EURECAT HOTSPOT

Eurecat

Eurecat is the leading technology center in Catalonia and the second-largest private research organization in Southern Europe. It serves as a bridge between scientific knowledge and industrial application to boost business competitiveness.

A provider of applied R&D, technological services, and specialized training for companies.

Main Services

Training: Highly specialized professional courses via Eurecat AcademyOver 650-700 professionals, an annual income of approximately €50–52M, and a portfolio of over 150 patents.

Applied R&D: Custom innovation projects for SMEs and large corporations.

Infrastructure: Access to more than 20 specialized laboratories and pilot plants for testing and prototyping.

Barcelona Smart City Open Innovation Safari

Barcelona Smart City Open Innovation Safari

Explore one of Europe’s leading urban innovation ecosystems

Location: Barcelona – Themes: Smart City / Urban Innovation / Mobility – Duration: One Day

The Barcelona Smart City Open Innovation Safari is a one-day immersive experience designed for professionals who want to explore how cities are using technology, data and innovation to improve urban life.

Led by Certified Innovation Safari Sherpa Francesc Saldaña, this Safari introduces explorers to Barcelona’s urban innovation ecosystem, one of the most recognized Smart City environments in Europe.

During the experience, explorers will discover how technology, entrepreneurship and public policy combine to transform cities into more efficient, sustainable and connected environments.

Barcelona has become an international reference in urban innovation through initiatives related to digital infrastructure, smart mobility, open data and sustainable urban development.

Explorers will explore topics such as:

  • Smart city innovation
  • Urban mobility solutions
  • Digital infrastructure for cities
  • Data-driven urban management

Innovation Safaris allow explorers to experience innovation where it actually happens.

The experience

Explorers will explore a key innovation hotspot in Barcelona’s urban innovation ecosystem:

  • 22@Barcelona – the city’s main innovation district and a global reference for urban regeneration driven by technology, startups and knowledge institutions.

Explorers will:

  • Exploration walk the innovation district and learn about its transformation from an industrial area into a technology hub
  • Explore how companies, startups and research centers collaborate in the district
  • Expert Keynote: Understand how urban planning and innovation ecosystems can reinforce each other
  • Innovation workshop with other explorers: Discuss the role of cities as platforms for innovation

This immersive approach helps explorers better understand how urban innovation ecosystems operate in practice.

What explorers will gain

Explorers will learn and design by:

  • understanding how cities create innovation districts
  • discovering how public and private actors collaborate in urban innovation
  • connecting with Barcelona’s innovation ecosystem
  • generating ideas and inspiration for urban transformation initiatives

Who Should Join

  • corporate innovation leaders
  • urban planners and city officials
  • technology and mobility professionals
  • entrepreneurs and startup founders
  • researchers and academics

Explorers from different sectors are encouraged to join and share perspectives.

Join this Open Safari

Limited group to ensure a high-quality exploration experience.

Barcelona Startup Ecosystem Open Innovation Safari

Barcelona Startup Ecosystem Open Innovation Safari

Explore one of Europe’s most vibrant startup ecosystems

Location: Barcelona – Themes: Startups / Venture Capital / Entrepreneurship – Duration: One Day

The Barcelona Startup Ecosystem Open Innovation Safari is a one-day immersive experience designed for professionals who want to understand how successful startup ecosystems are built and how they generate innovation and economic growth.

Led by Certified Innovation Safari Sherpa Francesc Saldaña, this Safari introduces participants to the Barcelona entrepreneurial ecosystem, one of the most dynamic startup hubs in Southern Europe.

During the experience, explorers will discover how startups, investors, accelerators and innovation hubs collaborate to create a thriving environment that supports entrepreneurship, technology development and venture creation.

Explorers will explore topics such as:

  • Startup ecosystems
  • Entrepreneurship and venture creation
  • Venture capital and startup funding
  • Startup acceleration and scaling

Innovation Safaris allow professionals to experience innovation where it actually happens.

The experience

Explorers will explore a key innovation hotspot in Barcelona’s startup ecosystem:

  • Barcelona Tech City – one of the most important startup hubs in Southern Europe, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and innovation organizations.

Participants will:

  • Exploration walk at the innovation hub and startup community spaces
  • Meet startups & entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders
  • Innovation workshop with other explorers: Discuss emerging trends in startups
  • Learn how startup communities attract talent and investment
  • Discuss how startup ecosystems generate innovation and new business opportunities

This immersive approach helps participants better understand how entrepreneurial ecosystems operate in practice.

What explorers will gain

Explorers will learn and design by:

  • understanding how successful startup ecosystems are built
  • discovering how startups attract investment and scale internationally
  • connecting with entrepreneurs and innovation organizations
  • generating ideas and inspiration for future ventures and collaborations

Who Should Join

  • corporate innovation leaders
  • entrepreneurs and startup founders
  • investors and venture capital professionals
  • public sector innovation managersresearchers and academics

Participants from different sectors are encouraged to join and share perspectives.

Join this Open Safari

Limited group to ensure a high-quality exploration experience.

Hotspot BHH

Barcelona Health Hub

Barcelona Health Hub (BHH) is a global reference center for digital health innovation, headquartered in one of Barcelona’s most iconic architectural landmarks. Founded in 2018, it functions as a non-profit association that accelerates the digital transformation of the healthcare sector by connecting startups, health institutions, and corporations.

BHH acts as a bridge between more than 500 members: 

  • Startups: Over 325 emerging companies in fields like telemedicine, AI diagnostics, and wearables.
  • Corporate Partners: Global leaders such as Siemens Healthineers, HP, Bayer, Grifols, Novo Nordisk, and Vodafone.
  • Health Institutions: Collaborates with major hospitals like Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and Vall d’Hebron to validate and implement new technologies.
  • Investors: Includes specialized funds such as Asabys Partners and Ship2B Ventures.
Hotspot DFactory

DFactory

DFactory Barcelona is the leading Industry 4.0 technology hub in Southern Europe, serving as an open innovation ecosystem for digital transformation. Managed by the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB), it brings together multinational corporations, SMEs, and research centers to develop disruptive technologies. 

Technological Focus: Specializes in 3D printing, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, blockchain, and advanced manufacturing.

Hotspot PIER01

Pier01 BarcelonaTech

Pier01 is the flagship international technology hub of Tech Barcelona, located in the historic Palau de Mar building in the Barceloneta district. Originally a 19th-century port warehouse, it was transformed into a 11,000 m² innovation campus that Forbes once recognized as one of the top five hubs in the world. 

Tech Barcelona is an independent private non-profit association that works to reinforce Barcelona as a model of the international digital and technological ecosystem.

Key Features & Community

  • Startup Ecosystem: It houses over 100 companies and 1,000+ professionals, ranging from early-stage startups and venture builders to large corporate innovation labs.
  • Major Residents: Notable entities include The Collider (Mobile World Capital Barcelona’s venture builder) and various incubators.
  • Facilities: The building features a large coworking area, showrooms, conference rooms, and a famous rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the Port Vell.