Barcelona Global's recipe for the health sector: a 100 million fund and training for executives

Barcelona's hospitals and research centers are benchmarks, as is the entire business ecosystem around them, but there is always work to be done. More so in a sector like health, which is growing very rapidly, even more so after the pandemic, and which requires large investments in complex infrastructures to remain cutting-edge. Always, with the aim of accelerating the transfer of knowledge into solutions for patients and improving their health. Given this scenario, Barcelona Global has put a hundred professionals and executives from health sector companies -biomedical and pharmaceutical, healthcare centers and research institutes- to work for a year to detect weaknesses and propose solutions for an ecosystem that generates 42,000 million euros and employs 264,000 workers.

"Barcelona has all the necessary ingredients to consolidate itself as a leading city in the life sciences sector, but this capacity could be threatened," the private association points out.

The battery of proposals is headed by the creation of a public-private capital fund, endowed with between 50 and 100 million euros, to finance early-stage projects with high risk, as is the case with most innovative drugs and therapies, with many research phases and regulations to overcome and a long maturation process before their arrival on the market. Given the rapid growth of the sector and the urgency for more laboratories, the association advocates streamlining administrative processes, a demand shared by many other sectors, and the creation of an infrastructure map to improve planning.

With more than 1,400 companies, 90 research centers, and 70 investors, the health ecosystem faces the challenge of cooperating more and streamlining processes. For Barcelona Global, the development of a centralized data platform is necessary, as well as establishing data exchange protocols and promoting regulatory reforms to simplify collaboration.

The lobby, led by Mercè Conesa and chaired by Ramon Ajenjo, also advocates for launching specialized training for executives, as well as postgraduate and master's degrees for students, combining biomedicine with technology, with an eye on attracting new talent. Finally, it advocates for promoting a network of ambassadors with professionals from the sector, whether doctors, researchers, or investors, to project Barcelona's leadership in health worldwide.

The Barcelona Global working team has been coordinated by the CEO and founder of Asabys, Josep Lluís Sanfeliu. Some of the professionals who have participated include the CEO of Peptomyc, Laura Soucek, the CEO of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Eduard Vallory, IESE professor, Núria Mas, the CEO of Reig Jofre, Ignasi Biosca-Reig, the president of Teladoc Health, Carles Nueno, the director of the Vall d'Hebron Hospital Oncology Institute, Josep Tabernero, and the professor of Economics at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Andreu Mas-Colell.