Barcelona is a leading city in the study of clinical and human health, home to 90 research centres with more than 400 established working groups in the life sciences and excelling in areas such as oncology, bio-nanomedicine and cardiovascular diseases.
Biosciences
Biotechnology
Hospitals
Business schools
Postgraduate studies
Pharmacy
Health
Universities
Higher education
Barcelona, with 90 research centres and over 400 established research groups, stands out in clinical research and human health.
Barcelona is committed to biotechnology, which plays a key role in the pharmaceutical sector today.
Catalunya has 215 hospitals, 13 of which are engaged in important research work.
With over thirty, first-class, international and business schools, Barcelona is an important destination for education and training.
In Barcelona and Catalonia there are over 100,000 students of all nationalities and from all continents studying at the various levels of university and graduate education.
The Spanish pharmaceutical sector is mainly concentrated in Catalonia, where 45% of the pharmaceutical laboratories in Spain can be found.
The Barcelona area has an extended network of university hospitals, including the Hospital Clínic, Hospital de Bellvitge, Hospital de la Vall d’Hebron, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital del Mar and Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol.
Barcelona has one of the largest university communities, with 196,604 students and 12,344 lecturers at 7 universities offering 317 degree courses.
With 500 years of university history behind it, Barcelona is committed to offering quality and tradition in its university studies.
UAB Research Park (PRUAB)
A science park with eight independent institutes and centres conducting research in five broad areas. Find out more!
Visit www.parc.uab.cat
Barcelona Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CMRB)
The CMRB carries out research on human embryo stem cells to treat degenerative diseases.
Visit www.cmrb.eu
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
The CRG conducts biomedical research, especially in genomics and proteomics, with researchers from all over the world.
Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia (IBEC)
Specialises in bioengineering research and its medical applications.
Visita www.ibecbarcelona.eu
Catalan Institute of Cardiovascular Services (ICCC)
The ICCC carries out cardiovascular and heart disease research with a high level of international competition.
Visit en.iccc.cat
Biomedical Research Institute (IRB)
The IRB is a very dynamic centre of excellence devoted to basic and applied biomedical research. Some of its biggest successes have been achieved in cancer research.
Visit www.irbbarcelona.org
AIDS Research Institute (IrsiCaixa)
The institute's goal is to help improve knowledge, prevention and treatment of HIV infection and AIDS in order to eradicate the epidemic.
Visit www.irsicaixa.es
Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB)
A public body set up to manage the public health and environmental services in Barcelona.
Visit www.aspb.cat
Barcelona, with more than 500 years of university history, attracts students from all over the world. The city offers first-class undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. It also has renowned business schools that attract talent, whose aims are to stimulate the creation of quality jobs with added value and foster entrepreneurship.
The Barcelona area has an extensive network of university hospitals that includes the Hospital Clínic, Hospital de Bellvitge, Hospital de la Vall d’Hebron, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu, Hospital del Mar and Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, enabling it to offer the public a quality, specialised medical and care service.
Moreover, Catalonia is home to 22% of the biotechnology companies in Spain and 45% of the pharmaceutical companies, led by the biggest in the sector, all of which are Catalan: Almirall, Esteve, Ferrer, Grífols, Lacer and Uriach. Catalonia is also the base for 40% of the medical technology companies in Spain, which account for 50% of total turnover in the sector.
According to the Biocat report for 2012, in the last five years, more than 450 Catalan companies (biotechnological, pharmaceutical, innovative medical technology and sector service companies) have registered a growth rate of between 15 and 30%. Clear evidence of the sector's potential in the current context of economic recession. Catalonia has the most dynamic biocluster in Spain, and one of the most active in this field in southern Europe.
In addition to that, Barcelona and its surrounding area has three of Europe's benchmark infrastructures: the Mare Nostrum supercomputer (Barcelona Supercomputing Center, BSC), the National Centre for Genomic Analysis (CNAG) and the Alba-Cells synchrotron. All three are pioneering projects promoting the city on an international scale.
