Almirall, S.A. (BME: ALM), a Barcelona-headquartered pharmaceutical company focused on medical dermatology, has announced an expanded collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC – CNS) through a new strategic framework agreement designed to apply artificial intelligence and high-performance computing to the discovery of treatments for skin diseases. The agreement deepens a pre-existing R&D relationship between the two institutions and formalizes Almirall’s entry into BSC’s “BSC Connects” public-private collaboration program. No specific drug candidates, molecular targets, or modalities are named in the agreement. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The collaboration is structured around capability access rather than asset co-development. Under the framework, Almirall will gain access to BSC’s supercomputing infrastructure — including MareNostrum 5, described as one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe — alongside BSC’s expertise in AI and high-performance computing. Research areas identified in the announcement span genomics, digital twin modeling, and computational drug design, with all activity directed toward dermatological indications. The “BSC Connects” program, through which the agreement is formally structured, provides participating industry partners with personalized training, co-development support, and access to European scientific networks throughout 2026.
The agreement represents an expansion of prior joint R&D projects between the two organizations, both headquartered in Barcelona. In 2023, Almirall partnered with BSC and Nostrum Biodiscovery for to improve the design of protein-protein modulators through Artificial Intelligence to identify new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of skin diseases.
BSC is a publicly funded consortium supported by Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Generalitat de Catalunya’s Department of Research and Universities, and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Its mandate covers both supercomputing infrastructure provision and knowledge transfer to industry and society. Almirall reported total revenue of EUR 1,114.5 million in 2025 and employs more than 2,100 people globally.