Few people visit the Zona Franca unless they're working there. A few exceptions are those who come to look at a car at the Seat dealership next to its factory or to shop at Makro. The Barcelona Free Zone Consortium (CZFB), responsible for managing this entire industrial park, wants to change that. First, because it's starting to attract a different kind of company, not just those that need assembly lines, but also those that want to develop new technological solutions from a desk. This is where DFactory comes in, the building that the CZFB has developed to test the industry of the future. Opened at the end of 2021, it quickly ran out of space and is already undergoing expansion. In addition to gaining square meters to house more companies, the DFactory expansion will, precisely, attract more businesses. "An industrial park is everything outside the city, causing problems with smoke, pollution, noise... Today's industry is completely different. That's why the Zona Franca is becoming a more urban district, more integrated into city life," argues Pere Navarro, the State's Special Delegate to the CZFB (Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium). One of the new buildings to be constructed has been designed to host community events, such as concerts, sporting activities, conferences, and presentations. "We are talking with the Barcelona City Council and various organizations to make them aware that there is a space here that can be utilized," explains Navarro. The building will have a large LED screen. A similar device has been installed at one of the entrances to the Gran Via fairgrounds and is open to the public for watching football matches. One of the advantages the CZFB highlights for attracting events is the location of the DFactory. "It has a lot of potential. The advantage is that there are no neighbors here. And, in addition, we have the subway right next door, which comes every two minutes at most. This is very interesting because it allows people to come without necessarily needing their private vehicle," Navarro points out. He also notes that the building, with 1,100 square meters, has a similar surface area to... hall of the National Theatre of Catalonia (TNC), not forgetting the avenue in front. As an example of the activities it can host, Navarro cites some of those organized for the Mercè festival.

The Barcelona New Economy Forum (BNEW) closed its sixth edition this Thursday with the participation of almost 13,000 professionals, of which more than 8,100 were in person and 4,700 were online. This week, the congress organized by the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium (CZFB) featured various sessions, panels, and debates with the presence of large companies and startupsIn total, more than 14,000 contacts have been recorded. networking among attendees, many of whom were matched via the digital platform, which this year incorporated AI to suggest contacts suited to each participant. The number of participants in this edition of BNEW slightly exceeded last year's, and the number of contacts increased.

On May 16, 1960, physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman performed the first successful operation using laser technology. To commemorate this, in 2017, UNESCO declared every May 16th the International Day of Light. Since then, activities have been organized around the world to highlight how light plays an essential role in a wide range of different fields: from science to culture to education. The Leitat technology center is well aware of this and continues to work to find new applications for light. From its laboratory located in Barcelona's DFactory, the internationally renowned Industry 4.0 ecosystem promoted by the Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium, Leitat's Photonics and Vision department leads highly complex projects. To this end, it applies optical sensing, hyperspectral vision, and laser technologies, aimed at solving challenges in fields such as Industry 4.0, healthcare, agri-food, energy, and the bioeconomy.