AstraZeneca invests €1.3 billion in its Barcelona headquarters, a global hub for biomedical research

The President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, inaugurated on Monday the new headquarters of the AstraZeneca Global Hub, located in the Estel Building in Barcelona, a 30,000 m² facility accommodating around 1,600 employees. The site is an internationally renowned innovation center in the field of biomedical research, which will receive a total investment of €1.3 billion from the pharmaceutical multinational by 2027.

During his remarks, the President highlighted the strategic importance of this investment and stated that AstraZeneca is "a key element for the prosperity of Catalonia, Spain, and Europe, and for the well-being of its citizens." In this regard, Illa stated that "Catalonia is already an undisputed benchmark in health innovation across all fields in Europe." In this regard, he emphasized that AstraZeneca’s arrival in Catalonia and the launch of this hub have been supported by the Government through ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the Agency for Business Competitiveness belonging to the Ministry for Business and Labour.

President Illa stated that "health is the most important public policy, the one that most unites our society," and added that "science is what provides us with certainty in the face of the changes we are experiencing." According to President Illa, it is "science at the service of people and the common good." 

Illa also announced that AstraZeneca is the foreign company that has created the most jobs in Catalonia over the past five years, according to data from ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment.

“The AstraZeneca Global Hub in Barcelona is a long-term commitment and a declaration of trust, reaffirming our commitment to Catalonia’s scientific and technological development”

Rick R. Suárez, President of AstraZeneca Spain

 

 

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Launched in 2023, the AstraZeneca Global Hub represents a pioneering model of innovation at an international level, combining biomedical research with data science and technology to go beyond traditional research methods. The center’s goal is to develop new treatments in areas such as oncology, cardiovascular diseases, rare diseases, and vaccines, among others, using disruptive technologies such as genomics, precision medicine, and artificial intelligence. The hub is currently working on nearly 400 R&D projects and 190 clinical trials.

During the inauguration ceremony, Rick R. Suárez, President of AstraZeneca Spain, stated that "the AstraZeneca Global Hub in Barcelona is a long-term commitment and a declaration of trust." He added that the project "reaffirms our commitment to Catalonia’s scientific and technological development: our goal is to help bring 20 new medicines to patients before the end of the decade."

The event was also attended by the Minister of Health, Mónica García, the Minister of Health of Catalonia, Olga Pané, and the Minister of Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat, and the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni.

A leading sector in Europe

AstraZeneca’s investment consolidates Catalonia’s life sciences sector as one of the most advanced in Europe. According to data from ACCIÓ, the sector generates turnover equivalent to 7.6% of Catalonia’s GDP and provides over 75,000 highly qualified jobs. It is an open and internationally oriented industry in Catalonia, accounting for 46% of Spain’s life sciences exports and 54% of all foreign investment in the sector nationwide. Alongside AstraZeneca’s investment, other recent foreign projects include those by Japan’s AGC in Malgrat de Mar, the U.S. company Teladoc in Barcelona, and Germany’s B. Braun in Rubí.

Foreign investment as a source of shared prosperity

The life sciences sector is one of the strategic areas of the new Foreign Investment Attraction, Promotion and Retention Strategy for Catalonia 2026–2030, presented last week by President Illa. Led by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the strategy aims to attract over €6 billion in investment and create 45,000 jobs through foreign investment by 2030.

This represents a 27% increase in the number of projects and over 60% growth in investment and employment compared to the previous five-year period. From a qualitative perspective, the strategy aims for 50% of the investment attracted to be industrial in nature, 75% of projects to be climate neutral, and 50% of investment and job creation to take place outside the Barcelona metropolitan area. The plan will also support the goal of reaching 3,000 startups and scaleups, 25% of which will be deep-tech.