Innobaix: innovation in network in the Baix Llobregat and l'Hospitalet

Connection, growth, knowledge, talent, and purpose. These are the five pillars of Innobaix, the metropolitan public-private management agency of Baix Llobregat and L'Hospitalet, which works to connect companies, talent, city councils, and public institutions. Baix Llobregat is one of the main economic engines of Catalonia, and its powerful business fabric and strategic location, between the port and the airport of Barcelona, make it a key territory for the country's economic activity.

Large multinationals, industrial SMEs, and companies in the logistics and service sectors coexist in a territory where Innobaix acts as a connection point. Through its network, the entity promotes collaboration, facilitates the transfer of knowledge, and drives projects that contribute to the transformation and competitiveness of the territory. "We were born in a context of severe economic crisis, and at that moment we all decided to bet on innovation as a driver of transformation and future for the territory. Today, we continue working to transform the production model through the transmission of knowledge and the connection of all economic agents," explains Natàlia Mir, General Director of Innobaix.

A business hub

The Baix Llobregat and L'Hospitalet concentrate intense business and industrial activity. The region has a solid tradition, especially in the automotive sector, with SEAT as one of the great benchmarks, but multinationals in logistics and transport are also present, such as Amazon and Vueling; in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, such as Bayer; in food and mass consumption, such as Nestlé and Damm, and in energy technology, such as Schneider Electric. Also small and medium-sized enterprises such as Naeko Logístics, from Sant Boi, Lluch Essence, from El Prat, or EMR Software, from Sant Joan Despí, which, in addition, are part of Innobaix. A business fabric that coexists with the agri-food activity of the Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park and SMEs that reinforce the economic weight of the territory and its capacity for innovation.

In this context, Innobaix works to boost its potential by connecting companies, institutions, and talent, and by favoring innovation and collaboration. “We are –as Natàlia Mir points out– a public-private management entity and we firmly believe that, with the complex challenges we have as a country, it is better to go all together, the public and the private sector”. The agency, founded in 2009, is the result of a pact between mayors and, at present, it counts on the participation of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) and the support of the Barcelona Provincial Council.

The AMB integrates Innobaix within its socio-economic development strategies and services for companies in the metropolitan municipalities, and both organizations work together to consolidate the metropolitan area as a hub for economic engine, innovation, and competitiveness in Catalonia.

Innobus, the bus of opportunities

Logistics, industry, technology, health, and food are some of the sectors that drive the local economy. To strengthen their potential, Innobaix develops accompaniment and networking programs that foster synergies between companies and open new business opportunities. Talent attraction and development are another of its priorities, with initiatives like Innobus, which brings young people closer to the business fabric and allows them to discover firsthand the professional opportunities in the territory.

Innobus is a mobility and innovation project in which university students board a bus, visit companies and institutions in the territory, work on real innovation challenges, and discover professional opportunities close to home. With eleven consecutive years running, the program combines business immersion, training, and networking, and the winners travel to a benchmark city for innovation.

This year, the action takes place from November 2nd to 10th. For 7 days, young people who have finished their degree will visit leading companies in the territory to work on real challenges: they will be given visibility and real opportunities for job options. From November 11th to 17th, the teams will participate in a series of specialized mentorships to develop their proposals. The program will end on November 19th with a closing session where they will present their solutions before a professional jury. Registration is free.

Innobaix offers this and other free professional training, entrepreneurship, and business accompaniment programs that guarantee a real impact on businesses, the training of future professionals, and the creation of contact networks. The Growth Program pushes companies in growth processes, Innolidersare sessions and workshops to foster new leadership models and make talent visible, including female talent, and Afterworks is the space where CEOs and executives meet to exchange experiences. Conversations with Purpose are incorporated as a new tool in the format of a video podcast series to give visibility to business owners in the territory.

Boosting the corporate and social dimension and value of companies is the great objective of Innobaix, the metropolitan agency of Baix Llobregat and l'Hospitalet.