PRESS OFFICE NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS TOPIC OF THE MONTH: 22@ BARCELONA: FUTURE PERSPECTIVES FOR THE START OF A NEW STAGE JOSEP MIQUEL PIQUÉ, NAMED MANAGING DIRECTOR OF 22@BARCELONA LANDING PROGRAM (UPC’S INNOVATE PROGRAM -LA SALLE-22@BARCELONA) SPONSORS CO-ACCELERATION PROJECT TO FOSTER THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF COMPANIES IN BARCELONA AND MONTERREY LEADING AMERICAN BUSINESS MAGAZINE, CNBC, CALLS 22@BARCELONA ONE OF EUROPE’S TOP REGENERATION PROJECTS CATALAN MINISTER FOR HEALTH, MARINA GELI, VISITS THE 22@BARCELONA DISTRICT DELEGATION OF PRESTIGIOUS ARCHITECTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD VISITS THE 22@BARCELONA DISTRICT 22@UPDATE BREAKFAST ANALYZES THE AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR IN CATALONIA PRESS OFFICE TOPIC OF THE MONTH: 1.- 22@BARCELONA: FUTURE PERSPECTIVES FOR THE START OF A NEW STAGE Consolidating the 22@Barcelona Project Having achieved good results in the 2001-2007 period, which reflect the rapid maturation and enrichment of the project as well as its practical execution, we must now consider the new challenges posed for the upcoming 2008-2012 period. We must do this in tune with and according to the economic and social policies that the city of Barcelona needs. The 22@Barcelona project has provided solutions to the challenges posed by the city regarding urban planning, economic promotion and social and cultural stimulus. The new challenges presented, therefore, are threefold: - Urban-planning stimulus, to broaden territorial-planning development, urban- planning management and quality service infrastructures. In short, we must put Urban Planning at the disposal of the Knowledge Society and Economy. - Economic Stimulus, to consolidate the 22@ clusters (Media, ICT, Biotech and Energy) by attracting and establishing companies and science/tech institutions, providing specific spaces for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, implementing a landing program for international companies and entrepreneurs and building housing for university students and researchers. - Social and Cultural Stimulus, including a significant increase in social housing, more public green areas, a plan for mobility and public transport, facilities, services and cultural spaces. Enhancing 22@ through the Local Innovation System. Inclusion of the three agents in the Triple Helix (University, Industry and Government) in the development of a Local Innovation System will ensure that the contributions to the development of a Knowledge Economy and Society are maximized, making Barcelona an international benchmark. NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 2 PRESS OFFICE The 22@ experience in developing an innovation district can be a model to base other areas on. The 22@Barcelona project has become a Laboratory for Innovation in Urban Planning, Economic Development and Knowledge Society. 22@Barcelona will also become a laboratory and demonstrator for the incorporation and testing of the latest innovative proposals for the district’s development. 22@Barcelona connecting Barcelona with the Global Innovation System The creation of systematic relationships with other innovation magnets in the world situates Barcelona as one of the Hubs in the Global Innovation System. This function is a two way street, establishing growth platforms for local companies that want access to international markets and resources, as well as landing programs to welcome innovative international companies that want to move to the district and access resources and markets linked to Barcelona. 22@ becomes the Innovation Airport, with specific services to aid global business initiatives take off and land, in order to situate them in the most appropriate environment. One of the preferred work elements must be that of the international community established in Barcelona, so they can act as connectors with their countries of origin, as well as with the Catalan community abroad. Talent as creator of Value in the Knowledge Era As we mentioned previously, People and their Talent play a key role in the development of a Knowledge Society and Economy. 22@Barcelona, together with other agents of the Innovation System, must develop creation, attraction, establishment, and retention programs. 22@, thanks to its urban- planning, economic and social strategies, can cater to and collaborate with these talented people, who create value in the companies where they work and move to cities where they can live and be inspired. The key element where we must take action is the Educational System and the University System in order to create and develop Personal Talent through entrepreneurial attitudes and aptitudes. NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 3 PRESS OFFICE A Digital District for an Innovative City Digital District is a project created by 22@Barcelona in collaboration with the Sant Martí District, and is aimed toward the district’s residents. Digital District carries out innovative actions in order to foster the use of new information and communication technologies in daily life, thus facilitating communication between residents. This project aims to make 22@Barcelona work for the residents and the district, foster the creation of collaborative projects between the key elements of the social and economic fabric of 22@, stimulate initiatives that facilitate the participation of social, cultural and educational organizations in the dynamics of the 22@ District and give everyone access to Internet and new technologies. At the same time, it is necessary to act in all levels of the educational system: primary, professional training and university, in order for students to benefit from the reality of the District and be capable and motivated to take over the Knowledge Economy and Society created in the District. NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 4 PRESS OFFICE 2.