Picks of November: new facilities, strategic alliances and international scientific leadership
The BioRegion of Catalonia is ringing out November with news that bolsters its position as an international hub for healthcare innovation: from new offices and hubs from major companies like AstraZeneca to a new artificial intelligence factory led by BSC, as well as new spinoffs and collaborations strengthening the region’s innovation landscape. The ecosystem has also stood out for its international scientific leadership and consolidated its standing in terms of funding, sustainability and international recognition.
- The consolidation of major biomedical corporations in Catalonia was one of the headlines of the month. AstraZeneca inaugurated its new headquarters in the renovated Estel building, reinforcing Barcelona as a strategic node in its global innovation network. This opening aligns with strong results from Grifols, which not only tripled profits but also received authorization to market a new product in Germany, consolidating its European expansion. At the same time, Almirall announced 12.8% growth, driven especially by its biologic drugs in the European market, and Atrys Health finished the quarter with 8.2% growth, strengthening its commitment to oncology diagnostics and treatment. Oryzon Genomics is preparing a capital increase of up to €125 million to continue its clinical projects in epigenetics. Meanwhile, Palex has acquired Swiss company Anandic Medical Systems, which specializes in healthcare technology sales and consulting.
- Vibrant investor activity also left its mark this November. Qida secured €37 million to scale up its digital home care model in one of the sector’s most important operations in 2025. Plus, new startup Holo closed a €1 million round to develop immersive healthcare technologies. Additionally, HealthTech Innovations closed an €800,000 round of funding to develop its platform that helps optimize nurses’ workflows in surgical areas. To expand access to capital, the Barcelona Medical Association launched MedAngels, a new investor network focused on medical and digital health projects, creating a direct bridge between clinical professionals and sector entrepreneurs.
- Catalan startups continue gaining international traction. One example is INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, which announced a strategic alliance with Microsoft to develop artificial intelligence systems for neural interfaces, an emerging field of neurotechnology. At the same time, BASE4 Biosciences was spun off from Hospital Sant Pau, specializing in precision biology applied to women’s health. Additionally, Genomcore expanded its territorial presence with a new office in Madrid, demonstrating the maturity of its data model for personalized medicine. The month concluded with major recognition for SpliceBio, which was awarded the European Lifestars Award for Best Series B Raise and was also nominated for Biotech of the Year, highlighting its excellence on the international stage.
- Here we would like to highlight a new milestone for the BioRegion directory, which now includes over 2,000 active companies and organizations from Catalonia’s life sciences and healthcare ecosystem, consolidating the Catalonia Health and Life Sciences Data Platform as a benchmark tool that Biocat makes available to the entire sector.
- Catalonia once again demonstrated its scientific capacity with a strong presence on the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 ranking, where 34 of the 94 researchers recognized in Spain are from Catalan institutions, including UB – Clinic – IDIBAPS and Vall d’Hebron – VHIO – VHIR. This leadership, which is particularly strong in neuroscience and clinical medicine, is further strengthened by pioneering advances in other fields like regenerative medicine, including the recent publication of a study led by IBEC on a fast, cost-effective method for large scale production of kidney organoids.
- At the same time, the ”la Caixa” Foundation funded 34 biomedical research projects with high social impact, contributing €26 million to initiatives with transformative potential that boost the transfer of knowledge from labs to society. This year, type 1 diabetes research made up a significant percentage of these projects. In fact, World Diabetes Day was held this month, calling attention to the need to drive more clinical trials in this field.
- Key facilities for ecosystem development continue to move forward. The Urban Planning Department has given the green light to the future Girona Health Campus, which will become a new hub for knowledge and healthcare in the region.
- In terms of public policy, the month was marked by the Government of Catalonia announcement of a new strategy to attract €6 billion in foreign investment by 2030, with a clear focus on healthcare, deeptech and digitalization. This initiative aligns with the renewed collaboration agreement between Catalonia and Flanders, two cutting-edge regions that share a vision for biomedical research and industrial innovation.
- In healthcare sustainability, Fundació Sanitària Mollet made history by becoming the first hospital in Spain and fourth in the world to earn JCI-GSC certification. This recognition makes the center a benchmark in environmental responsibility and energy efficiency in the hospital sector.
- Finally, BSC celebrated its 20th anniversary with its sights set on MareNostrum 6, a tool that will make Barcelona one of the most powerful environments in Europe for supercomputing applied to healthcare. This same facility also announced Diego Perino as the new director of the BSC AI Institute. Congratulations to BSC for these two milestones, which further strengthen its scientific and technological leadership!