Barcelona Science

The Barcelona Science Plan 2020–2023 was formulated as a municipal roadmap to provide Barcelona with its own science policy and strengthen its position as a city of science and knowledge. It built on a trajectory that began in 2007 with the Barcelona Science programme, which promoted initiatives such as the Science Festival and EscoLab, and continued in 2012 with the creation of the Office of Citizen Science. The plan structured this evolution through a cross-cutting strategy, defined with municipal areas, and organised around four axes, fifteen objectives and fifty-one actions (Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2020).

Its objectives combined international positioning, research oriented towards urban challenges, science culture and citizen participation. The first axis aimed to increase Barcelona’s visibility as a European city of science and strengthen alliances. The second sought to connect the scientific ecosystem with municipal needs, support research on urban challenges and promote open and accessible knowledge. The third axis proposed strengthening science culture by and for citizens, expanding the programmes of the Office of Citizen Science, and promoting living labs, action research, science education and dissemination activities in neighbourhoods, schools and public facilities. The fourth axis linked science, art, innovation and society through co-creation, transfer and collaboration among scientific, social, economic and cultural stakeholders (Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2020).

Following COVID-19, the plan was reformulated as Rebooting the Barcelona Science Plan 2020-2023. This update incorporated contributions from the scientific and university ecosystem, the Pact for Barcelona, advisory councils and an open participatory process. The reformulation reinforced the idea that local science policy should contribute to social and health recovery and consolidate a more open, inclusive science connected with urban problems (Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2021).