Vienna is one of the leading Life Sciences locations in Europe. With 754 organizations that research, develop and produce in Vienna – including 646 companies, 19 research institutions and 89 other important organizations – the city is also home to more than half of the Austrian industry. The new Life Sciences Report now provides promising data: from 2020 to 2023, the annual turnover of the industry rose by 22 percent to 22.7 billion euros. 81 percent (18.4 billion euros) of this is due to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The industry also increased among the employees: the number of employees grew by 8 percent to over 49,000. Of these, 47 percent are active in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector, 22 percent in medical technology and 26 percent in research institutions.
“These results are a strong signal for the economy and confirm the Wiener Weg of the past 20 years, consistently on the expansion of the research site and specifically focus on strengthening the life sciences,” explains Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig. “Due to the development of medical innovations, the Life Sciences make a significant contribution to the well -being of people and thus to the high quality of life, for which Vienna is estimated internationally – and attracts top forces from all over the world.”
Vienna is a hotspot for life sciences and artificial intelligence
The Life Sciences industry in Vienna has been growing continuously for five years and is becoming increasingly diverse. Digital technologies, smart production and new therapy approaches shape the field – as well as the use of software and artificial intelligence, for example in diagnostics and medication development. The new cancer research center of the Boehringer Ingelheim pharmaceutical company is just one of many lighthouses. In addition, the industry was one of the top 5 of the new settlements in Vienna in 2024.
Dominic Weiss, Managing Director of the Vienna Economic Agency: “The Life Sciences are among the central innovation strikers in Vienna. With Aithyra, the new Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Biomedicine in the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the city has successfully established itself in international competition. This unique research institute is strengthening Vienna as a leading economic metropolis groundbreaking impulses for the medicine of the future. “
The Vienna Economic Agency has been offering advice, accompaniment and networking for the Life Sciences industry for more than 20 years together with Austria Economic Service via the Lisavienna Working Group. For this, a wide range of grants and support services is available – and research infrastructure: With the startup Labs in the Vienna Biocenter, the Vienna Economic Agency makes the first steps easier with laboratory requirements. More information at: www.wirtschaftsagentur.at
Innovation and production at the highest level
In addition to strong research institutions, the 20 most important pharmaceutical and medical device companies and a variety of SMEs and startups are also located in the Vienna area. The development of pioneering treatment methods for cancer and rare diseases, as well as vaccines, in-vitro diagnostics or digital health solutions play a major role in the city. The latest technologies are used. The spectrum ranges from organoids and the crispr method to advanced active ingredient lipid packaging and new 3D printing process.
Vienna is considered the global center in the manufacture of survival medication. Octapharma and Takeda prepare around 4 million liters of blood plasma annually in Vienna, which corresponds to around a fifth of the volume processed worldwide. 95 percent of the products generated are exported and serve the therapy of serious blood diseases. Recombinant peptides, complex proteins and nucleic acids for human and veterinary medicine are also manufactured- for example also at Boehringer Ingelheim, Biomay and MSD.
Well -trained specialists are the basis for success: over 34,000 students underpin the great interest in the Life Sciences as a career path. In 2023, the academic area recorded 8,800 publications in the Life Sciences – evidence of the high quality of the research location.
Life sciences company of world rank-votes to the location
Companies with Wiener roots are able to launch directional diagnostic solutions. An example of this is MADX – Macro Array Diagnostics GmbH. Founded in 2016, the company today contributes to relieving the health system with its revolutionary allergy test in more than 90 countries. CEO Christian Harwanegg explains: “Madx helps doctors to understand allergies down to the smallest detail. This means that the therapy can be tuned even more precisely to the affected patients.”
The Octapharma group develops and produces high -quality medicinal products in Vienna. Barbara Rangetiner, Managing Director Octapharma Pharmaceuticals Produktionges.mbh: “Vienna is a central location for pharmaceutical research and production – especially in the field of blood plas -mased therapies. To ensure long -term availability of vital treatments for patients, targeted innovation promotion and close cooperation between science, industry and politics. Prefer medical progress, increase the international competitiveness of the city and strengthen health systems sustainably – for the benefit of the patient and society as a whole. “
The Vienna Life Sciences startup Contextflow supports radiologists with AI-based detection of lung cancer, interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and chronically obstructive lung disease (COPD). Markus Holzer, CEO & Co-Founder, ContextFlow GmbH: “As a spin-off of the MedUni Vienna, the roots of our comprehensive analysis software for chorax-CTs are in beautiful Vienna and in the people who live and work here. Important for the development of our company, support from the innovation incubation center of the Vienna University of Technology and other partners who believed from the start.”
Ottobock, one of the largest medical technology companies in Vienna, produces products worth around 200 million euros annually in the city to support people worldwide in their mobility. Andreas Eichler, Managing Director of Wiener Ottobock Healthcare Products GmbH and Global Head of Market Intelligence & Innovation Management, emphasizes: “For our research work in medical technology, Vienna represents the ideal location. The high quality of life and well -developed infrastructure with several renowned universities enable us to win highly qualified specialists. Innovative aids and new technologies to enable our users a more self -determined life. “
Heartbeat.bio AG develops new active ingredients against heart failure with cardiac organ and AI. Michael Krebs, co-founder and managing director: “Top research in Vienna provides innovations: the IMBA-Spin-Off Heartbeat.Bio uses mini-hearts from stem cells to model diseases and to develop new active ingredients against different forms of heart failure with the help of AI and automation. Our international team appreciates the high quality of life in Vienna and the broad support for start-up projects.”
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Further information and company quotes can be found on www.LISAvienna.at.
The new Vienna Life Sciences Report 2024/25 will be available in the coming weeks www.LISAvienna.at | www.wirtschaftsagentur.at | vienna.business provided for download.