The Government of Catalonia in Spain has signed a binding agreement with multiple stakeholders for building Hospital Clínic de Barcelona’s new health campus.
Other stakeholders involved in the agreement include the University of Barcelona (UB); Hospital Clínic de Barcelona; the city councils of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Esplugues de Llobregat, as well as the Diputació de Barcelona.
As part of this agreement, all stakeholders will establish a collaborative framework to facilitate the urban development for building the university hospital’s new campus.
This initiative will extend Hospital Clínic’s facilities and relocate the UB's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, to enhance the institution's health, university, scientific, and technological excellence.
The latest agreement also underscores a commitment to sustainability, considering environmental, economic, and social factors.
Local administrations and the Government of Catalonia will support the project by promoting urban planning measures and improving transport and accessibility.
The new campus will allow the hospital to continue operating its current facilities across various sites, catering to the emerging needs of the local population.
The hospital's existing location in the Eixample neighbourhood will retain its healthcare, teaching, research, and innovation services, alongside new municipal facilities and public spaces.
Initial discussions for the new complex began in February 2021, with a report in late 2021 proposing the UB's sports courts as the project's location.
Following further protocols and evaluations, the institutions have now confirmed the site's suitability and viability for the future Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.
UB rector Joan Guàrdia said: “Undoubtedly, this is the most important strategic healthcare, teaching and research project for the future of our country.
“And it is so because one of the leading hospitals in Spain, the Hospital Clínic, and the best university in Spain, the UB, whose Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is ranked among the top 50 in Europe, are sealing and strengthening their historic alliance to promote one of the most powerful health campuses in the south of the continent.”
