Barcelona chamber of commerce and 22@barcelona sign collaboration agreement to promote training, commerce, new technologies and internationalization of businesses in the innovation district.

Barcelona, July 30, 2007.- Barcelona Chamber of Commerce President, Miquel Valls, and the President of 22@Barcelona, Miquel Barceló, signed a collaboration agreement this morning, through which the Chamber of Commerce will participate in a series of projects developed by 22@Barcelona in order to promote training, commerce, new technologies and the internationalization of businesses in the innovation district.

The Chamber of Commerce will collaborate on 22@Barcelona projects like the Landing Program, the ITC House, the b_TEC project and the Educational Project.

For the President of 22@Barcelona, Miquel Barceló, this agreement means “strengthening links between the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the new productive center of Barcelona, 22@Barcelona, in order to make the innovation district a magnet for businesses from all over the world and an international benchmark for creating and developing companies”.

The President of the Chamber of Commerce, Miquel Valls, has expressed his interest in “promoting foreign investment in the 22@Barcelona district, increasing the selection of exportable goods and creating of new jobs”.

Agreements
The Chamber of Commerce will participate in the Landing Program, which is also supported by the UPC’s Innova Program, the La Salle Innovation Park and 22@Barcelona, and whose goal is to internationalize Catalan businesses and attract foreign companies to the innovation district.

More specifically, the Chamber of Commerce has agreed to participate in and support the execution of the Landing Program and to collaborate in providing services to companies that move to the district through this program, above all services related to market access. Also, the organizations that make up the Landing Program and the businesses that move to the district through this program will be able to participate in the Technological Bridges organized by the Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce will also participate in the ITC House organized by 22@Barcelona, which is a center that explains the productive uses of ITC both to the general population and to businesses. The ITC House allows citizens and companies alike to understand the benefits that can be derived from putting technological innovations to use, evaluate the impact they may have and act accordingly in order to take advantage of these opportunities. The ITC House turns technological innovations into a competitive advantage for businesses and better quality of life for the people.

The collaboration agreement also includes the Chamber of Commerce’s participation in the Besòs Campus b_TEC project, which promotes the Besos Interuniversity Campus in the 22@Barcelona district. b_TEC is a new model of knowledge space where teaching, investigation and business activities will be developed together in connection with the Energy, Water and Mobility sectors.

The Chamber of Commerce will also take part in 22@Barcelona’s Educational project, which links secondary schools in Sant Marti with companies in the innovation district in order to promote innovative and open professional training, strike a balance between training offered and the real needs of companies, facilitate social and professional integration of young people and sponsor school-to-work transition projects.

Finally, the Chamber of Commerce will also collaborate with 22@Barcelona to improve their management and business model as well as offering consulting and technical assistance. In order to do this the Chamber of Commerce will facilitate access to general and specific commerce-related informational tools.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:
22@Barcelona Press Office: F&A
Tel: 93 419 19 86 • Fax: 93 405 02 20 • E-mail: filloy@filloy.com