Catalonia is the 7th global hub in clinical trials
Studies with Catalan participation grew by 7.5% compared to the previous year, above the 1.9% state average
BarcelonaCatalonia is one of the territories with the most clinical trials active in the world. In 2025 it participated in 5,768 studies, which catapulted it to seventh place in the world ranking, according to the BioRegion of Catalonia Report. The United States, with 38,218 trials underway, and China, with 17,321, led the list of countries.
Spain took sixth place, thanks to 6,276 of the studies underway, 92% of which involved Catalan participation. In fact, the Catalan ecosystem was present in more trials than the United Kingdom, which on paper occupied seventh place with 5,524 studies underway. It also moved ahead of Germany (which occupied eighth place with 5,238 trials); Turkey (in ninth place, with 4,819 trials), and Holland (tenth, with 3,366).
The volume of studies with Catalan participation grew by 7.5% compared to the previous year, above the 1.9% increase for the state as a whole. China continued to close the gap with the US thanks to the 10.2% advance of the Asian giant, while the Americans registered a decrease of 2.1%.
The Report of the BioRegion of Catalonia points out "the strength of the healthcare system and public-private collaboration" as the "pillars of this competitiveness": while industrial activity accounted for 75% of the trials, the remaining 25% were driven by academic institutions, hospitals, and other scientific societies. The authors of the report have predicted that Catalan power will grow this year with the launch of the European fast-track procedure (fast-track europeu (FAST-EU).
Oncology is the main driver
Biocat highlights the "growing diversification" of clinical trials in Catalonia, where oncology continues to be the main driver of research. In 2025, it had 1,667 active studies in this field, making it the 6th territory in Europe with the most activity. There were significant increases in dermatology, by 20.3%; metabolic diseases, by 8.9%; and the nervous system, by 3.6%.
Likewise, the report also highlights the "maturity of the Catalan ecosystem," where 45% of active trials are in phase III, 33% in phase II, 20% in phase I, and 2% in phase IV. Among the main commercial drivers are multinationals such as AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Roche, Sanofi, Amgen, Bager, and Pfizer, while the non-commercial sector is led by hospitals and institutes such as Clínic, Vall d'Hebron, Sant Pau, Bellvitge, Hospital del Mar, and Sant Joan de Déu.