The Government of Catalonia has bolstered its support for the regional business fabric by authorising a collaboration agreement between the Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ, an agency of the Catalan government) and the EOI Business School (attached to the General Secretariat of Industry, Commerce and Tourism) with the aim of driving the digital transformation of Catalan industrial firms.

The Minister of the Presidency and government spokesperson, Meritxell Budó, said: “The aim is to allow up to 30 Catalan companies – both SMEs and large companies – to get tailored advice within the framework of the Activa Industria 4.0 programme of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism so that they can launch and carry out Industry 4.0 projects.” Specialised consultants will diagnose the situation of participating companies with respect to digital transformation and design specific action plans for them. Depending on the needs of each enterprise, this may involve incorporating technologies such as 3D printing, virtual or augmented reality, big data, artificial intelligence, 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain or collaborative robotics.

€11.5m investment in emergency procurement to tackle health crisis

The Executive Council also approved the awarding of a number of contracts on an emergency basis – with a total value of €11.5m – to cover needs related to the Covid-19 health crisis. Spokesperson Meritxell Budó said: “€7.5m will go for procurement of medical supplies, and €3.9m to the Catalan Ministry of Education for the distribution of computers under the Digital Equity Plan, adaptation of spaces, and the purchase of protective equipment for teaching staff.”

Grant for the Barcelona Institute for Global Health

The Executive Council also approved a grant of €485,000 to support the ISGlobal Foundation. The mission of ISGlobal (the Barcelona Institute for Global Health) is to strengthen global health through innovation and the transmission of high-quality knowledge.

“We want to sit down at a negotiating table with the Spanish state where we can talk about our right to self-determination and an amnesty for prisoners and exiles”

In today’s press briefing, Minister Budó reiterated the Catalan government’s commitment to resolving the political conflict with the Spanish state through dialogue. She stressed that any further meetings of the negotiating table must focus on addressing this conflict, which she said means discussing Catalonia’s right to self-determination and an amnesty for the political prisoners and exiles.