- JOSEP MIQUEL PIQUÉ, NAMED MANAGING DIRECTOR OF 22@BARCELONA The 22@Barcelona Board Meeting, held last November at the Barcelona City Hall, approved the appointment of Josep Miquel Piqué as the new managing director of the municipal company with all political parties voting in favor except the PP, which abstained. With this newest appointment, the current members of the 22@Barcelona Board of Directors are: third deputy mayor and president of 22@Barcelona, Jordi William Carnes; fourth deputy mayor of Barcelona, Ramon Garcia-Bragado; city councilor for the Sant Martí district, Francesc Narváez; vice president of Barcelona Activa, Maravillas Rojo; CiU city councilors, Jaume Ciurana, Eduard Garcia, Joan Puigdollers and Francesc de Paula Gambús; PP city councilor, Emma Balseiro; ICV-EUA city councilor, Elsa Blasco; minister of housing, Antoni Sorolla; PP district councilor in Sant Martí, Manuel Gallardo; ERC municipal coordinator, Núria Sancho, vice president of b_TEC, Miquel Barceló, and the new managing director of 22@Barcelona, Josep Miquel Piqué. Professional Career Josep Miquel Piqué (Barcelona, 1967) holds a degree in Telecommunication Engineering from La Salle and UPC, an MBA from ESADE and degrees from UC Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Previously, he worked as the director of the La Salle-Universitat Ramon Llull Innovation Park. NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 5 PRESS OFFICE 3.- LANDING PROGRAM SPONSORS CO- ACCELERATION PROJECT TO FOSTER INTERNATIONALIZATION OF COMPANIES IN BARCELONA AND MONTERREY Mariona Ferrer, director of the Landing Program (UPC-La Salle-22@Barcelona), presented the international business Co-acceleration Program sponsored jointly by the cities of Barcelona and Monterrey to stimulate the internationalization of companies in the participating areas. The presentation took place during the Business Bridge organized by the Barcelona City Council and Chamber of Commerce, which traveled to Mexico with a delegation of Catalan institutions and businesses headed by the mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu. Participants in the international business Co-acceleration Program are: the University of Monterrey, the Mexican National Chamber of the Electronics, Telecommunication and Information Technology Industries (CANIETI) and the Landing Program, sponsored by the UPC’s Innovate Program, the La Salle Innovation Park and 22@Barcelona. This program, whose aim is to connect innovation systems in Catalonia and Nuevo León, will integrate incubation programs (universities), growth and sustainability programs (chambers of commerce) and international acceleration programs both in Barcelona (Landing) and in Monterrey in the same model. The Landing Program aims to offer technology companies in both countries an acceleration phase as part of the innovation platforms sponsored by the Landing Program in 22@Barcelona and the CANIETI in Monterrey. The Co-Acceleration Program will ensure that companies with innovative projects from both regions are prepared to take their activities global and that their growth is agile and constant. This project is aimed toward technology SMEs that have grown out of or are linked to the incubation and growth programs in their respective regions and want to accelerate their international growth using technology platforms. NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 6 PRESS OFFICE Precedents This international Co-acceleration Program is the result of an agreement signed last year by the Landing Program and the Mexican state of Nuevo León to stimulate the internationalization of local companies in the 22@Barcelona district and vice-versa. This agreement promoted connections between the innovation systems in Nuevo León and Catalonia and facilitated business cooperation between these two regions. NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 7 PRESS OFFICE 4.- LEADING AMERICAN BUSINESS MAGAZINE CNBC CALLS 22@BARCELONA ONE OF EUROPE’S TOP REGENERATION PROJECTS One of the leading American business magazines, CNBC, considers the consolidation project underway in the 22@Barcelona district one of Europe’s top regeneration projects. The article focuses on Barcelona’s metamorphosis into an international metropolis, which began with the “Romans and culminated by the end of the 19th century with Spain’s greatest concentration of factories in its Poblenou district, which has become an elaborate tech hub with ultramodern architecture”. The article’s author, Rupert Eden, reminds readers that the area once called Catalonia’s Manchester has now become an innovative district housing companies from different sectors like: research and development, media and marketing. CNBC also explains that the 22@Barcelona district “exemplifies Barcelona’s current investment potential”, having already attracted a large number of companies. The article also explains the benefits this regeneration project has brought to the Poblenou neighborhood, which include 30,000 new jobs, 3.2 million m2 of new offices and housing and 114,000 m2 of parks and green areas. Eden emphasizes the importance of the Agbar tower, which “closely resembles London’s Gherkin”, and praises the innovation district’s location, connections with the rest of the city and proximity to the Diagonal Mar area. NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 8 PRESS OFFICE 5.