The health sector employs 40,280 people across L'Hospitalet and the Baix Llobregat region, representing 13% of the employed population in the area and solidifying its role as a key economic driver. According to the latest report by the Llobregat Business Forum and the Business Association of L'Hospitalet and Baix Llobregat (AEBALL), the territory hosts 817 health-related companies, 10% of all such businesses in Catalonia.
Healthcare activities including hospitals, medical, and dental services account for the majority of employment and firms, with 715 companies and 33,205 workers. Pharmaceutical manufacturing follows as the second-largest employer in the sector, providing 3,825 jobs, while research and development engages over 3,800 professionals. Veterinary services rank second in number of companies, with 92 registered.
A Biomedical Hub in Development
The region's growing biomedical ecosystem is anchored by institutions including Bellvitge University Hospital (HUB), the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), and the University of Barcelona. These entities are central to the BioCluster project, promoted by the city councils of L'Hospitalet and Esplugues de Llobregat, with support from the Catalan and Spanish governments.
We must attract international companies that are already looking to be close to research centers, no matter what.
Santiago Ballesté, president of AEBALL, stressed the need to draw global investment during a recent Health Innovation Day event at Hotel Porta Fira Santos, noting that social and training policies must ensure local communities benefit alongside investors.
Urban Transformation to Support Growth
A key enabler of expansion is the approved Pla director urbanístic Biopol–Granvia, which includes plans to bury the southern section of Granvia in L'Hospitalet. This €144 million infrastructure project will free up more than 500,000 square metres for economic use, paving the way for new biomedical facilities.
The Generalitat formally backed the initiative in April 2024, aiming to position L'Hospitalet as a leading biomedical hub in Southern Europe. Projections suggest the BioCluster linked to L'Hospitalet could generate €7 billion in turnover and support 48,200 direct and indirect jobs.
In addition, Greenvia Labs, a biomedical business incubator at the Bellvitge Health Campus, is set to launch in early 2027. Led by IDIBELL as scientific partner and the Fornesa & Sala Group as developer, it will be managed by Cosymbio Labs and aims to strengthen ties between public research and private enterprise.
Primary sources: govern.cat. Reported by barcelonaandpartners.com, idibell.cat, viaempresa.cat, lapremsadelbaix.es, metropoliabierta.elespanol.com, Josep Maria Casas, Jordi Serra Martínez, El Llobregat, EP, El Periódico Barcelona.
