€9.5 Million Investment for New Research Centre

The Catalan Government has ratified an investment of €9.5 million to finance the construction of Àgora Barcelona pel Benestar de la Societat i Entorn (BASW), an 8,000 m² research hub at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) as part of the Ciutadella del Coneixement project. The decision was confirmed on Tuesday 10th November 2026. The funding will be allocated between 2026 and 2029, with €5 million disbursed in the first year and €1.5 million annually for the next three years, according to the Department of Research and Universities. The money will cover payments to the Institut Català del Sòl (INCASÒL), infrastructure development, service gallery connections, and specialised equipment procurement.

A Multidisciplinary Hub for Social Challenges

Àgora Barcelona is designed as a multidisciplinary, international-level research centre focused on addressing the climate crisis, global health, and social sustainability. It will house over 100 permanent researchers who will collaborate with public institutions, associations, and other universities. The centre will operate around three core thematic programmes. The Youth and Future pillar will tackle issues such as housing access, job insecurity, emancipation, and the social impacts of increased life expectancy. The Social Justice programme will work to redesign rights and duties frameworks to reduce economic and social inequalities. The Resilience line aims to strengthen societal capacity to adapt to crises, including environmental, health, and economic disruptions.

Àgora Barcelona is not a think tank, but a do tank: we think in order to act.

According to UPF, the initiative functions as a 'do tank', applying research, impact assessment, and reproducibility to generate measurable, real-world solutions. It will connect academic research with civic participation, using Barcelona as a living laboratory for transformation.

Project Timeline and Inauguration

The building is scheduled for inauguration in 2028. In 2027, the first research calls and staff contracts will be launched, with initial activities beginning that year. The foundation for BASW and its governing bodies were established in 2026. The project is part of UPF’s broader Planetary Wellbeing strategy and will be located at the former Mercat del Peix site, integrating biomedicine, biodiversity, and social wellbeing research. More information is available on the official Àgora Barcelona website.

Sources: Metrópoli.