- CATALAN MINISTER FOR HEALTH, MARINA GELI, VISITS THE 22@BARCELONA DISTRICT The Catalan Minister for Health, Marina Geli, accompanied by the Executive Board and the department heads, visited the Ministry’s new building in the 22@Barcelona district. The headquarters, located at 81 Roc Boronat Street, has been open since last July and houses 8,600 m2 of offices. Some of the departments that have moved into the new building are: the General Directorate for Health, the Health Protection Agency, the Food Safety Agency, the Health Studies Institute and the Technology and Medical Research Evaluation Agency. NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 9 PRESS OFFICE 6.- DELEGATION OF PRESTIGIOUS ARCHITECTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD VISITS THE 22@BARCELONA DISTRICT Aurora López, the 22@Barcelona Urban-Planning Director, welcomed an international delegation of architects, who participated in the International Real Estate Show Barcelona Meeting Point. The delegation was comprised of Riken Yamamoto (Japan), François Roche (France), Julien de Smedt (Denmark), Winy Maas (Netherlands), Minsuk Cho (Korea), Taira Nishizawa (Japan), Qingyun Ma (China) and Enric Ruiz Geli (Barcelona). The architects got a close-up look at the 22@Barcelona project with a guided tour through the different emblematic buildings that have been or are currently being constructed in the innovation district, including the Media building designed by Enric Ruiz Geli, the Spanish representative in the delegation. This visit is part of the symposium “New Trends of Architecture in Europe-Asia Pacific”, organized by the architectural studio Cloud9 in collaboration with Casa Asia and Barcelona Meeting Point. All the architects that attended this meeting presented their vision of the new trends in architecture and were able to exchange opinions and points of view with participating experts from the urban-planning, business and social sectors. New Trends of Architecture This symposium was founded in 2001 by a group of Japanese Ministers for Culture and Media, fifteen European Union member states, European cultural institutions and the European Commission’s Delegation in Japan. The aim of this symposium is to create a platform for sharing ideas and experiences between Europe and Asia Pacific, through yearly exhibitions and symposiums in Japan and other European capitals for emerging architects from Europe, Japan and other Pacific countries. NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 10 PRESS OFFICE 7.- 22@UPDATE BREAKFAST ANALYZES THE AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR IN CATALONIA Jordi William Carnes, president of 22@Barcelona and third deputy mayor of Barcelona, presided over the latest 22@Update Breakfast. This month’s meeting analyzed the audiovisual sector’s current situation in Barcelona and Catalonia. David Xirau, Director of New Projects at Grupo Mediapro, participated in this month’s 22@Update Breakfast by presenting the i3media project, which centers on using new technology to create and automatically manage intelligent audiovisual contents. According to Xirau, the audiovisual industry is experiencing a huge transformation thanks to a number of different factors including the generalized digitalization of contents, the falling price of equipment and production processes, the personalization of contents and services, new types of devices, growing interactivity for the end user, collaborative creation and the need to automate the production process. “The Spanish audiovisual industry can’t base its competitiveness on contents anymore. In order to compete, the global market must have the best content production, management, distribution and exploitation technology”, said Xirau. Oscar-winning special effects As “Innovator of the Month”, David Martí, Director of DDT Special Effects, explained how his company, which won the Oscar for best make-up in 2007 for the film Pan’s Labyrinth, applies innovation in the audiovisual sector. According to Martí, thanks to special effects innovation “DDT has achieved recognition for their work abroad. We do the same special effects as the Americans, but at home.” NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 11 PRESS OFFICE QUOTES: Josep Miquel Piqué, “Our challenge is to make Poblenou as Managing Director of 22@Barcelona vibrant now with the 22@Barcelona district as is was during the Industrial Revolution.” Ginés Alarcón, Managing Director of T-Systems “There are few regions in Europe that are as attractive as Barcelona. The 22@Barcelona district is an example that is being analyzed around the world because it’s a place, a Silicon Valley, that is working to attract companies and talent in addition to internationalizing the city.” Josep M. Vilà, President of 22@Network “22@Network, the 22@Barcelona Association of Businesses and Institutions, wants the innovation district project to be a success for the city of Barcelona.” NEW COMPANIES IN THE 22@BARCELONA DISTRICT: Deloitte Netviewer Lifecolor Zoma Alten Artidi For more information: 22@Barcelona Press Office: F&A Tel: 93 419 19 86 - 93 507 35 00 • E-mail: filloy@filloy.com NEWSLETTER ISSUE 21 – NOVEMBER 2007 12