Why Barcelona has become the international headquarters of IT talent

For some years we have been working on the international positioning of Barcelona, the headquarters of IT talent. The combined work from the public and private spheres has been one of the keys.

The result is that Barcelona is positioning itself as one of the most attractive locations in the sector. This has resulted in an increase in the number of foreign companies opening their headquarters in Barcelona. Along with them, numerous talented people come to the city, creating a virtuous circle of growth.

International recognition of Barcelona

The European City Monitor has rated Barcelona as the best city in Europe for employees in terms of quality of life. In addition, it places it in fifth place in the continent for companies to relocate.

The attractiveness of the city is something that is also noticeable in the demographics. Around 15% of Barcelona’s population is from outside Spain. Among this group of foreign residents, creative professionals with a high level of education stand out. In fact, this profile doubles that of the local population. Of the total of this group, 55% come from countries of the European Union. About 15% are nationals of the United States and Canada.

The development of the Barcelona District of Innovation project

In 2007 Barcelona City Council began working on the project called 22@ Barcelona District of Innovation. The aim of this project is to turn Barcelona into the “city of knowledge”. In that scheme, the new district would become the international heart, both for workers and for companies and institutions.

In order to carry it out, a specific research project was commissioned to the Imperial College Business School. The objective was to transform an area of 200 hectares into a center specifically designed for knowledge-intensive industries.

The designed work comprised two areas of work. On the one hand, the study of relations between the international community and local institutions and companies. On the other hand, we wanted to know the attitude of the local community towards people arriving from other countries, and vice versa. Finally, ideas were requested to implement actions that would improve the commitment between both communities to launch the 22@ District project.

Key urbanism for Barcelona headquarters of IT talent

But the project to locate Barcelona as a headquarters for IT talent also includes a physical transformation. To achieve this, the creation of four industrial clusters has been designed: energy, ICT, biomedicine and media. They aim to bring together the entire industry, both local and international, as well as public and private educational (university) and research centers. This will be joined by financial support specially designed for start-ups.

Each of these clusters will occupy a specific place in the new district. The proximity between them will allow synergies to be established. The interaction between them favors innovation. The physical proximity of companies and workers is therefore a key condition for the success of the project.

Housing in the new District 22 @

One of the aspects contemplated in the plan is that of housing. Keep in mind that the development of the 22@ District will mean the arrival of between 5000 and 10,000 children from different countries. Estimates that are based on the workforce of new companies. Between 20 and 25% will be international.

To achieve a balance, a mixed development in the residential area has been studied, which includes social housing, as well as a design of the space. It has been thought of relocating universities, developing leisure areas and green spaces and improving connectivity with the rest of the city. One of the ideas that moves the project is to attract industry to the center of Barcelona taking advantage of the location of the district.

Public and private investments for Barcelona’s IT talent headquarters

The first deputy mayor of the city, Jaume Collboni, has announced a plan with 5.3 million euros of investment. An important part of it will serve to move the headquarters of Cibernàrium. This entity is focused on technological recruitment and dissemination. It is currently located in Poblenou, but will move to Nou Barris, which was the district where it was born twenty years ago. Every year, approximately 15,000 people are trained in digital skills at the centre.

At the same time, part of this budget is aimed at the technological training of the free web programming school of the city of Barcelona, the so-called IT Academy.

Other objectives of the investment are the retraining of people focused on the digital world and the creation of an office focused on receiving international talent, as well as for the promotion of the return of young people who emigrated in the previous crisis.

The data shows that in the last six years the number of professionals in the digital sector has increased by 55%, more than 20,000 people. In that period, ICT companies have increased by 46%, a percentage much higher than the average, which stands at 8.6%.

Recently, the Minister of Enterprise and Labor, Roger Torrent, has announced the installation of the British company Unmanned Life in the new District 22@. The company’s forecast is to create 22 jobs next year. This will involve a relocation of the headquarters, currently in Brussels. The new positions will be filled mainly by software and robotics engineers.

The new transformation of Barcelona

The project aimed at converting the district of Sant Martí into the new District 22@ is the key piece for a new modernization of the city. The objective of achieving a Barcelona headquarters of IT talent implies a change that will mean opening up to people from many countries and different companies. A sustainable development of the project will give a boost to the city to face the challenges of the XXI century.