Why Barcelona Is Bullish On Tech Companies

Barcelona is known for a lot of things: the Sagrada Familia; a vibrant cultural scene; and FC Barcelona, its popular football team. But what many people don't know is that Barcelona is also home to a thriving Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, considered to be a strategic part of the city's economic and social future.

As a leader in the global economy, the city has invested a lot of resources into both growing and promoting its ICT sector. The efforts have paid off, as more than 2,150 ICT companies, 210 technology parks and research centers, and nine internationally acclaimed scientific facilities - such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the Clean Room of the National Microelectronics Centre - are located in Spain's second-largest city.

The majority of ICT activity in Barcelona comes from a network of small- to medium-sized businesses providing quality ICT services and software to a range of industries. But large international companies as well have chosen Barcelona as an ideal location to expand their ICT business. Notable examples include the IBM Innovation Center in Barcelona, Yahoo! Research Barcelona, and the newest offices of games developer King.com.

Some of the factors that make Barcelona so attractive to businesses include the city's wide range of services and its central location - the Barcelona international airport and the TGV (Train À Grande Vitesse) high-speed rail system make it fairly easy to get to the rest of Europe and the world. The city also boasts competitive technical universities and world-renowned business schools, including ESADE (Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas) and IESE (Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa).

In addition, the city has hosted the Mobile World Congress - the leading tech conference that attracts business leaders from all over the world - for the past six years. Barcelona's active involvement in the tech community, its status as a cultural and business epicenter, and its multiple tech and communications resources all solidify its status as an ICT hub for companies not just in Europe, but around the world.

Find out more about Sponsor Posts.