PLENARY SESSION

Session 4: Corporate Development

Francesc Solé Parellada

Entrepreneurship and clusters

For Francesc Solé Parellada, director and promoter of the UPC Innova programme, developing policies to stimulate the clustering of technology companies is extremely complicated. However, unlike ten years ago, this can now be done, although it requires sufficient resources, major planning, and above all, a lot of imagination.

KEY IDEAS

• The Catalan technology transfer system must be improved
"We do not have enough specialised or experienced business angels. Venture capital firms have a hard time recognising opportunities. Another local weakness is that large companies still do not outsource often. Regulators have helped with creating companies over the past few years, but not so much with aspects linked to managing these companies.

• Barcelona should be known for more than just Gaudí and Barça
"If we ask ourselves today in this room what we all associate with the city of Boston, I am sure that the first thing that would come to everybody's mind would be Harvard University or MIT. We do not have to accept that Barcelona is only associated with Gaudí or Barça. It would really positive for the city if, in the near future, at least a small percentage of people mentioned one of our universities or the 22@ district as a highlight."