcelona
Activa, the idea is to provide
all the necessary information
needed to attract talent to
the city at different levels:
Students: those wanting to con-
tinue their studies at an academic
institution in Barcelona.
Researchers: those wanting to
carry out research in Barcelona-
based centres.
Professionals: those wanting to
develop career plans in Barcelona.
Entrepreneurs: those looking to
launch a business idea in Barcelona.
The Do it in Barcelona programme
provides support to these 4 groups,
taking into account the peculiarities
of each, but also providing support for
job creation and entrepreneurship in
Barcelona.
Students wanting to continue
their studies at an academic
institution in Barcelona
Do it in Barcelona helps students
with accommodation (via BCU) and
the procedures to meet the requi-
rements for the of?cial recognition
of country-of-origin studies, access
to programmes of excellence aimed
at international students, as well as
offering more information about the
cultural events and activities going
on in the city.
On the other hand, Higher Edu-
cation institutions have ongoing
agreements with companies to help
students gain internships in
positions related to the programme
they are enrolled on. These intern-
ships mainly take place in the ?nal
year of undergraduate and postgra-
duate programmes for those on pro-
fessional or management courses,
and this possibility enhances the
attractiveness of training program-
mes offered in Barcelona.
Researchers who want to do
research in Barcelona-based
centres
Do it in Barcelona provides access
to a range of speci?c services in
collaboration with the Catalan Foun-
dation for Research. Services include
an online guide to help researcher
mobility, a Job Centre speci?cally for
researchers (700 user organization
and 2000 CVs), a R&D resource
engine search tool with information
about calls for grants and funding, in-
formation, news, etc.., and a helpdesk
with personalised attention.
07.
DO IT
IN BARCELONA:
CAPACITY TO
ATTRACT AND
GENERATE TALENT
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
Some of the locations for en-
trepreneurs in Barcelona:
- Multisector Incubator (Viver
Glòries) or specialised ones
(Espai Almogàvers)
- Barcelona Nord Technology
Park (aimed at companies with
a technological base)
Search tool:
- BCN Business Spaces: search
engine for of?ces and premises
- Barcelona Venture Hub
(offers temporary of?ces for
international investors)
Barcelona boasts renowned
international institutions
that offer highly specialised
programmes and a com-
mitment to overall exce-
llence in Higher Education,
whilst providing an open and
cosmopolitan city environ-
ment that combines tradition
and modernity, a mix that is
highly valued abroad.
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Barcelona offers newco-
mers a variety of services
ranging from support upon
arrival, advice about ?nding
accommodation, access to
information and resources
to help integration and how
to enjoy the city.
As regards accommodation -parti-
cularly that of students and other
members of the academic and
research community-, the city boasts
a Barcelona University Centre (BCU)
service. BCU coordinates with other
institutions in the Higher Education
sector and companies offering ac-
commodation. It manages the welco-
ming processes of new students and
provides information and advice on
accommodation issues and life in the
city outside the university experien-
ce. Its remit concerns communities
coming from outside Catalonia so,
as well as students, it offers support
to teachers and foreign researchers
arriving in Barcelona.
Barcelona pioneered the implemen-
tation of initiatives to support the
arrival of foreign students when the
BCU platform was set up, and which
apart from welcoming and accom-
modation services also manages
initiatives to improve the cultural and
social integration of this university
group in Barcelona.
Barcelona boasts benchmark and
highly innovative companies offering
quality accommodation services in this
sector, with many of these undergoing
a process of expanding their Barcelo-
na operations because of the growth
in foreign students coming to the city.
BCU has a website (www.bcu.
cat) where you can find diffe-
rent types of accommodation:
flats, rooms, rooms with fami-
lies, student halls, short stay
accommodation, teachers’ ac-
commodation, each adapted to
the individual’s needs. Thanks
to its network of collaborators,
it offers a choice of 13,000
beds in Barcelona, 50 halls of
residence with 8,000 rooms for
students, doctors, and recently
arrived researchers.
08.
BARCELONA
UNIVERSITY CEN-
TRE: WELCOMING,
ACCOMMODATION
AND LIVING
IN BARCELONA
09.
HIGHER EDUCATION
IN THE CITY
ENVIRONMENT.
BARCELONA, AN OPEN
DOOR OF RESOURCES
TO ACCOMPANY YOU
04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
In fact, Barcelona has established
itself as the best European city for
its quality of work, which means
added value for those who come to
work here, to continue their studies
or start a new company. Barcelona
facilitates the arrival of students,
teachers, researchers and entre-
preneurs who decide on the city
for their training and its helps them
integrate quickly into city life.
Welcome to Barcelona
This program is available to people
who have arrived in the city and
provides a series of resources that
facilitate their integration into the
new host city. A One-stop Window
for City Procedures has been set
up to help newcomers carry out
procedures like getting on the city
council’s registry or getting a library
card with just one click.
Online procedures guide
This was the ?rst welcoming service
provided by a local authority and
designed to help and guide those
who need a visa to enter Spain.
Relocation Guide. Welcome to
Barcelona
This is a resource with information
about everything you need when
you are considering coming to live
in Barcelona. It is aimed mainly at
professionals to help them with their
adaptation process to the city, so
they to can get to know how the city
works, its cultural offer, accommo-
dation services and its schools and
universities.
