Barcelona's medical and pharmaceutical sector

Context

Updating the public-private collaboration frameworks between the Catalan healthcare system and the health and biomedical industries is an urgent necessity in Catalonia. Notably, the *Catalunya Lídera* plan includes this sector among the strategic areas for the region’s economic transformation and modernization, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with the research sector, financial services, and public administration.

The health sector is the third-largest in Catalonia in terms of employment and contribution to GDP. Catalonia’s health and life sciences industry includes more than 1,500 companies, generating over €44.76 billion in revenue (7.6% of Catalonia’s GDP) and accounting for nearly 50% of Spain’s pharmaceutical industry.

In addition to a long-established pharmaceutical and chemical industry with companies like Esteve, Almirall, Ferrer, and Reig Jofré, Catalonia has attracted major multinational corporations, further strengthening its position as an international R&D hub. The new AstraZeneca and Alexion hub is a testament to its global appeal.

Catalan universities play a key role in this ecosystem, with three of them (UAB, UPF, and UB) ranking among the world's top 200. Since 2014, 582 new companies have been created in the sector, 22% of which are spin-offs. The rapid growth of the digital health, biotech, and medtech sectors is a testament to the region’s innovative potential.

Catalonia is also a leader in research and innovation in Spain, accounting for more than 30% of the country's total with 93 research centers. In 2024, 87.2% of Spain’s clinical trials were conducted in Catalonia, placing it fifth in Europe and eighth worldwide. The region ranks third in Europe for scientific publications per million inhabitants in Advanced Therapies and holds the top position for the most cited publications.

Catalonia’s healthcare system, founded on universal care, has been a pioneer in public-private collaboration. However, it now faces new challenges that require resource optimization and a strong commitment to efficiency.

For all these reasons, Catalonia’s health sciences ecosystem— with Barcelona at its core— has the potential to establish itself as a global benchmark. To achieve this, efficient cooperation among all ecosystem stakeholders is essential, identifying challenges and synergies that maximize the impact of innovation.

Challenges

Talent as the foundation of the health ecosystem

Although Barcelona is considered an attractive city in this regard—thanks to factors such as its climate, quality of life, research infrastructure, and investment potential, among others—efforts to retain research talent will be crucial for its consolidation as a competitive city in the scientific and technical fields. Providing the necessary tools to drive research will not be enough if a culture of active listening and support for professionals is not fostered, allowing them to conduct research that has a real impact on the needs of both the system and the patient.

Financing and venture capital: a challenge for innovation

The region needs to develop a greater tolerance for risk and a more robust investment ecosystem.

Currently, in Spain, the capital market for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors is virtually nonexistent, whereas in the U.S., it is highly developed and enables companies to secure funding at all stages. Additionally, the venture capital market has very little specialized investment, leading to an insufficient flow of capital to bring locally generated innovation to fruition. If this reality does not change, many high-potential startups will either disappear or be acquired by foreign companies, resulting in a loss of strategic value and growth potential.

Catalonia needs a more ambitious capital attraction strategy, which includes the international promotion of its success stories, the creation of competitive tax incentives, and the development of new investment vehicles tailored to the sector’s reality. Without adequate investment, innovation will not reach the market and, therefore, will not have the potential to transform patients’ lives.

The territorial coordination of the ecosystem to maximize results 

Scientific and healthcare infrastructure in the BioRegion has grown significantly in recent years. A well-structured and sustainable ecosystem is essential to maximizing knowledge transfer between the academic, industrial, and public sectors. A clear example of this vision is the Biopol-Granvia Urban Master Plan (PDU) in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, which aims to become one of the leading biomedical research hubs in southern Europe.

The creation of incentives for the consolidation of the business network

Catalonia’s health business network is a key asset in addressing healthcare challenges such as chronic diseases and emerging epidemiological threats. Incentives are needed to support the development of new drugs, explore innovative risk-sharing models (such as Public Procurement of Innovation), and implement agile systems for the evaluation, funding, and reimbursement of pharmaceutical innovation.

Ultimately, Barcelona and Catalonia have the talent, infrastructure, and ecosystem needed to lead health innovation in Europe. The key now is to translate this potential into tangible results that strengthen their position on the global stage.

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