Conference 2017

SOCIAL SCIENCES CONFERENCE

Conference 2017

The 5th International Academic Conference on Social Sciences 

Barcelona, Spain –  July 27-28, 2017


 

CONFERENCE THEMES 

Anthropology,  Economics & Finance,   Education, Psychology,  History, Law, Management,   Political Science, Tourism

HOST CITY – BARCELONA

The city of Barcelona was founded by the Romans who set up a colony called Barcino at the end of the 1st century BC. The colony had some thousand inhabitants and was bounded by a defensive wall, the remains of which can still be seen in the old town.

For over 200 years, Barcelona was under Muslim rule, and, following the Christian reconquest, it became a county of the Carolingian Empire and one of the main residences of the court of the Crown of Aragon. The fruitful medieval period establishedBarcelona’s position as the economic and political centre of the Western Mediterranean. The city’s Gothic Quarter bears witness to the splendour enjoyed by the city from the 13th to the 15th centuries.

From the 15th to 18th centuries Barcelona entered a period of decline, while it struggled to maintain its economic and political independence. This struggle ended in 1714, when the city fell to the Bourbon troops and Catalonia’s and Catalans’ rights and privilegeswere suppressed.

A period of cultural recovery began in the mid-19th century with the arrival of the development of the textile industry. During this period, which was known as the Renaixença, Catalan regained prominence as a literary language.

The 20th century ushered in widespread urban renewal throughout Barcelona city, culminating in its landmark Eixample district, which showcases some of Barcelona’s most distinctive Catalan art-nouveau, or modernista, buildings. The Catalan Antoni Gaudí, one of the most eminent architects, designed buildings such as the Casa Milà(known as La Pedrera, the Catalan for stone quarry), the Casa Batlló and the Sagrada Família church, which have become world-famous landmarks.

The freedoms achieved during this period were severely restricted during the Civil Warin 1936 and the subsequent dictatorship. With the reinstatement of democracy in 1978,Barcelona society regained its economic strength and the Catalan language was restored. The city’s hosting of the 1992 Olympic Games gave fresh impetus to Barcelona’s potential and reaffirmed its status as a major metropolis.

In 2004, the Forum of Cultures reclaimed industrial zones to convert them into residential districts. An example of the renewed vigour with which Barcelona is looking towards the 21st century

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

 

President of Technova Barcelona – La Salle Innovation Park, President of International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation 

 

 

Josep Miquel Piqué is a Telecommunication Engineer from La Salle and UPC and MBA from ESADE. He holds also diplomas from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California-Berkeley and Universitat Ramon Llull.

He is a disciple of Professors Henry Etzkowitz (co-founder of Triple Helix), Francesc Solé Parellada (Entrepreneurship) and Jerome Engel (Clusters of Innovation).

He is the President of XPCAT (Catalan Network of Science Parks), Vice-President of APTE (Spanish Network of Science Parks) and President of IASP (International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation).

He is expert of the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) of the European Commission and member of the Team of Specialists on Innovation and Competitiveness Policies of the United Nations Commission for Europe (UNECE).

His long professional experience in university management has leaded him to promote and lead Postgraduate Programs, Technology Transfer Centers, University Incubators and Innovation Science and Technology Parks. He has promoted several hybrid organizations taking the partnership model University-Industry-Public Administration.

In the field of public administration has been CEO of the District Innovation – 22 @ Barcelona, Director of Strategic Sectors of the Agency of Local Development – Barcelona Activa and CEO of the Office of Economic Growth of the Barcelona City Council. Among other projects he has participated in teams of Barcelona European Capital of Innovation and Barcelona Mobile World Capital

He has published several papers in publications and congresses on Innovation Ecosystems. He has participated in several international forums in Europe (Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy and UK), America (Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, U.S.A.) and Asia (Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Japan and China).

The central line of his activity is the promotion of Knowledge-based Economy and Society in order to consolidate Knowledge Cities on Smart Cities.

Please find detailed CV here

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS