ESADECREAPOLIS has been selected by the Spanish Association of Science and Technology Parks (APTE) as the winner of the 2018 Award for Best Innovative Practice in a Science or Technology Park for the “Rambla of Innovation” project, located on ESADE’s Sant Cugat campus. The award, presented during the 16th International APTE Conference, recognises the best new practices implemented by managers of technology and innovation parks. The Rambla of Innovation was chosen because of its innovative nature as well as its impact on the technology park’s residents and the surrounding area. 

Oriol Alcoba, Director General of ESADECREAPOLIS, accepted the award at a ceremony in the Niemeyer Centre at the Science and Technology Park of Avilés. More than 30 science and technology parks throughout Spain and high-profile figures from the world of innovation and digital transformation attended the event, which featured the slogan “Industry 4.0: More Connected, More Sustainable”. ESADECREAPOLIS was among the finalists for last year’s prize, ultimately taking second place for the EMPENTA acceleration programme. 

Mr. Alcoba commented: “We are very proud and grateful that the Spanish Association of Science and Technology Parks has recognised the work of ESADECREAPOLIS, ESADE’s business and knowledge park. This achievement inspires us to further develop ties among the various innovative ecosystems linked to relevant academic institutions in Spain.”

A new ecosystem to foster innovation and entrepreneurship

The project presented by ESADECREAPOLIS – the Rambla of Innovation – is a strategic project that links up five new laboratories. It has contributed to the evolution of ESADE Business School’s academic model and increased the level of innovation and entrepreneurship in the campus environs. From a business perspective, each of the spaces evokes a different stage in the value chain for the development of an innovation project. The various laboratories that make up the Rambla of Innovation are located inside the park, where they help to create an ecosystem that is attractive to the most innovative business community, while also supporting the school’s academic objectives (research and first-rate training). 

The Rambla of Innovation takes visitors on a multi-step journey: coming up with a new idea (Fusion Point), designing and carrying out user-behaviour experiments to investigate and test the idea’s viability (Decision Lab), manufacturing prototypes (Fab Lab), defining a business model (EGarage), and creating and implementing a new business venture (EWorks). It’s a circular ecosystem with no beginning and no predetermined end point: each project can find its main source of support in the most appropriate laboratory or coordinate with multiple laboratories after identifying the ideal point of entry for its particular case.