Barcelona City Council opened a €200,000 call for proposals on Wednesday 16 September to develop practical solutions for local commerce. Companies, universities, research centres and other innovative organisations have until Thursday 15 October to submit tested proposals that could be applied across the city.
The scheme will fund four projects with up to €50,000 each. For Barcelona shopkeepers and residents, the stated aim is to produce tools that can be used in businesses and public spaces, including measures to improve digital commerce, deliveries and local services.
The City Council said the projects must address challenges identified by traders and sector professionals. The call is intended to help businesses respond to changing shopping habits, digital platforms, generational handovers, urban change, sustainability and logistics, according to details of the initiative.
Four projects will receive up to €50,000
Applicants must put forward solutions that already work in practice and can be extended on a larger scale. The selected projects are due to be announced in March 2027.
- Total budget: €200,000.
- Projects to be selected: four.
- Maximum funding per project: €50,000.
- Application period: Wednesday 16 September to Thursday 15 October 2026.
- Selection announcement: March 2027.
Raquel Gil, the Deputy Mayor responsible for social rights, economic promotion, employment, feminism and democratic memory, said the Council wants the selected solutions to be put to direct use by businesses and in Barcelona’s streets.
Part of Barcelona’s local-commerce capital programme
The call forms part of Barcelona’s programme as European Capital of Local Commerce 2026, a title focused on the economic and social role of neighbourhood businesses. Barcelona Activa, the Council’s economic development agency, says the programme includes more than 200 activities.
The initiative is jointly promoted by the City Council’s Department of Commerce, Restaurants and Food, Barcelona Innova and Barcelona Activa. Barcelona Innova is the city’s urban innovation programme and succeeded the BIT Habitat Foundation.
Through its Urban Challenges programme and calls under La Ciudad Proactiva, meaning The Proactive City, Barcelona Innova has supported more than 70 projects involving over 160 organisations, with €5.2 million mobilised, according to the initiative’s published information. Examples include the 21st Century Panot paving project and the Wikihousing building project, both of which reached stages for wider deployment.
Organisations planning to apply should meet the 15 October deadline and consult the Barcelona City Council grants and subsidies page for municipal funding information.
Primary sources: Barcelona City Council, Ajuntament de Barcelona. Reported by barnadiario.com, barcelonactiva.cat, empreses.barcelonactiva.cat, Barcelona City Council Gazette (e-Gaseta), Barna Diario.
