Catalonia is located in northeastern Spain with an area of 32,106 square kilometers and a population of 7.3 million people. It has a dynamic economy that represents 20% of Spain's GDP and 30% of exports despite comprising only 16% of the population. Catalonia has a talented, creative workforce and is a leader in sectors like ICT due to its 11 competitive hubs, over 80 technology centers, and hosting of major companies like Telefonica, IBM and Microsoft. The Catalan government promotes innovation through initiatives like idigital and Barcelona's designation as the Mobile World Capital to stimulate economic growth through mobile and digital technologies.

1. Sergi Marcén i López
Directorate General of Telecommunications
and Information Society

2. Catalonia – Strategic position
With an area of 32.106 squares kilometers Catalonia is located in the
north-east of Iberian Peninsula and is bordered by the Pyrenees
mountains and France to the north and the Mediterranean sea to the east.
The capital of Catalonia is Barcelona, a city considered by many to have
one of the highest standards of living in Europe.
Catalonia has unrivalled access to Southern Europe, and it dominates
maritime traffic on the Mediterranean. Thanks to its first-rate intermodal
infrastructure, which include the main motorways, high-speed trains,
excellent port facilities and four airports with direct flights to more than 150
destinations, just about anything is within reach from any point in the
country.
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3. Catalonia – Dynamic economy
Catalonia is the economic driving force in Spanish economy. Despite the
fact that Catalans represent just 16% of Spain’s total population. Catalonia
leads the way in economy activity (20% of GDP), industry (25%) and
business (18%). Catalan exports represent nearly 30% of the country’s
total.
7.300.000 209.727 m€ 48.594 m€
population GDP exports
16% 20% 30%
Population of Spain Gross Domestic Product of Spain’s Exports
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4. Catalonia – Talent and creativity
Catalans are renowned throughout the world for their talent and work capacity.
The following stand out as clear examples: Ferran Adrià, Antoni Gaudí, Salvador
Dalí, Valentí Fuster, Pau Gasol, Montserrat Caballé.
Creativity and innovation in art, sports, tech, science and entrepreneurship is
where Catalonia really comes into its own: 12 public and private universities where
400 different degrees can be studied, and some of the world’s leading business
schools.
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5. Catalonia – Business friendly government
The Catalan government is responsive and sensitive to the needs of foreign
companies, and has therefore invest in Catalonia, a part of Government of Catalonia
that specializes in promoting, attracting and keeping investments in Catalonia. It
offers support to companies looking to invest in Catalonia, providing advice and
assistance to all phases of the project, from the planning and development stages,
right up the implementation and after care.
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6. Catalonia – Catalyst you business
10 reasons to make Catalonia the ICT area in the southern of Europe
Barcelona is a Digital city - Smart City
Leader in ICT penetration
Concentration of ICT companies
Availability of innovation infrastructure and services
Centers of knowledge generation
Innovation and entrepreneur cultures
Support of public institutions in the promotion of ICT
Important ICT projects are running
Barcelona Mobile World Capital
Culture of work in networks and adaptation to change 6

7. Catalonia – Competitive hubs
Catalonia’s economic, technological and industrial drive and dynamism have
led to the formation of 11 competitive hubs. These eleven locations have land
available for business and are equipped with leading infrastructures such as
universities, technology and research centers, top-level connections, and support
services and facilities for companies in the most productive and innovative sectors.
•Barcelona Mobile World Capital Hub
•Innovation and Creativity Hub
•Mobility and Logistics Hub
•Synchotron and Advanced Technologies Hub
•Optics and Health Hub
•Agro- Food Innovation Hub
•Information and Communication Tecnologies Hub
•Clean Materials and Technologies Hub
•Chemicals ans Sustainable Energy Hub Barcelona
•Funcional Nutricion Hub
•Water and Food Hub
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8. Catalonia – ICT Hub
Catalonia has an ICT market of over 14.000 million €. Around 3.500
companies, 70.000 ICT’s specialist people and over 80 technology centers
providing R&D services make Catalonia one of the sector’s largest
centers of innovation in Europe.
European leader in ICT penetration
Important network of Sciencie and Technology Parks and large ICT
projects ( Barcelona Digital, I2Cat, La Salle Innovation Park, Barcelona
Supercomputing Center…)
Host some of the biggest names in the ICT industry: Abertis Telecom,
Telefonica, Yahoo, Sony, IBM, Fujitsu, Getronics, Hewlett-Packard, Indra,
T-Systems, Microsoft, Atos Origin,…
Strong institutional support towards creating a state-of-the-art ICT industry
Strong links with ICT Mobile and the creative sector, for which Barcelona is
a worldwide reference.
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9. Catalan Economy - Innovation Strategy
According to the Quadruple Helix Innovation Theory (QH), the Catalan
economic structure lies on four pillars/helices: Academy, Industries, Government
and Citizens. The economic growth is generated by the clustering and
concentration of talented and productive people.
Source: Sergi Marcén
Academia and Industries, together with Technological Infrastructures of Innovation,
provide the integrated innovation ecosystem where all forms of creativity can rise.
In turn, Governments provide part of the financial support and the regulation
system for the definition and implementation of innovation activities. Citizens
demands for ever innovating goods and services.
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10. Catalan Innovation Strategy – “Cross-sector”
ICT
ICT Innovation
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11. Case Study
“The Catalan Mobile Innovation Strategy based in QH”
New
markets
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12. Citizens – Living Labs & Telecentre Network
The Catalan Living Labs, Advaced Telecenter’s and Telecenter’s Network
works improving innovation on development of useful mobile services through
interaction in “daily life” setting between developers, universities, technological
centers and end users. Produce mobile products and services relevant for the
industry and their clients is the main goal of our living labs.
The model of a Catalan Living Lab is a user-centric research methodology for
sensing, prototyping, validating and refining complex solutions in multiple and
evolving real life contexts managed from the Catalan Government.
Innovation
manager
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13. Government - idigital
The idigital plan is the strategy of the Government to create in Catalonia
an innovation pole of the Digital Society that generates economic growth,
business competitiveness, occupation and transform the Administration.
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14. Industry – Barcelona Mobile World Capital
The aim of the Mobile World Capital is to drive and develop innovate
mobile initiatives with the capacity to transform the traditional way of
doing things, both in industry and in people’s day-to-day lives.
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15. Academy - Mobile World Lab
Mission Statement :
The Mobile World Lab
mission is to showcase the
deployment of cutting-edge
mobile technologies in
Barcelona with the most
innovative networks,
solutions, applications and
services.
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16. Multisector mobile solutions
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17. www.gencat.cat
Sergi Marcén i López
sergi.marcen@gencat.cat
@sergimarcen