UK company Smith+Nephew opens new medical innovation center in Barcelona

British medical technology company Smith+Nephew officially inaugurated its new center of excellence and innovation this Thursday in Barcelona (Esplugues de Llobregat). The new Barcelona S+N Campus, located on the former Braun premises, spans approximately 2,000 square meters and will bring together around 100 employees, representing one-third of the company’s workforce in Spain.

The facility will house the company’s new Competence Center, offering training in the use of new technologies for surgical techniques and advanced treatments across various specialties.

“We have a firm commitment to local talent, scientific development, and the desire to continue making Catalonia a biomedical benchmark in Europe and the world”

Scott Schaffner, President of Sports Medicine at Smith+Nephew

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The event was attended by Jaume Baró, Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of Catalonia Trade & Investment, who participated in the inauguration of these new facilities, located within the biotechnology hub "Porta de Barcelona Innovation District." The new space will feature new resources, including a Digital Lab for training in precision and minimally invasive surgery using the latest robotic systems and surgical navigation technologies. It will also include both digital and physical simulators for surgical training using augmented and virtual reality.

Jaume Baró stated: “This new ‘Campus Barcelona’ gives new life to the former Braun facilities and strengthens Smith+Nephew’s presence in Catalonia, while helping to consolidate Barcelona and Catalonia as a benchmark location for the development of medical technologies.”

Scott Schaffner, Global President of Sports Medicine at Smith+Nephew, emphasized Catalonia’s role in the company’s long-term vision, stating: "Catalonia plays a key role in our present and our future. The opening of these new offices in Esplugues de Llobregat is not just an investment in infrastructure. It is a firm commitment to local talent, scientific development, and the desire to continue making this region a biomedical benchmark in Europe and the world. One of the great advances in recent years has been spatial image-assisted surgery: a cutting-edge technology that allows for more precise, less invasive procedures with better recovery times."

Antonio Gaznares, Vice President of Sports Medicine SOEUR (Southern Europe) and Country Lead for Spain and Portugal, added that the design and purpose of the new campus reflect the company’s long-term goals: "These new facilities are a clear declaration of intent. Designed to be modern, sustainable, and open, they aim to attract talent, foster collaboration, and strengthen ties with both our clients and the healthcare system. We believe that when science and technology serve people, they generate not only medical solutions but also well-being, trust, and hope."

Smith+Nephew's new facilities will also feature a new showroom, a 100-seat auditorium, and a recording studio for producing scientific audiovisual content with a global reach. The company also envisions the new facility as a meeting point for professionals from across Europe, facilitating knowledge exchange among clinical personnel, biotechnology engineers, and healthcare managers to foster idea generation and consensus-building, ultimately improving the healthcare system.

Smith+Nephew is a British company founded in 1856 and established in Spain since 1963. It develops technologies for the medical sector, with a particular focus on sports medicine, orthopedics, wound care, and ENT, among other specialties. With a presence in over 100 countries worldwide, the company employs 19,000 people globally.

Nearly 1,000 British subsidiaries are established in Catalonia

Smith+Nephew is one of the 955 subsidiaries of UK-based companies established in Catalonia, according to data from Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business competitiveness under the Ministry for Business and Labour. In the latest edition of the Directory of Foreign Subsidiaries Established in Catalonia 2024 (PDF), the United Kingdom ranks as the fourth-largest source country for foreign companies in the region, accounting for 10% of the total—behind only the United States (15%), France (14%), and Germany (12%).

Furthermore, according to calculations by Catalonia Trade & Investment based on fDi Markets data, British investment in Spain between 2020 and 2024 found Catalonia to be one of its main destinations. Specifically, Catalonia attracted 28% of all projects (63), 22% of the capital invested (€2.209 billion), and 34% of the jobs created (6,227) during this period.