Barcelona, a university campus
for Corporate Training
Barcelona is the second-best city in
the world regarding the organisation
of international meetings thanks to
its excellent geographical location,
good international connections, and
facilities for hosting meetings and
important corporate events. This, in
addition to the fact it boasts some
of the best business schools in the
world, means that Barcelona is an
ideal place to host training events for
large corporations.
Barcelona, a magnet for events
Higher Education is generating,
either directly or indirectly, nume-
rous events that are being held in
the city. As such, besides being an
ideal location for corporate training,
it also has well-equipped facilities
for organising these types of events
on a permanent basis. Some of the
most noteworthy regarding this point
include the Barcelona International
Convention Centre (CCIB), the city’s
wide range of hotels, facilities at
the Fira de Barcelona trade fair site,
and the headquarters of Telefónica
University, among many others.
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04
10 reasons
that make
Barcelona and
Catalonia a
benchmark in
Higher Education
10.
TESTIMONIALS
ABOUT BARCELONA
AND ITS HIGHER
EDUCATION
Positive experiences of
those who form part of the
Higher Education sector in
Barcelona
“Barcelona is becoming one of
the key innovation hubs worldwide
thanks to the efforts of local and
international people that come
to the city to study, work and
innovate”.
Francesc R. Subirada.
Associate Director. Barcelona
Supercomputing Center.
“Barcelona is a hive of innovation
and dynamism. It is attractive in
a multitude of ways. People want
to go there and people always
leave inspired and that is why
Telefonica decided to locate its
Corporate University there.”
Rory Simpson.
Chief Executive learning Of?cer Telefonica, SA
“We successfully compete for
the best scienti?c talent at an
international level, at least in
biomedical research. At PRBB
we have now 1.400 people from
52 different countries working in
cutting edge science and 40%
are foreigners. Furthermore,
the associated Pompeu Fabra
University (UPF) is the Spanish
university with most grants from
the European Research Council
(22). I think it’s dif?cult for young
intellectuals to ?nd a better place
to dive into excellence.”
Dr. Reimund Fickert.
Project Director at the Barcelona
Biomedical Research Park (PRBB)
“Barcelona is the de?nitive choi-
ce for graduate studies because
of the quality of education, new
friendships from all over the
world, and the cosmopolitan
atmosphere. What else do you
need?”
Ignasi Vendrell.
Social Media & Public Relations professor.
Barcelona University. President of
www.bestrelations.com
Links
05
Entities connected to
Higher Education
Autonomous Regional Govern-
ment of Catalonia – Secretary for
Universities and Research
www.gencat.cat/economia/ur/in-
dex_en.html
Association of Public Universities
of Catalonia (ACUP)
www.acup.cat
Agency for the Quality of the Uni-
versity System of Catalonia (AQU)
www.aqu.cat
Barcelona University Centre
(BCU)
www.bcu.cat
Barcelona Global Masters
www.barcelonaglobalmasters.com
International Corporate
Universities Forum (ICUF)
www.icufbcn.com
Universities
University of Barcelona (UB)
www.ub.edu
Autonomous University of
Barcelona (UAB)
www.uab.cat
Universitat Politècnica
de Catalunya (UPC)
www.upc.edu
Polytechnic University of Catalonia
(UPF)
www.upf.edu
Ramon Llull University (URL)
www.url.edu
Open University of Catalonia
(UOC)
www.uoc.edu
International University of
Catalonia (UIC)
www.uic.es
Abat Oliba University (UAO)
www.uao.es
Rovira i Virgili University (URV)
www.urv.cat/en_index.html
University of Girona (UdG)
www.udg.edu
University of Lleida (UL)
www.udl.es
University of Vic (UVic)
www.uvic.es
University Foundations
IL·3http://www.il3.ub.edu
IDEC
www.idec.upf.edu
Polytechnic Foundation
of Catalonia (FPC)
www.fpc.upc.edu
Inter University Platforms
Barcelona Graduate School of
Economics (BGSE)
www.barcelonagse.eu
Barcelona International Institute
Studies (IBEI)
www.ibei.org
Business Schools
ESADE Business School
www.esade.edu
IESE
www.iese.edu
EADA
www.eada.edu
EAE
www.eae.es
BES-La Salle
www.salle.url.edu
ESIC
www.esic.es
Barcelona School of Management
www.barcelonaschoolofmanagement.es
Facilities
Alba Synchrotron
www.cells.es
Supercomputador Mare Nostrum
National Centre
www.bsc.es
Barcelona Biomedical Research
Park (PRBB)
www.prbb.org
Barcelona Science Park
www.pcb.ub.edu
National Centre for Genome
Analysis (CNAG)
www.cnag.cat
Local and regional
organisms
22@Barcelona
www.22barcelona.com/en
Invest in Catalonia
www.acc10.cat/ACC1O/cat/interna-
cionalitzacio/invest-catalonia
Barcelona Activa
Economic, Business and
Employment Area -
Barcelona City Council
www.bcn.cat/barcelonagrowth
Do it in Barcelona
(Barcelona Activa)
www.doitinbcn.com
Barcelona Chamber of Commerce
www.cambrabcn.org
Spanish organisms
Ministry of Education
www.educacion.es
Universidad.es
www.universidad.es/404_es/lang.en
With co-?nancing
www.bcn.cat/barcelonagrowth
doc_581771607.pdf