Over these past years, 22@Barcelona has transformed a large, formerly industrial zone located in the heart of Barcelona, equivalent to 115 blocks of the Eixample, making it a new productive space for the strategic concentration of talent and innovation. 

This transformation has allowed new incorporations in the area, which as of the latest census of companies carried out on 22 April included 10 universities with more than 25,000 students, 12 R&D and technology transfer centers, and 1,502 new research-intensive companies (4.2% more than in the 2008 census) that have created 44,600 new jobs.

Important figures from the study:
•    At the end of December 2009, 22@Barcelona registered 1,502 companies and 44,600 workers incorporated since 2000. Compared to the previous year, these figures reflect an increase of 4.2% in the number of companies and 5.6% in the number of workers.
•    Business turnover has also increased 5.4% compared to the 2008 census, reaching nearly 6,000 million euros, during a recession.
•    The increase in jobs in the district is 10% above the city average, which is negative due to the current recession.
•    More than 70% of workers in the district are university graduates.
•    75% of the companies in the innovation district carry out activities in sectors that are knowledge and technology intensive. In Catalonia as a whole, this figure is 58%.
•    1 in 2 companies (54%) belong to or are related to the five 22@Barcelona district clusters (ICT, Media, Medical Technology, Energy and Design).
•    1 in 4 companies carry out Research and Development activities. The concentration of these companies is highest in the ICT and Medical Technology sectors (4 in 10).

Therefore, the study confirms the continued increase in the number of companies that have moved to the district since 2000, despite being in the middle of the worst recession in the last 70 years, with clearly positive economic regeneration and incorporation rates. Thus, between 2000 and 2003, 489 companies moved to 22@Barcelona, from 2004 to 2006 there were 552 additional companies, and over the 2007-2009 period, 461 new companies joined the district.

Of the total 1,502 companies located in 22@Barcelona, 67% believe that their company’s outlook will improve in the next year, while only 13% believe that the general economic situation will be worse a year from now.
This shows that, despite the current economic conditions, 22@Barcelona continues to grow in number of companies, which also directly affects economic activity of the retail establishments, hotels and offices in the area.

The future of 22@Barcelona is guaranteed with the new incorporation of companies like National Geographic, Aenor, Marcus Evans, Quantum Solutions, Bassat Ogilvy, CMT and Telefónica in 2010.

For more information, see the summary of the study here.