INDESCAT has travelled to New York jointly with other 15 Catalan clusters with the aim of exploring alliances with this reference ecosystem. This trip is part of the VII Strategic Training Week, an initiative organized by ACCIÓ -the agency for the competitiveness of the company, depends on the Department of Enterprise and Knowledge-, through the Foreign Trade and Investment Offices in New York and Washington DC.
The Catalan clusters that have participated in this initiative are Catalan Water Partnership, Beauty Cluster, MODACC, Kid’s Cluster, Packaging Cluster, Railgrup, Indescat, CENFIM, EDUTECH, ClústerMAV, Innovi, Cluster Foodservice, Cluster Audiovisual de Cataluña, Solartys, Cluster de Salud Mental de Cataluña y FEMAC.
During the trip, the representatives of the Catalan clusters have made more than 60 individual meetings with agents of the ecosystem of New York, such as the multinational Google, the design school Parsons, a local accelerator in the field of EdTech or the Councilor for mobility of the City Council from the city. They have also participated in meetings at the headquarters of the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bankin Washington DC with those responsible for the sectoral programs of these organizations in areas such as transport, water, health, agricultural technologies, educational technologies, solar energy and housing.
In addition, participants have received specialized training in the field of strategy from the professor at Columbia University and innovation expert Rita Guther McGrath, and Cornell University professor Samuel Bacharach, an expert in organizational management; as well as in the development of the clusters, with Eric Hansen, one of the founders of TCI Network, a network specialized in supporting clusters. Likewise, the cluster managers have held networking meetings with Catalan managers working in the North American ecosystem. Also, those who have consumer products have participated in a retail tour to see first-hand the particularities of the reference points of the city as the Chelsea Market or Strand Bookstore, and consumer behavior in New York.
As regards the sports sector, INDESCAT has had the opportunity to meet representatives of the New York City Marathon, the NBA, the NYC Sports Tank, the boutique centre Barry's Bootcamp and the premium and low cost gym chains Equinox and Blink Fitness, respectively.
In previous editions, Strategic Training Week has accompanied Catalan clusters to explore alliances in countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Canada or Israel, as well as other areas of the United States such as Boston or Silicon Valley.
Catalonia has more than 25 years of experience in the development of clusters, through the Catalonia Clusters program. This initiative is promoted by the Generalitat through ACCIÓ, with the objective of promoting the grouping of companies and entities of the same sector to boost their competitiveness, share resources, generate synergies and intentionally project themselves. Currently, the 28 Catalan clusters of the program group 2,200 companies with a turnover of 74,000 million euros and more than 300,000 workers
The Grass-Twin project offers an innovative solution based on functional printing and smart monitoring for the maintenance of sports surfaces.
Grass-Twin is an industrial research project launched with the aim of addressing a common challenge in the management of sports surfaces—whether natural, hybrid, or artificial turf: the lack of advanced technological solutions for efficient and tailored maintenance.
This Wednesday, July 9, INDESCAT and the AMBIT cluster held a key session at the Eurofitness Perill sports center, where we presented the first results of the project “LIVINGLAB-FIT: Reinventing fitness spaces.” This is an initiative driven and led by both clusters with the support of ACCIÓ, as part of the competitiveness support program. The project, a pioneer in its field, aims to respond to the need of companies in the sector to redesign sports spaces to make them more attractive, inclusive, and efficient, taking into account the diverse profiles of the centers' users.
30 June 2025
Thanks to the European I3-INSHAPE initiative, INDESCAT, the sports industry cluster, has secured direct grants for Catalan companies amounting to more than €570,000. In the first phase, €329,240 was awarded to Onalabs, Eurofitness, Sevenmila, Berrly, and Tot per l’Esport — all members of INDESCAT. In a second phase, nine interregional collaborative projects involving innovative SMEs from various EU regions — including Catalonia — received a total of €244,000 in direct funding for eight Catalan companies: Barcelona Zero Limits, Factual Consulting, Improfit, MyPlay, Neorg, North 3, Placenet, and Rockfit, four of which are cluster members. All of these projects focus on innovative solutions in the fields of sport, technology, and healthy lifestyles.
30 June 2025
In a context shaped by digital transformation, demographic shifts, and a constantly evolving sports industry, the training of future professionals requires educational models adapted to today’s realities. Escola Vitae emerges as an innovative proposal within the educational sector, offering programs focused on a direct connection with the job market and the challenges of the future.
We speak with Roger Saladich, Co-CEO of Vitae, a school specialized in the fields of sports and health, which has been offering official and in-house qualifications for over fifteen years through an immersive pedagogical approach. We explore the origins of the initiative, how they integrate technology and personal competencies into their programs, and the steps they are taking to establish themselves as a leading institution in shaping the next generation of professionals in the sector.
The opening event of INDESCAT’s 15th anniversary celebration, the sports industry cluster in Catalonia, brought together members, former and current board representatives, institutional figures, and other key players from the Catalan sports sector on June 19 at the Joan Miró Foundation.
The event featured a review of the cluster’s history, the unveiling of a commemorative illustration, the presentation of special recognitions, and an interactive session led by Emogg. The celebration concluded with a cocktail reception, offering industry professionals the chance to network and foster synergies.
Prior to the celebration, INDESCAT held its Annual General Assembly, during which members reviewed the activities and budget from the past period, and future plans and forecasts for the cluster were presented.
6 June 2025
The Best Practices in Healthy Companies Conference was successfully held this Friday, June 6th, at the Tabaris Building in Coma-ruga (El Vendrell). The event was organized by the Associació Corporativa Empresa Saludable (ACES) with the collaboration of various key local stakeholders, including the Ajuntament del Vendrell, Ranking Games, Umivale Activa, FCC Medi Ambient, and the INDESCAT cluster itself.
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