The municipal group of Esquerra Republicana de Badalona (Barcelonès Nord) has shown its concern about the lack of progress since the arrival of the Popular Party to the Badalona government in the implementation of the CIM-UPC Foundation in the CACI building. Republicans warn that this failure to meet deadlines could jeopardize the project to convert the historic building into the so-called Espai CACI. For its part, the PP government does not show any suspicion of making a million-dollar investment only to end up handing over the building to a third party.
Four months after the elections, the Republicans of Badalona assure that they note “with concern” the disinterest of the Albiol government in this project and warn of two dangers. On the one hand, the CIM-UPC Foundation can look for a headquarters in another municipality due to the lack of space in the current facilities. And, on the other hand, the possibility of losing the state contribution if the project does not advance.
For their part, the municipal government claims to be studying different proposals for the CACI, one of which is that of the CIM Foundation. It is a proposal "that we find interesting" but which, for the executive, has a great handicap "it intends that, apart from the transfer of the building, the City Council must make a million-dollar investment" in its rehabilitation to end up transferring the building to a third.
For his part, Alex Montornès, president of the municipal group of Esquerra Republicana and responsible for the project during his time as First Deputy Mayor, believes that "Badalona cannot miss this opportunity to have an international and prestigious research center in our city." He states that “enormous work was done from all sides to push the project forward and find financing.” Institutions, they argue, “must be loyal to commitments beyond the color that governs them.” The Republican leader has highlighted the good harmony with the UPC team during his time in the city government and has recalled that “the CACI Space project meets three important elements: having national equipment, using "the CACI as an economic engine and, at the same time, guarantee that the people of Badalona gain new equipment for the city."
The government is surprised by the statements made by ERC "because in the City Council there is only an agreement of intentions and a framework agreement between both parties, that is, there is no administrative file initiated for the transfer of the building." Furthermore, the budget item was created in 2021, “but they did not provide it financially”, therefore, when the budget was extended in 2022, this item no longer exists.
At the beginning of 2022, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and the Badalona City Council reached a first agreement so that the CACI building would be transformed into the headquarters of the CIM-UPC Foundation. In April of the same year, a protocol of intentions was signed between the two institutions that gave a period of about six months to develop a functional project and find the necessary financing to make the CACI a new knowledge hub. During the following months, the project was worked on in four groups between the Badalona City Council, Reactivació Badalona SA - the city's public economic promotion company -, the UPC and the CIM-UPC Foundation.
The project under the name “Espai CACI” pivots on four axes: research, university and postgraduate teaching, entrepreneurship and citizen participation. A first estimate of the necessary investment was made of around 6.5 million euros. The Badalona City Council had committed to allocating 3.5 million to the rehabilitation of the building during the Popular Party government (2020-2021) and the other three million were achieved as a result of the negotiation of the State budgets between Esquerra Republicana and the PSOE.
In December 2022, the functional project was presented and a collaboration agreement was signed between the four institutions involved. This collaboration agreement was to be the embryo of a future agreement for the transfer of the space once the works were completed. At the beginning of 2023, the preliminary works project was commissioned and became available just before the municipal elections. Once the electoral period had passed and with a new Badalona government, the 3.5 million municipal contribution had to be financed and the project and execution of the works put out to tender with an ambitious calendar of starting the 2024-2025 academic year already in the building. of the CACI.
