University-linked business activity generates more than €2.5 billion in Catalonia
Business activity linked to universities and educational institutions generated a total turnover of €2.503 billion in Catalonia in 2023, contributing €1.622 billion to GDP and creating 22,991 full-time equivalent jobs.
These figures are presented in the study Economic impact of the university and public research system in Barcelona, prepared by the Applied Economics Laboratory (AQR-Lab) of the Department of Econometrics, Statistics and Applied Economics at the University of Barcelona.
The research was led by Professor Jordi Suriñach and Professor Esther Vayá, both economists at the Faculty of Economics and Business of UB, and was managed by the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, UB’s knowledge transfer office, within the framework of a collaboration with Barcelona City Council.
The scope of the study includes activities closely related to knowledge transfer, such as spin-offs and start-ups emerging from the university environment, companies located in science and technology parks, administrative concessions, student internships in companies, and other forms of connection between universities, businesses and society.
According to the report, these activities account for around 15% of the total impact generated by Barcelona’s university and public research system.
A pioneering study
The study analyses for the first time in an integrated manner the economic impact generated by the public and private university system and the different public research centres and institutions in the Barcelona area (including the Metropolitan Region and the counties of Anoia, Bages and Osona).
The research highlights that, during 2023, the university and public research system in the Barcelona area generated a total economic impact of €16.249 billion (€44 million per day), as well as wage income amounting to €5.575 billion.
For the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, the study’s findings highlight the importance of supporting researchers in the valorisation of research results, knowledge protection, collaboration with companies and institutions, and the creation of spin-offs. Knowledge transfer is a key mechanism for transforming university-generated knowledge into useful solutions, economic activity and social impact.