Cisco to establish a Global IoE Innovation Center in Barcelona

Cisco and Barcelona City Council have announced plans to open a Cisco Global IoE Innovation Center in Barcelona.

The Innovation Center will provide a platform for research, technological development and new market opportunities related to the Internet of Everything for smart cities.

The new 1,720 SQM Cisco center will be located at Ca l'Alier, a 19th century heritage building at the core of the 22@Barcelona district, as part of the new Smart City Campus.

Based on its current plans, from 2015 to 2020, Cisco intends to invest close to $30 million, in the facilities' restoration, innovation lab, IT equipment, and talent acquisition primarily in engineering, application development and research.

The IoE Innovation Center, slated to open in summer 2016, will be one of five Cisco sites focused on IoE and its market opportunities around the globe, including the current centers in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Songdo (South Korea) and two more that are under development in Germany and Canada.
As a global innovation hub providing a space where Cisco may team with customers, partners, start-ups, governments and research bodies and academia, the center will host two kinds of innovation activities:

An IoE Innovation lab to design new services and solutions for cities that are in the early stages of developing urban services (smart parking, smart lighting, location-based analytics, etc.), energy management, safety and security and cloud exchange.

A live showcase area for Cisco solutions, including Smart+Connected Communities' solutions, demonstrating their practical implementation and ability to improve citizens' quality of life.

Cisco?s decision to open an IoE Innovation Center in Barcelona reflects the city's commitment to innovation and sharing these innovations with other cities, as it continues to serve as a worldwide lighthouse in smart cities services and solutions.

In addition, Barcelona has a strong technological, academic and research community, and serves as an open hub for entrepreneurial business development.

"Barcelona has become a worldwide reference smart city," said Mayor Xavier Trias: "Barcelona has become a worldwide reference smart city. It's the Mobile Worldwide Capital and in 2014 has been appointed as the Innovation European Capital.

Both the new Center of Innovation located in the Smart City Campus and the strong Cisco commitment with our city, will help us to reinforce our bet on a new model of economical growth based on technology, urban innovation and advanced services, improving the wellness and the quality of people life." It's the Mobile Worldwide Capital and in 2014 has been appointed as the Innovation European Capital.

Both the new Center of Innovation located in the Smart City Campus and the strong Cisco commitment with our city, will help us to reinforce our bet on a new model of economical growth based on technology, urban innovation and advanced services, improving the wellness and the quality of people life."