Barcelona to transform La Escocesa factory into innovation hub

The Barcelona City Council is advancing a project to transform the former industrial factory La Escocesa into an innovation hub focused on social economy, culture, inclusive housing, and agri-food technology. The project involves an initial public-private investment of 51.8 million euros to rehabilitate the 11,582-square-meter facility. The City Council will contribute 27.2 million euros, while participating entities, including Mercabarna, the Ampans Foundation, the EMA Ideas Association, and the Generalitat de Catalunya, will invest the remaining 24.6 million euros.

Mayor Jaume Collboni stated that the initiative aims to preserve the city's heritage and identity while generating approximately 100 direct and 500 indirect jobs. The site will host a Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) hub, providing 1,391 square meters dedicated to cooperativism and social entrepreneurship. The facility is expected to be operational by 2029.

Separately, historical records trace the evolution of the cooperative movement in Catalonia, noting early proto-cooperative experiments in 1842 and the introduction of the term ‘cooperative’ to the region in 1863. The movement saw significant growth through the establishment of production and consumption cooperatives in the mid-19th century.