Growing hub • Chapter summary

At the beginning of 2019, Spain surpassed Italy to become the healthiest country in the world according to the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index. By 2040, the UN forecasts that it will also overtake Japan as the country with the highest life expectancy. A significant part of this can be attributed to its strong public health system. In this chapter we interviewed an array of companies including hospitals, pharmaceuticals as well as newer actors in the field, including biotech companies that are contributing greatly to innovation in the sector.

A significant trend that was constantly highlighted to us in the interviews was that much of the new discovery and research in the field was being undertaken by new actors, like those in the biotech sector. As new technologies continue to develop and big data’s applications explode, the health industry is on the path to change. Perhaps the most significant transformation, both in Spain and globally, will be the move toward a results-based business model and more personalized care. Inevitably, this will be accelerated by the growth in the wellness sector that is pushing individuals toward prevention before treatment.

In terms of higher education, Spain has a good reputation, particularly for post-graduate studies. In terms of business schools, they are leading compared to other European states: Barcelona is the only European city with two business schools ranked in the top eight in Europe, ESADE and IESE. Testament to their success is the number of international students flocking to the country to receive degrees. In 2018, Spain attracted a record number of 56,951 international students, according to the Ministry of Labour’s figures.

We interviewed an array of public and private universities for this chapter and found that the primary trend in education was the move to accommodate life-long learning, which is facilitated by the digitalization of many course materials. The rector of the Universidad de Vic described this as a move toward a student-oriented model that trains students to be learners rather than specialized in their specific subject of study. As industry requires more flexibility in the long term, a change of this approach and a promotion of interdisciplinary study is essential. As a result, many universities are now collaborating with the private sector to bridge the gap between their output and the demands of industry.

Both the health and education sectors are linked by their growth in terms of research output that is currently experiencing a moment of great strength throughout the nation. Barcelona, in particular, is a region that is growing in its reputation for being a research hub. However, in order to create the conditions for continued success, many companies we interviewed cited the importance of the public sector in supporting such initiatives. ✖