The new headquarters of the Barcelona Global Hub of AstraZeneca is now a reality. This Monday, the new Estel building was officially inaugurated, opening a new phase of the company's contribution to life sciences innovation in Barcelona. The main mission of the hub is to accelerate the development of new treatments through revolutionary technologies to "achieve going beyond traditional research".
Through this method, the company aims to accelerate the development of new therapies to improve the lives of patients worldwide and contribute to the launch of 20 new medicines before 2030 in key areas such as oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, respiratory and immunological diseases, as well as rare diseases, vaccines and immunotherapies. Since 2023, the British company has already launched up to 387 R&D projects and more than 190 clinical trials in the Barcelona hub.
The scientific innovation of the hub is mainly supported by digitalization. Currently, there are already more than 35 projects that incorporate artificial intelligence and advanced data science systems. In addition, it has a team of experts in digital health that supports clinical development through actions such as patient recruitment, remote monitoring or data analysis. These technologies employed by AstraZeneca have made it an essential lever for biomedical research on an international scale, reinforcing the positioning of Barcelona and Catalonia as strategic enclaves within the scientific research sector in Europe.
In fact, since the arrival of the hub in Barcelona, AstraZeneca has already become the main driver of the Catalan life sciences ecosystem, with a sustained impact on the generation of highly qualified employment and on attracting talent and investment. In 2024 alone, AstraZeneca allocated 257.6 million euros and carried out 540 hirings in Catalonia.
Currently, more than 300 projects are being developed in the hub, but the company has presented three. One of them is being developed by the subsidiary Evinova, which, through artificial intelligence, is working to redefine the formulation of drugs. Specifically, they are working to improve patient participation in different clinical trials through a digital environment that facilitates their involvement.
On the other hand, the company has also located in Barcelona a European project to find new treatments for cardiovascular diseases through AI and new technologies. In total, this project has received funding of 17 million euros, 15 of which come from the European Union, with an impact in 15 countries and the collaboration of 15 partners. Finally, from Barcelona, work is also being done to improve the cycle of drug discovery through AI. Specifically, AstraZeneca assures that thanks to new technologies they can reduce the cycle by 30% and improve the design and manufacture of the final treatments.
Commitment to Barcelona, yes, but commitments are needed
In addition, the CEO of the company in Spain, Rick Suárez, demonstrated to those present at the inauguration AstraZeneca's confidence in Barcelona by announcing that they recently also occupied the fifth floor of the building to continue growing. In total, the company will occupy 8 of the 14 floors of the building, which represents a total area of 30,000 square meters.
Despite the celebratory tone, the executive also urged the authorities present to work to generate a prosperous environment for competitiveness and investment in health. "Barcelona is a consolidated power, but to be leaders in the sector we must continue investing in new medicines and ensure that everyone can access them," Suárez concluded. In this regard, the executive asked the administrations for "agility, stability and a long-term vision."
The gauntlet was picked up by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, who announced an increase in the research budget for the coming years in Catalonia. Specifically, Illa announced an investment of up to 2,000 million euros destined for innovation in the country over the next five years. This would mean about 400 million euros more each year until 2030. "We are an undisputed benchmark in innovation," Illa assured, recalling that Catalonia decided years ago that science would be its method of growth and prosperity.
For her part, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, highlighted that the launch of AstraZeneca's hub generates a "win-win-win" in which both patients and the public and private sectors win. In addition, she thanked the company for its commitment to Barcelona as one of the "engines of innovation in Europe."
Finally, the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, also wanted to highlight the scientific advances that will be carried out from now on in AstraZeneca's hub, since thanks to the public health system it will be guaranteed that they reach all the people who need them. Beyond the scientific comments, the mayor also announced that new pacification works on Avenida de Roma will begin next year, which will go from the Estel building to Sants station, turning it into a new green area for the city.