Barcelona continues to attract exciting new investments
Barcelona has consolidated itself as a thriving tech hub. Proof of this is the increasing number of multinational companies that have been invested in our city over the last years. 2022 was undoubtedly a year of great success for the Barcelona region. According to data from ACCIÓ, the region attracted €6,428 million in foreign investment, a 50% increase over the previous year, a total of 229 investment projects were announced which will create 19,500 jobs.
2023 started with positive signs in terms of investment. So far this year, international innovative companies such as AstraZeneca, FunPlus, Fujitsu, Berry Global, Rovio, Lufthansa, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Infinity Ward, Panattoni among others, have chosen Barcelona to establish their hub for research and innovation and increased their operations locally.
AstraZeneca has chosen Barcelona to build a large R&D hub of reference in Europe to develop new therapies.
This project means the creation of 1,000 specialised jobs in research and development and an investment around 800 million euro.
This new European Hub will be presented today in Barcelona at an event with the President of the Government of Catalonia and president of Biocat, Pere Aragonès; the Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, and the president of AstraZeneca in Spain, Rick Suárez.
This large R&D hub will become AstraZeneca’s biggest investment in Spain. The company has chosen Barcelona for its leadership as a leading health hub, since the region ranks 6th in Europe in number of clinical trials and 8th in the world. The region is participating in over 1,200 active clinical trials to test new therapies and drugs in patients.
Lufthansa opens first southern European hub in Barcelona
Lufthansa Group, the largest airline group in Europe, will open its first southern European digital hub in Barcelona.
The centre will start operating in the coming months with the support of the Catalan service company Quantion and will employ 300 workers who will develop solutions to enhance the flight experience for passengers.
It will become the second largest Lufthansa innovation centre in Europe, only behind the hub that the group has located in Poland.
Call of Duty creator Infinity Ward chooses Barcelona as hub for European expansion
Call of Duty creator, Infinity Ward, has chosen Barcelona as its hub for European expansion. With this new win for the city, Barcelona has solidified its position as a gaming powerhouse. The expansion will serve as a base for the studio to strengthen its presence in the European market and engage with a wider audience of players and developers.
Home to a passionate community of gamers, Barcelona provides an ideal environment for Infinity Ward’s expansion plans. The city is home to numerous game studios, tech startups, and world-class gaming events. Its supportive infrastructure, including top-tier universities offering game development programs, provides a nurturing environment for creativity and talent to flourish. By tapping into the city’s diverse talent pool, the studio will undoubtedly benefit from fresh perspectives and creative minds.
Roche invests €51 million in its Campus in Barcelona and strengthens its commitment to the city
Roche, a pioneering Swiss multinational in biotechnology and healthcare, is advancing as a global leader in the research and development of innovative digital solutions with the inauguration of its new facilities at the Barcelona Campus in Sant Cugat del Vallès. Celebrating 90 years in Spain and Barcelona in particular, Roche is reinforcing its commitment to talent and promoting new models of collaboration in research, bringing together more than 1,300 employees of more than 30 different nationalities and scientific and technological profiles from Roche Diabetes Care and Roche Diagnostics.
The multinational pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim continues its commitment to Barcelona
Boehringer Ingelheim established a technological hub in Barcelona (Sant Cugat del Vallès) 10 years ago, from which it provides global services. This hub employs 300 professionals from 27 nationalities and expects to increase its workforce by 10% this year.
Today, the hub is the most important IT unit of the company after the centre in Ingelheim am Rhein, the group’s headquarters, and the one in the United States, with Barcelona representing 60% of the IT staff.
Universities and technology centres in Catalonia regularly collaborate with the company on talent learning and retention programs, as well as delivering talks to students on cutting-edge topics related to innovation.
This is yet another example of how Barcelona is positioning itself as a leading city in technology and innovation.
Berry Global will open a new global Centre of Excellence and Circular Innovation in Barcelona
Berry Global, a leader in the design and production of innovative, sustainable packaging solutions has chosen Barcelona to open a new global Centre of Excellence.
The new centre will be dedicated to nurturing innovation in product design that aligns with customers’ sustainability objectives. This new project will generate new job opportunities by employing talent across Barcelona, one of Europe’s most culturally diverse cities.
At Barcelona & Partners, it was a pleasure to have engaged in conversations with Berry Global and provided support to the expansion process.
Panattoni to invest 300 million euros to build what will become the largest Data Center in Catalonia
North American company Panattoni, one of the world’s largest real estate developers from America, will invest 300 million euros to build the largest Data Centre in the Barcelona region.
The centre, which will be led by Quark, will offer unbeatable connectivity and ensure immediate power availability and state-of-the-art facilities.
This new investment confirms the position of Barcelona as a privileged location for Data Centres in Europe as well as a European leading hub for innovation.
Fujitsu sets up a new cybersecurity centre in Barcelona
This new cybersecurity centre in Barcelona will be specialised in health, with the aim of strengthening its cybersecurity business in Spain. The new excellence centre will collaborate with public and private healthcare centres across the country and will later start working with startups and universities in the hopes of facilitating technology transfer.
Angry Birds video game developer chooses Barcelona to open its first studio in Southern Europe
Angry Birds studio Rovio is set to open a new office in Barcelona, Spain, to work on some of its existing titles. The studio will work in tandem with the firm’s HQ in Finland, and will provide development support for games including Angry Birds Friends and Dream Blast.
In an announcement, Rovio called Barcelona «a bustling hub of mobile gaming talent,» but did not disclose an exact location for the new space.
At Barcelona&Partners we are working to continue attracting investment and digital talent to Barcelona, would you like to know more?
