The consortium that will make the UB Clínic Health Campus a reality is formed
Today, Monday 12 January, the Porta Diagonal - Campus Clínic Consortium was formally established at a ceremony held at the Palau de la Generalitat and presided over by the President, Salvador Illa. The University of Barcelona is one of the main institutions behind this consortium, which is responsible for coordinating the UB Clínic Health Campus project.
Today, Monday 12 January, the Porta Diagonal - Campus Clínic Consortium was formally established at a ceremony held at the Palau de la Generalitat and presided over by the President, Salvador Illa. The University of Barcelona is one of the main institutions behind this consortium, which is responsible for coordinating the UB Clínic Health Campus project.
The consortium’s aim will be to lead and implement the necessary actions to bring about a strategic project, which will position Catalonia as a leader in Europe in the field of health, in terms of healthcare and teaching and research. In addition to the new Hospital Clínic, the campus will include the UB’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and various healthcare, scientific and research facilities.
“This is a historic moment: there is a decisive commitment to creating a biosanitary hub that will be a benchmark in Europe. The UB-Clínic model is unique. It is a historic and solid partnership that now looks to the future through this project, a project located close to Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, Bellvitge Hospital, the Barcelona Science Park and the leading research centres in the region. The campus is the definitive driving force behind the virtuous triangle of hospital care, research and university teaching,” said the rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia.
A new era for UB Sports
The establishment of the consortium has two major implications for the University, the first of which is the transfer of the land on which the UB Sports Centre is located, as this will be the site of the UB Clínic Health Campus. According to the agreement reached with the Government of Catalonia, the University will be able to continue using this land, which has been acquired by the Government, until 2030, when construction is expected to begin.
Furthermore, the funds obtained from this transfer, plus a supplement granted by the Government of Catalonia, will enable the construction of a new building for the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences. It will be located near this new campus, with which it will have a direct relationship.
UB Sports is already working on a strategic plan to promote sports at the University once it no longer manages the sports facilities. The plan will focus on the university community, encouraging more UB members to take part in sports at facilities closer to all campuses and in the city.
An architectural and urban planning challenge
One of the highlights of the consortium’s 2026 Action Plan is the international design competition for the new campus, which will be launched in July, six months ahead of schedule. The basis for this competition is the Functional and Spatial Plan, which is being developed by Hospital Clínic and the UB with the participation of members of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Faculty of Nursing, and cross-disciplinary services at the University.
The aim of the competition is to attract the world’s leading architecture professionals to design the architectural and urban planning project for the future campus, coinciding with the year in which Barcelona will be the World Capital of Architecture. When drafting the competition rules, proposals developed in the Master’s Degree in Hospital Architecture at Hospital Clínic, the UB and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya will be taken into account.
At the same time, work continues on the Urban Master Plan (PDU), which is based on preliminary studies carried out by Barcelona Regional on behalf of the local councils involved, Barcelona Provincial Council and the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB). The campus will bring together healthcare, teaching and research in a single 300,000-square-metre space, with the aim of positioning Barcelona among the leading biomedical hubs in Europe and the world.
During the second half of 2028, works will also begin on extending metro line L3 from Zona Universitària to Esplugues Centre, to provide coverage for the new campus around Avinguda Diagonal.
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