Parc Barcelona Media

Name of the project:
Parc Barcelona Media.

Name of the initiator and excecuting party:
Parc Barcelona Media project was born out of four different actors that share common interests:

• Pompeu Fabra University (UPF): a public university with widespread national and international prestige and with different colleges and faculties (Law, Health Sciences, Communications, Politics).
• Mediapro Group: communication enterprise group that counts on all the human and technical resources necessary to plan and deliver the publicity for every kind of audiovisual creation.
• 22@: municipal society created in 2001 by Barcelona City Council to promote and manage the proposed transformation for the 22@Barcelona project, including the creation of more than 4,000.000 m² of new land, reurbanisation of 35 km of streets and the provision of approximately 220,000m² of land for new public facilities and green spaces and new homes under a social housing regime in the old industrial areas of the centre of the city.
• Barcelona Media Innovation Centre: a technology centre dedicated to applied research in the area of communications and the media, and to the transfer of this knowledge and technology to the businesses in this industry.

The keyword for Parc Barcelona Media is the cooperation between the partners that lead this initiative. The University Pompeu Fabra is in charge of the training area, meanwhile the group Mediapro looks after the audiovisual production and industrial services area. 22@Barcelona is responsible for the strategy and planning of the district. In this way, the initiative brings together two pioneer agents, one of the main Spanish university institutions (main referent in high qualified training in audiovisual communication) and Mediapro (the country's main business group in the audiovisual field).

Parc Barcelona Media project has meant an investment of more than 80 million euros, shared out among the three partners (Pompeu Fabra University, Mediapro Group and 22@ municipal enterprise). Therefore, Barcelona Council’s role in this project has been developed through the 22@ enterprise which is focused, emphatically, on enhancing the new model of city making, which meets the challenges of Barcelona in the light of the current knowledge society.

Goals (e.g. policy, research or other):
Parc Barcelona Media’s main aim is to provide spaces, services and facility programmes to the actors that are involved. In the frame of the city’s dynamic for clusters’ creation, this initiative is aimed at structuring a space for the creation of knowledge, the publicity of the enterprise and a point for audiovisual industry production. Its philosophical base states that the creation of a common physical space for the different aspects of work that belong to the same sector (training, research, publicity and business), stimulates, synergies and teamwork dynamics through the concentration of talent.

Parc Barcelona Media is an urban complex that offers, on one hand, technical spaces and offices, and on the other, spaces dedicated to research and continuous occupational training. Its most important added value is the merging of views between the business and the university sectors, since it manages to create dialogue and cooperation between two activities that traditionally have been distanced from each other. It allows the constant generation of synergies between companies, entrepreneurs, teachers and students.

Parc Barcelona Media has at its disposal:

• more than 12,000m2 for offices
• a production centre with several sets, technical lounges, satellite connexion
• Barcelona Media Innovation Centre (part of the ACC1Ó technological centres network), is aimed at developing R+D+I activities
• an interpretation centre for the communication sector
• Communication Campus
• exhibition rooms
• a residence for students, researchers and professionals
• and an incubator of Media specialized enterprises

Start of the project (if applicable end of the project:
Parc Barcelona Media‘s project was presented in January 2004. During 2007 works were done to reform the old industrial building Ca l’Aranyó into part of the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), build new sets and the new Mediacomplex office building. By 2009 some centres were settled in the Parc: the audiovisual production centre, the Mediapro offices (IMAGINA production centre), the Faculty of Communication (Pompeu Fabra University) and the sets and technical centres are already operational.

Place of excecution:
Barcelona in Spain.

Why is your project considered as a best-practice:
Even though Parc Barcelona Media‘s project has only recently started to develop all its different aspects (research, training and business) it has already become a reference for the city’s audiovisual sector clusters. First of all, it is important to highlight the privileged position that the Park has inside the city’s structure, since it is part of an urban environment that is supplied by advanced services, transport and infrastructure. Also, in its surroundings are located some of the most important urban reference points (Agbar Tower, Diagonal Mar Centre), as well as major cultural institutions such as the Catalonia National Theatre, the “Auditorium” or Barcelona’s International Conventions Centre.

Secondly, as a sign of the success of this initiative, it should also be underlined that this space has become a pole of attraction for many companies in the audiovisual sector which have decided to set up in this area having considered what the Park can offer them in terms of infrastructure and services and proximity to other companies from the same sector.

Tips and tricks for those who want to follow your lead:
Initiatives for the creation of clusters such the Parc Barcelona Media can only work in those cities and countries where the audiovisual sector already has a proper basis and the intention to broaden and establish new horizons in its activity; as well as an existing university and research structure, that is interested in pursuing innovation in depth within the audiovisual area. Finally, and probably the most significant element, is that with this project, the local administration makes clear its commitment with these kinds of structure.

Projects like this one mean a large economic investment. Therefore it is necessary to undertake an in-depth assessment of the sector’s reality to check if the city is ready to absorb the activity of a park with such features and if it fulfils the needs of the sector and the city in general.

Best response to the project:
Mr. Vicente Lopez Martinez, vice-president of Barcelona Media Innovation Centre:

Parc Barcelona Media is a space for collaboration and exchange in the media sector between enterprises, universities, entities and citizens; it is focused on the excellence of production, research, innovation and training of human and cultural capital.

Links to websites and/or social media:
www.parcbarcelonamedia.com

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