New epicenter of reference in the field of SSE and cooperativism

Located in the old Can Batlló warehouse, renovated and donated by Barcelona City Council to the Bloc4 Association and which today still retains its former industrial appearance.² which aims to contribute to the development and socioeconomic transformation of the city of Barcelona and the entire Catalan territory through raising awareness and promoting cooperativism, the incubation and acceleration of cooperatives, the promotion of intercooperation, local and international connections, and alliances with other cultural, educational, and business stakeholders.

The purpose, as pointed out by the Confederation of Cooperatives of Catalonia, the Federation of Worker Cooperatives of Catalonia, and Coópolis, the promoters, "is to promote, raise awareness, and disseminate cooperativism and the social economy throughout Catalonia in a unique space where all cooperative stakeholders come together. The building is governed by public-community-cooperative management and receives funding from both the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council.

Incubation, acceleration and intercooperation

Currently, Bloc4BCN hosts more than forty projects, which receive support and advice. The facility offers services such as support, training, outreach, financing, internationalization, digitalization, and space transfer (classrooms, meeting rooms, auditoriums, etc.). The most embryonic projects are provided with incubation, acceleration, and intercooperation services. Of these, specifically, there are currently 20 in the incubation phase (recruiting 49 people), 14 in the acceleration phase (with 50 people), and three in the intercooperation phase (with 28 people). Bloc4BCN also offers the JovESS service, which "seeks to connect the educational world with cooperativism through work experience and support for subjects and final projects." The complex houses the Cooperative Athenaeum - Coòpolis, which carries out its activities, and a whole range of Barcelona Activa services that complement those already offered by the sponsoring entities.

The sectors most represented in the building are digitalization, IT and emancipatory technologies; communication and audiovisual; business and personal services; finance, insurance and legal; and sustainability and energy transition. It also houses cooperatives in the areas of sociocultural activities, architecture and construction, housing and environmental management, personal care, and sustainable mobility and logistics. However, the developers confess they want to "reach other sectors, which is why the space is designed to host semi-industrial initiatives and has a food workshop to boost the agri-food sector."

Cooperative values

All the services brought together by Bloc4BCN not only aim to contribute to economic recovery by growing the cooperative movement and the SSE in Barcelona and Catalonia, but also seek to increase the creation of quality jobs throughout the country; improve the competitiveness of the cooperative movement and the SSE through innovation, research, and strengthening in Barcelona and Catalonia; raise awareness and visibility of the cooperative movement and the SSE among all citizens, contributing to the creation of the Catalan social market as a guarantor of social cohesion. These objectives are sought by the promoters by emphasizing the values inherent to cooperativism that define the International Cooperative Alliance and that also reflect the foundations of the proposed Catalan SSE law: democracy and transparency; mutual aid, self-responsibility, and participation; feminist transformation; universality and accessibility of services; equality, equity, and solidarity; independence and intercooperation; quality and professionalism; economic and social transformation; and environmental commitment. These values have also permeated Bloc4BCN's latest initiative: the launch of a new hosting program for incubation and acceleration.

Bloc4BCN's impact in 2024

• More than 10,000 people and 550 organizations have passed through the building.
• 5 daily activities on average.
• 325 training courses with more than 5,000 participants.
• Support for 84 entities in financial advice = obtaining €8 million in financing.
• 479 meetings held.
• 55 featured events.
• 11 new cooperatives created = creation of 70 jobs.
• 40 cooperatives hosted = 130 people.
• 6 digitalization and technological innovation projects supported by Techbloc4.
• 7 sessions to address cooperative challenges from the Challenges service.
• 3 internationalization itineraries and 1 meeting with 14 cooperatives with international interest.
• Celebration of the building's first anniversary, with the presence of the Mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni; the Minister of Business and Employment of the Government of Catalonia, Miquel Sàmper; and the President of the Bloc4 Association, Guillem Llorens; among others.