Europe’s Life Science Strategy: Strengthening Health Industries and their Workforces

The European Commission has launched a new Strategy for European Life Sciences, aiming to position the EU as the world's most attractive hub for life sciences by 2030. With healthcare and biotechnology playing a critical role in population well-being and economic resilience, the strategy outlines bold steps to drive innovation, tackle structural barriers, and equip Europe’s workforce and life science companies for the future.

‍

A Strategic Priority for Europe’s Future

Europe’s life sciences sector is one of the continent's most vital industries, both economically and socially. It employs around 29 million people and includes some of the world’s leading companies in health-related research and innovation.

The sector contributes to:

• Accelerating medical innovations for disease prevention and treatment,

• Personalising healthcare through data and genomics,

• Strengthening health systems via digitalisation, AI, and advanced diagnostics.

Currently, Europe hosts 15% of the world’s top life sciences firms in terms of R&I investment. Employment in biotechnology is growing six times faster than the overall EU economy.

‍

Barriers to Innovation and Competitiveness

Despite its strengths, Europe is facing major structural challenges in turning scientific research into market-ready solutions. The EU is losing ground to global competitors such as the USA and China, particularly in biotech patenting and innovation scale-up.

‍

Key challenges include:

• Fragmented value chains and regulatory complexity,

• Limited venture capital and financing options for startups,

• Difficulty scaling innovative companies within the EU market.

These issues pose a risk to Europe’s competitiveness in critical areas such as medical devices, clinical research, and biotechnology.

‍

EU Policy Response: Strengthening Innovation and Scale-Up

To address these challenges, the European Commission plans to:

• Promote cross-border collaboration between EU biotech clusters,

• Support startup growth and scale-up efforts,

• Encourage the development of low-carbon medical technologies,

• Invest in early-warning and disease prevention tools.

As the strategy highlights:

“It is critical to ensure the EU’s health security and autonomy as geopolitical challenges increase.”

‍

Building a Future-Ready Workforce

From AI to digitalisation and from genetics and genomics to biochemistry, workers provide core scientific knowledge from human health to industrial processes to biotechnology industries. A robust and skilled workforce is essential to deliver on Europe’s life sciences ambitions. With ageing populations, rising healthcare costs, and a need for stronger preventative systems, talent development is more important than ever.

However, the sector faces growing workforce and career challenges:

• Rapid advances in knowledge and technology outpacing training,

• Limited career prospects for researchers,

• Gender imbalances and restricted mobility across EU countries.

‍

To address these issues, the EU will:

• Launch a foresight study to identify future skills and training needs, especially in AI and digital life sciences.

• Implement a strategic STEM education plan to attract and train new talent.

• Roll out a European framework for research careers, aimed at boosting mobility and competitiveness,

• Introduce EU Digital Identity Wallets to improve transparency of training opportunities and ease cross-border recognition of qualifications.

‍

Promoting Trust and Tackling Disinformation

As the life sciences sector continues to evolve, the Commission also emphasises the importance of building public trust. This involves working more closely with patients and end-users to ensure solutions meet real-world needs, while also combating disinformation related to health and science.

‍

BRIGHTskills: Supporting the Strategy Through Workforce Innovation

Aligned with the EU’s vision, the BRIGHTskills Project is focused on strengthening the life sciences workforce to enhance competitiveness and innovation. Its key contributions include:

• A foresight observatory to monitor emerging skill demands,

• Development of modern, forward-looking training courses for professionals in the sector.

BRIGHTskills is a practical step toward ensuring that today’s workforce is ready to meet the healthcare challenges of tomorrow.

👉 Get involved to help shape the future of health innovation in Europe—and ensure the next generation of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs are prepared to lead.

‍