New science initiatives and hubs in Catalonia to serve talent and innovation

The BioRegion of Catalonia has become one of the most dynamic and innovative life sciences and healthcare ecosystems in Europe. Since 2018, the ecosystem has seen steady growth in several innovation indicators, including business creation, therapeutic pipeline growth, number of clinical trials, exports and foreign direct investment, as reflected each year in the BioRegion of Catalonia Report.

However, this rapid growth has exposed some needs that must be addressed to consolidate the sector. One of the most urgent is the need for appropriate workspaces for companies, including labs, production plants and research facilities. Current demand for these spaces is at an all-time high, but the existing supply can’t meet the needs of the burgeoning business fabric.

This shortfall is particularly critical to developing advanced and emerging therapies, like gene, cell and tissue therapy. Although the preclinical research pipeline in Catalonia is a global benchmark, the lack of structures for clinical development and industrial scale up is a significant obstacle to innovation in this field. Addressing these challenges would have a substantial impact on the region. In addition to generating new jobs, increasing sector turnover, and attracting more foreign direct investment, it would help get cutting edge innovative therapies to the people.

To tackle these needs, the BioRegion of Catalonia is implementing promising initiatives that will help meet the sector’s current needs and strengthen the ecosystem’s position as a leader in healthcare innovation in Europe and the world. Below, we look at the new facilities that have been inaugurated recently, are currently being built or are planned for the coming years.

Opening new offices and labs for the sector

In 2023 and 2024, several spaces with offices and labs for companies in the life sciences and healthcare sector have been inaugurated in Catalonia. In 2023 alone, three new office spaces for startups were inaugurated. These spaces are Pier07 from Tech Barcelona, a building with 6,000 m² of space in the heart of the city designed to house companies and organizations in the healthcare sector; and the La Mercè pavilion, the fourth building of the Barcelona Health Hub with 504 m² at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site, focusing mainly on digital health startups. Another noteworthy project is Norrsken House Barcelona, a multi-sector center with 10,000 m² in Barceloneta and room for 800 entrepreneurs where dozens of BioRegion companies are located.

In terms of new spaces with both offices and research spaces, two key initiatives have been launched since 2023. One of them is the Barcelona Science Innovation District, known as BaSID, a project with 75,000 m² in Esplugues de Llobregat and Sant Joan Despí. There are five buildings with offices and latest generation labs with specialized services, three of which are currently operational, except for the 6,000 m² labs that will open late this year. The second initiative is Cosymbio Labs, a biotechnology coworking space with 600 m² currently open that plans to expand to 3,000 m² in Poblenou by 2025, offering a flexible environment to grow innovative projects.

With the Esplugues Campus building opening any day now, with 18,000 m² of offices and labs for sector companies in the old Braun factory in Esplugues de Llobregat, the healthcare innovation ecosystem in Catalonia will have added a total of 110,104 m² of new offices and labs for startups in 2023 and 2024.

During this time, Catalan science facilities have also taken important steps to expand their research capabilities, adding nearly 13,500 m² of new labs. In 2023, the SJD Pediatric Cancer Center inaugurated its Pediatric Cancer Research Unit - CaixaResearch, with 1,112 m² where 50 researchers work to advance treatment and diagnosis of this disease. The Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) renovated the first floor of the Cellex Building, transforming 900 m² into spaces for preclinical research groups, and Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS) expanded its labs, adding 400 m² for a total of 8,720 m² of total research space. Finally, the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) inaugurated a new building with 16,792 m², of which 11,000 m² is for research.

Science and healthcare facilities currently operating: New initiatives expected by 2030

From next year, the science and healthcare facilities in the BioRegion of Catalonia will see notable growth, as there are many projects currently under construction that will become international benchmarks. By 2030, the ecosystem is expected to incorporate around 237,000 m² in infrastructure, thanks to a new research hub with three new buildings (the Fish Market), two research centers (CaixaResearch Institute and the Center for Precision Medicine “Únicas SJD”), a new hospital (Hospital Vithas Barcelona) and the expansion of another (Hospital del Mar), plus the expansion of labs at consolidated research institutes like IDIBAPS, ISGLOBAL and the Sant Pau Research Institute. Below, we look at all the projects currently under construction in chronological order based on opening date.

In early 2025, IDIBAPS and ISGLOBAL will move their research groups to the Barcelona Science Park. With 530 m² and 400 m² respectively, these new spaces will house over 100 professionals. In mid-2025, construction of the first module of the CaixaResearch Institute is expected to be finished. This center, with more than 20,000 m² in total, will become the international epicenter of immunology research. Also next year, Hospital Vithas Barcelona will be inaugurated in Esplugues de Llobregat, with 40,000 m².

In 2026, the project to renovate the old Fish Market will get started, working to create a research and innovation complex for biomedicine, biodiversity and planetary wellbeing. With 45,000 m², this project will include three new buildings to house the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and facilities for Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), with a joint total of 1,400 researchers. Also expected that year is the inauguration of the Center for Precision Medicine “Únicas SJD”, one of the biggest in the world devoted to minority diseases, with 13,877 m² on six floors.

Later, in 2028, the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) will open its new Advanced Therapies Unit. This expansion, from 39 m² to 163 m², will include four manufacturing white rooms and two labs. And, finally, we have the ambitious project to renovate Hospital del Mar, which began two years ago and is expected to finish in 2030. With a green and digital transformation, the center will expand its facilities beyond 100,000 m², increasing its capabilities to care for the public and modernizing its facilities.

Projects in the planning stage

Several science and health projects, currently in the planning stage, will profoundly change the innovation and research landscape, fueling a promising future in the region. One of the most highly anticipated initiatives is the construction of the new Hospital Clinic Barcelona. With the agreement recently signed for the urban planning changes required, plans are to build a large hospital with a biomedical research and teaching campus at the upper end of Avinguda Diagonal in Barcelona. This new facility, which will have over 300,000 m², will be home not only to the hospital but also the Facility of Medicine and various research centers. ;

Related to this project, to consolidate the Barcelona Science Park as a central hub along the Diagonal Health Axis, the PCB is preparing to welcome an emblematic new building: MIES-UB. With 10,000 m² of space, at the time of publication, this building will be home to the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Fraunhofer Institute and several University of Barcelona (UB) research groups in the life sciences. The new building will have 2,520 m² of labs and 700 workers. It is scheduled to be completed by 2028.

The Innovation and Health BioCluster is another noteworthy project to create a unique business park for entrepreneurs, research institutions, companies and healthcare centers that will become an international benchmark. Still in the planning stage, this project will cover 556,000 m² and create 50,000 new jobs. Detailed information on the schedule and specific contacts is yet to be determined.

Outside of the Barcelona metropolitan area, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital in Badalona, known as Can Ruti, is preparing for urban planning works to add 95,000 m² of buildable space. This expansion would allow the center to take its 142,000 m² of healthcare facilities up to 237,000 m² in the future. Also the new Girona Campus of Health will significantly expand the healthcare services on offer outside of the Barcelona metropolitan area, with space for care, research and knowledge. In the end there will be much more floor space than initially planned, with 175,000