The Tech Barcelona association has inaugurated today Pier 07, a technological center specialized in health and life sciences. The space, located in a historic building on Via Laietana, aims to host different agents in the sector: startups, large companies, investors, hospitals and universities.
The inaugural event was a demonstration of the strength of the ecosystem. In a room full to overflowing, Manel Balcells, Minister of Health, were present; Albert Castellanos, Secretary of Business and Competitiveness; Lluís Juncà, general director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Xavier Aldeguer, director general of the Society of Knowledge, Transfer and Territory; Miguel Vicente, president of Tech Barcelona and Miquel Martí, general manager of Tech Barcelona. In addition, representatives of civil and business society also attended.
The new center has a capacity to accommodate 500 people spread over 5 floors that add up to a total of 6,000 m². At the moment, one floor is already rented to the Asabys investment fund and another is designed to become a coworking for entrepreneurs. In addition, the Trifermed company has just established itself in the center.
The building, which was previously the headquarters of the Department of Digital Policies of the Generalitat, is owned by the developer Núñez y Navarro, which has invested around 7 million euros in its rehabilitation. The company rents the space to Tech Barcelona, ??which at the same time re-rents it to the final tenants.
Tech Barcelona has launched this center with the support of Action, the agency for the competitiveness of the Generalitat’s company, the Vall d’Hebrón Research Institute (VHIR), the Southern Metropolitan Territorial Management of the ICS (Hospital of Bellvitge), Sant Joan de Déu hospital and pharmaceutical companies such as Ferrer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Uriach, Vifor Pharma.
Pier 07 is part of the Urban Tech Campus network, led by the Tech Barcelona association with the aim of creating a network of innovative centers throughout the city. At the moment, Pier 01, which is the headquarters, and Pier 03, specialized in blockchain, are in operation. This year, the association also plans to launch the Pier 05 finance hub in the historic building of the Barcelona Stock Exchange.