The Barcelona Economics Institute (IEB) and the Fira de Barcelona have signed an agreement that will allow the economic research centre to enhance its activities and further strengthen its position as a reference point in areas such as urban economics, infrastructure, tax systems, energy sustainability, and public policy.

The relationship between the two institutions goes back a long way, and recently IEB researchers conducted the latest study on the economic impact of the Fira’s activities on the city and Catalonia. According to this study, the Fira’s contribution to the economy of Barcelona and its surrounding areas is estimated at more than €4.7 billion and more than 35,000 jobs.

The new agreement means that one of the economic engines of the city of Barcelona and one of the leading economic research centres in Spain are joining forces. Constantí Serrallonga, General Director of the Fira de Barcelona, ​​highlighted his firm’s commitment to economic research as a way “of creating knowledge to address the challenges we face as a society. In a complex global economic and geopolitical situation, collaboration between the academic and business worlds is more necessary than ever to provide added value, foster debate, and generate new opportunities for the city and the region.”

The cooperation with the Fira de Barcelona will allow the IEB to promote activities in all its areas. According to Martí Parellada, President of the IEB, “it means incorporating a significant player into the organization which will undoubtedly make a major contribution to a project like ours, in which the public and private sectors and the university join forces.”