Overview
- i2CAT officially inaugurated its new 2,000 m2 headquarters at Pier01 on Wednesday after researchers began moving into the space about one to two months ago.
- The centre now houses around 250 staff and roughly 40 active projects in a dozen high‑performance labs, including dedicated facilities for 6G research and a quantum lab reported to cost €2 million.
- The relocation followed a €10 million investment to equip the site that was financed with Next Generation EU funds and resources from the Generalitat of Catalonia.
- i2CAT announced immediate applied work and partnerships such as an understanding with the Port of Barcelona, a rescue robot and an adhesive smart surface project, plus plans for a 6G test satellite in collaboration with Open Cosmos and ESA.
- The move is billed as a shift from an academic setting to tighter industry ties at Pier01 with targets to double collaborative projects within two years, raise EU project participation by about 50%, and generate roughly one spin‑off per year toward 2029.