Science and Universities

In 2007, the Spanish Government declared it the Year of Science. As a result of this commemoration, Barcelona City Council created the Barcelona Science programme, which marked a turning point in the relationship between science and the city. Now, fifteen years later, the city council is reviewing the progress made during this period with the publication of the book Barcelona Science, 15 years of science policies.

Within the framework of the creation of the Barcelona Science programme, actions were taken that are still in place today and act as references in the establishment of links between scientific knowledge and citizens. Examples include the Science Festival, Escolab, the inauguration of the Sagrada Família Library, specialising in science, the quarterly cycle of talks Visions of Science in the city’s libraries and the creation of the Barcelona Citizen Science Office and the Municipal Universities Advisory Council.

This series of actions has been given a new impetus with the publication in 2018 of the first Barcelona Science Plan and the second version in 2020. This document is the result of the consensus reached between research and technology centres, companies in the sector, universities, administrations and citizens to define a joint strategy to implement innovative solutions to address current challenges that have a particular impact on cities, such as climate change, ageing and public health.

With the publication of the 2018 document, Barcelona became the first city to have a Science Plan drawn up with the collaboration and consensus of the scientific community. The two Plans would also lead to further actions, such as the creation of the Barcelona Science Advisory Council, new calls for research grants, the holding of the City and Science Biennial, which this year reached its third edition, the creation of the Hipatia European Science Prize, urban innovation laboratories and urban projects linked to science, and the creation of the Mayor’s Office for Culture, Education, Science and Community in 2019, which placed science at the heart of the city’s municipal policies.

Thus, the book is a compilation of the actions that the City Council initiated fifteen years ago, but it also looks to the future and delves into the current main lines to continue connecting research with the needs of citizens, favouring the scientific fabric of the city and its area of influence, positioning the city as a national and international scientific pole, and shaping a strategy that makes science a pillar for a sustainable city model where to live better.