Re-launching the Barcelona Science Plan in a context of pandemics

Barcelona City Council is revising the Barcelona Science Plan 2020-2023 in order to adapt it to the pandemic context. The plan was officially presented on the 10th of March 2020, just before the outbreak of the Covid-19 crisis. Now, the plan is being adapted to the new reality generated by this pandemic, given its major health, social and economic impact. As part of this review, the participation process Reimpulsem el Pla de Ciència has been opened to the public through the decidim.barcelona platform. Anyone can make contributions between 12 February and 12 March.

The Barcelona Science Plan 2020-2023 is the strategic municipal document to promote a science and university policy in the city and turn it into a European capital of research and innovation. The document is structured into 4 axes, 15 objectives and 51 actions, and this participatory process aims to reformulate some aspects of the plan to adapt it to the uncertainties and concerns that have arisen as a result of the health crisis. This involves establishing a consistent scenario that enables dialogue and collaboration between the public, the scientific and university community, and Barcelona City Council in order to face the new challenges arising from the pandemic.

The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of knowledge and research as key tools for urban governance. The coronavirus has opened numerous public debates around ethics and the democratisation of science, which implies having the knowledge and critical capacity to make well-reasoned individual and collective decisions, as well as to avoid misinformation. In addition, increasing citizen scientific culture to respond to the onslaught of the pandemic requires fostering communication, outreach and education at all ages to awaken new vocations.

The promotion of science and innovation is also a key driver in the recovery of the post-pandemic city. For example, the transfer of knowledge and technology can facilitate measures to help improve the city's resilience in the aftermath of the pandemic, to rescue sectors hard hit by the pandemic such as the arts, and to protect the most vulnerable groups from health risks. The global reach of the pandemic requires global responses. This fact underlines the relevance of consolidating multilateral work, dialogue and networking with other European cities to find solutions to the new urban and large-scale challenges.

The opening of a participatory process open to citizens aims to complete this review. For this reason, the process will provide the tools and telematic spaces so that citizens in general and the scientific and academic community in particular can contribute to rewrite the proposals they consider appropriate and generate debates on the initiatives that emerge. In addition, virtual debate and work sessions are scheduled for the first week of March, which will complete this part of the process. The revised plan, adapted to the pandemic situation, is expected to be presented by the end of March.

You can find all the information on the participatory process on the decidim.barcelona website and more information on the Barcelona Science Plan 2020-2023 here.