Barcelona
Innovation Coast

Leveraging Barcelona’s vibrant innovation ecosystem, we collaborated to create a cutting-edge platform that fosters sustainable, high-value growth, creating 40K jobs and attrating €235 M in impact over the upcoming decade.

The challenge

Barcelona’s legacy of creativity, innovation, and quality of life has propelled it to global recognition. Ranking as the world’s 4th most innovative city, the 4th most attractive city in Europe for R&D investment, and 6th in startup activity, Barcelona counts on a vibrant innovation ecosystem concentrated along its coastal area, which includes 80% of Spanish National Research Council-affiliated research centers and 8 out of 12 Catalan universities.

To unleash the full potential of this thriving ecosystem, the Barcelona City Council partnered with Anteverti in 2020. Our mission: conceptualize a dynamic platform driving innovation and growth, diversifying the economy, and establishing Barcelona as Southern Europe’s innovation hub.

Our approach

Guiding the Barcelona City Council through a strategic consulting process, we helped to conceptualize the Barcelona Innovation Coast. After mapping the potential of the innovative and dynamic ecosystem of the city, we identified key sectors for development based on high value and future prospects. Our team defined objectives, governance instruments, and operational tools to bring this platform to life, quantifying its impact over a 10-year horizon.

Additionally, we accompanied in the crafting of a captivating communication narrative for the Barcelona Innovation Coast to ignite excitement and participation. We created a unique visual identity and an engaging corporate video for the initiative, as well as other digital materials designed to raise awareness among citizens and involve relevant sectors and stakeholders

The impact

Unveiled at the Barcelona ReAct Conference in April 2021, the Barcelona Innovation Coast is a strategic endeavor to attract and mobilize resources, propelling the city towards sustainable and competitive local economic development.

Focusing on mobility, energy, digitalization, and health, the Barcelona Innovation Coast aims to generate 40,000 jobs and €235 million in impact over the next decade. Embracing collaboration, it unites five universities, 28 research centers, municipally managed innovation hubs, and industry leaders in ICT and other strategic sectors, while seamlessly aligning with the ecological and digital transition objectives of the Next Generation EU funds.