The digital health sector is in full swing despite the slowdown in investment in the startup world. In Catalonia, there are 331 companies that are dedicated to the development of technologies linked to medicine, whether applications or artificial intelligence systems. This figure represents an increase of 24% compared to 2022, according to a report by Acció, the Generalitat's agency for business competitiveness, which it has prepared jointly with the Barcelona Health Hub association. The turnover of these companies stands at 592.5 million euros, 35% more, while total employment is 4,810 people, which represents an increase of 56% compared to the previous year.
This growth at a time of investment containment is due to the dynamism of Barcelona's ecosystem, which is not only made up of startups, but also a set of universities, hospitals and research centers of global prestige that in turn have attracted centers (or hubs). ) of large multinationals from abroad. Among the most notable examples are the digital centers of Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Oracle, Novartis, Roche or Sanofi, among others.
This commitment by multinationals has led Catalonia to be among the regions with the most investment received in the last five years. According to the report, which cites data from fDi Markets, Catalonia has been the fifth territory – after Ireland, Massachusetts, California and Ile de France (Paris) – with a total of 1,003 million obtained in 18 projects that have created a total of 1,943 jobs.
“The data reflect once again the central position of Catalonia as a reference territory in the field of health, also in its innovation and digitalization,” said Albert Castellanos, Secretary of Business and Competitiveness of the Generalitat.
From the Barcelona Health Hub, president Luis Badrinas and general director Eva Rosell have expressed satisfaction with the growth of the sector. The capacity of its facilities, in the modernist Sant Pau precinct, is complete, with 500 workers from more than 60 companies. The association is already working on expanding the space, although it regrets the slowness of the procedures and works as it is located in a complex listed by UNESCO. In parallel, the entity will organize the Health Revolution Congress event in May, which will bring together the main agents in the sector.
