Austria accelerates Life Sciences from lab to global market

Austria is emerging as one of Europe's most dynamic life sciences hubs. Backed by funding like the Austrian Life Sciences Programme and a connected ecosystem, companies like Boehringer Ingelheim or MSD are driving global success.

Austria's Federal Government has embedded life sciences as a cornerstone of future economic development. The sector is a key priority within Austria’s Industrial Strategy 2035Industrial Strategy 2035 (), which identifies life sciences as one of the country’s most important future technologies. Entrepreneurial activity is particularly strong: according to the Austrian Startup Monitor 2025 14.4 percent of all Austrian startups operate in life sciences.

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Life Sciences Action Plan and a national ecosystem driving innovation

To further strengthen the sector, Austrian Economy Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer has announced developing a dedicated Life Sciences Action Plan. It translates this vision into concrete funding instruments and measures, giving the pharmaceutical sector the planning security they need and intends to help life science startups scale faster.

At the heart of the ecosystem is LISA – Life Science AustriaLISA – Life Science Austria (), which connects regional clusters. Through organizations such as LISAvienna, Human.technology Styria or Health Hub Tirol, companies gain access to research institutions, hospitals, investors, and international partners to accelerate knowledge transfer and market access.

Strong funding initiatives and research infrastructure

Austria continues to expand support for life sciences innovation. The Austrian Life Sciences ProgrammeAustrian Life Sciences Programme () 2024 - 2026, run by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), provides up to three million euros per project in areas including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, and enabling technologies, backed by a total funding budget of €45 million from the Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy, and Tourism (BMWET) as part of the Transformation Initiative.

Additional momentum comes from Digital Health AustriaDigital Health Austria (), launched by FFG, Austria Wirtschafts­service (aws), and Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG), which adds €13 million to support digital health innovations and encourages international collaboration.

Austria is also enhancing its attractiveness for global clinical research through Clinical Trials Austria (CTA). The LBG secured 6.5 million euros from the Fonds Zukunft Österreich (FZÖ) to launch this nationwide platform, that streamlines study processes, improves patient recruitment, and connects sponsors with specialized trial centers. Additionally, LGB is launching a new call for proposalscall for proposals () for clinical research groups in the field of women’s health and gender medicine. Funding will be provided for clinical research, which focuses on concrete improvements in the treatment and care of female patients.

Meanwhile, the Medical University of Vienna (MedUni Vienna) is expanding its research capacity through the new Eric Kandel Institute – Center for Precision Medicine and the Center for Trans­lational Medicine, which will officially open on 1 October.

Success stories from Austria: Startups to global players

Austria's innovation ecosystem is producing internationally recognized success stories. KetryxKetryx (), which develops AI-powered compliance software for medical technology companies, raised $55 million in Series A and Series B financing and now serves several of the world's leading medical device manufacturers. Vienna-based Epitome TherapeuticsEpitome Therapeutics () recently secured €4 million in funding to advance its epigenome-editing platform for rare and metabolic diseases.

At the same time, global pharmaceutical companies continue to invest heavily in Austria: Beyond its research and manufacturing investments, Boehringer IngelheimBoehringer Ingelheim () is investing more than €100 million in a new office and administration building in Vienna. Once completed in 2027, the project will consolidate teams currently spread across several locations and create additional capacity for future research and production expansion.

And MSDMSD () is further expanding its advanced animal vaccine production operations in Krems. With around 950 employees across Vienna and Krems, Austria plays an important role in the company's global life sciences network. 

Another example is Bristol Myers Squibb, which has relied on Austria as a strategic location for clinical research since 1971. From its Vienna headquarters, the global biopharmaceutical company coordinates an extensive research network and currently conducts nearly 50 clinical trials at up to 24 trial sites across the country, accelerating access to innovative therapies in oncology, cardiology, and neuroscience. With around 110 employees in Austria, the company highlights the country's importance as a hub for clinical development and medical innovation in Europe.

Connecting in Austria: Events and partnerships

Several major industry events provide opportunities to engage with Austria's thriving ecosystem, including Biotech Summit Austria Biotech Summit Austria ()in Innsbruck (October 13 - 14, 2026), the LISAvienna Regulatory Affairs ConferenceRegulatory Affairs Conference () (October 15, 2026) for Medical Devices and In-vitro Diagnostics at Schloss Schönbrunn, BIO-Europe, BIO-Europe () (November 9 - 11, 2026, Cologne) and MEDICAMEDICA () (November 16 - 19, 2026, Düsseldorf). 

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