From juicers and hand blenders to systems that simplify and speed up the diagnosis of multiple illnesses through PCR technology. The German multinational Qiagen has announced this Thursday an investment of 13 million to “turn Esplugues de Llobregat into our global center for the development against infectious diseases,” in the words of its CEO, Thierry Bernard. They will do it in the facilities of the former Braun factory, which has been closed since 2008.
With 8,000 square meters, the facility will begin operating in 2026 with laboratories, a production factory, development workshops, employee services, and offices. Currently, Qiagen has 230 employees in Barcelona and expects to grow to 400 with the boost from the new facilities in Esplugues, which is rewarded with this investment for its strategy to establish itself as a reference in the healthcare field that it has been building for years.
Idyll with Barcelona after buying a startup company
The idyll of this firm with the metropolitan area was born in Barcelona, specifically at the Parc Científic. There, they met an emerging company born in 2010 called Stat-Diagnostica, which they bought in 2018 for 154 million euros.
In the facilities of the Catalan capital, they developed a system that was key during the pandemic. It is a cartridge that, together with a machine, simplifies and speeds up tests using PCR technology. They are used for Covid, but also for many other diseases. “With one sample, we can detect 20 pathogens in an hour, it's a revolution that was born in Barcelona,” Bernard has stated.
Interior of the new Qiagen facilities in Esplugues de Llobregat
“We need to grow, to have more space,” acknowledged Àlex Boada, the head of Qiagen in Barcelona. “When we saw the space, it seemed perfect to us. It will give us more comfort and allow us to attract talent,” he added. The goal is to reach a turnover of 200 million euros in Barcelona, twice the current amount."
“We need to prepare for the next pandemic,” said Climent Casals, president of the Catalan Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology and head of the Microbiology Department at Hospital Clínic in Barcelona. “It is always good to have investment in Barcelona, and it is very important that it be in infectious diseases,” he added.
Image of the old facilities in the mid-20th century
The real estate developer Conren Tramway acquired the plot in 2022 and carried out a comprehensive renovation of the space, preserving the most historical sites of the former Braun while dispensing with others. But above all, it adapted the space to accommodate activities such as Qiagen's. In fact, the British company Smith Nephew, also dedicated to medical biotechnology, is already operating there.
“The arrival of Qiagen is strategic as a leading company that can attract more businesses,” emphasized the mayor of Esplugues de Llobregat, Eduard Sanz. They have been working there for some time to become a biomedical hub in collaboration with the Sant Joan de Déu hospital, and they hope that the arrival of the Clínic on Diagonal Avenue will boost their efforts. This strategy is a joint effort with l'Hospitalet de Llobregat.
Esplugues has been working for years to become a reference in the field of health
In the case of the former Braun factory, it is located in a highly enclosed area close to the new Montesa neighborhood. In order to allow for industrial reconversion without losing land in this area, a planning change was promoted in 2019 that “took two years of work with the Generalitat.”
“We have been adapting to the needs of citizens and the economy. Esplugues is already a new metropolitan hub,” summarized Sanz, evoking the evolution from factories like Braun or Corberó to health companies like Qiagen. This land had the fertilizer for it, such as the pharmaceutical company Salvat.
