Barcelona has been chosen by UNESCO as the headquarters of the new Ocean Decade Collaborative Centre (DCC-SOE), a collaborative center that will aim to promote a sustainable and equitable ocean economy, within the framework of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030, known as the Ocean Decade.

This center positions Barcelona as a world reference in the blue economy, being the first city to lead one of the ten global challenges set by the initiative. Its activity will focus specifically on challenge number 4: fostering a sustainable ocean economy. The DCC-SOE will be operational at least until 2030 and will depend on the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation, which will act as the implementing partner.

The project is the result of a joint effort led by the Barcelona City Council, in collaboration with the Port of Barcelona, the Government of Catalonia, the CSIC – Institute of Marine Sciences, BlueNetCat and with the support of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

According to 2021 data, the blue economy in Catalonia represents a business volume of €15,000 million, with 104,000 jobs. In Barcelona, it accounts for 4.3% of GDP and 1.4% of employment. The sector includes activities such as maritime logistics, fishing, tourism, marine energy, and biotechnology.

The new center is integrated into a broader strategy that includes projects such as the Maritime Technology Park, the BlueTechPort and the Barcelona Sea of Science, with a joint investment of €142 million and an area of 45,000 m² on the coastline.