Jordi Hereu, mayor of Barcelona and chair of the Zona Franca Consortium, presented the new business platform BZ - Barcelona Zona Innovación on 16 October. At this event, the Spanish Government's special representative on the Consortium, Manel Royes, and representatives of the various institutions participating in the project, highlighted the key points of this business initiative, which will bring together businesses working in new industries, based on knowledge, innovation and creation on the old SEAT site in the Zona Franca.

Companies from three production areas will move to the 50-hectare site: the food, technology and cultural sectors. Among the institutions linked to this project are Mercabarna, the University of Barcelona, the Hospital Clínic, the La Salle Technological and Business Innovation Park Private Foundation, the Catalan Biotechnology Business Association, the Barcelona Science Park Foundation, the IRTA research institute and production companies in the audiovisual sector.

The food area
In this sector, the objective is to promote the implementation of research, innovation and technology services in this area. The latest generation in technological services will be provided to food companies, which will lead to improvements in efficiency in industrial processes, the promotion of innovation in transformation treatments and the improvement of product quality and safety, and the search for advantages in the logistics and distribution chain.

On 28 July, the Consortium and Mercabarna signed a co-operation agreement which laid the foundations for this food project, which will be implemented in three physical areas: the Mercabarna area, the 22AL area (next to Mercabarna) and the BZ platform site. The ultimate objective of this project is to make Barcelona a pioneering food centre on the international stage.