How Austria Is Becoming a Biotech Leader
At the BIOTECH SUMMIT AUSTRIA, Karl Nehammer Calls for More Growth Capital for Europe's Biotech Industry
Advertisement
What does it take to turn scientific excellence into globally successful biotech companies? Karl Nehammer, Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and former Austrian Chancellor, addressed this question in his keynote speech at the fourth BIOTECH SUMMIT AUSTRIA in Innsbruck.
“Europe has the scientific excellence to be a global leader in biotechnology. What matters now is that groundbreaking research translates into successful companies that grow in Europe and are globally competitive. Especially in the phase between research, market entry, and international expansion, innovative companies need capital that takes a long-term view and enables growth. If we want to translate Europe’s innovative strength into economic strength, we must close this funding gap. After all, anyone who wants to help shape the biotechnology of tomorrow must invest in its companies today,” says Karl Nehammer, Vice President of the European Investment Bank and former Austrian Chancellor.
Organized by BIOTECH AUSTRIA, Human.technology Styria, and the Tyrol Business Development Agency, the summit is the national gathering place for the Austrian biotech industry and is attracting increasing international participation. Under the motto “Start up, Scale up, Step up!”, more than 250 participants from 12 countries gathered to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the Austrian and European biotech industries.
Peter Llewellyn-Davies, President of BIOTECH AUSTRIA, emphasized: “This year’s summit sent a strong signal for Austria as a life sciences hub. The close collaboration between research, entrepreneurship, investors, and policymakers lays the foundation for scaling up innovations more quickly and building long-term international competitiveness.”
In addition to Karl Nehammer’s keynote address, the rest of the program also focused on the major challenges facing the industry. Claudio Albrecht, former CEO of STADA AG, spoke about how geopolitical shifts, technological innovations, evolving healthcare systems, and new business models could shape the pharmaceutical industry by 2035. Stefan Haubner, Founding Partner at APEX Ventures, addressed the question of whether Europe needs its own venture capital model, while Olympic sailing champion Lukas Mähr highlighted the importance of resilience and teamwork in his keynote address.
Other sessions addressed topics such as venture financing, global IP strategies, the use of AI in biotech investments, and Austrian biotech strategy and policy. The program concluded with a fireside chat between Christoph Huber, co-founder and investor at BioNTech, and Peter Llewellyn-Davies, during which they reflected on their experiences and insights from building successful biotech companies.
During his visit to the event, Tyrolean Governor Anton Mattle emphasized the industry’s importance for the region: “Biotechnology is a key driver of innovation and future economic development. Events like the BIOTECH SUMMIT AUSTRIA showcase Tyrol’s strengths in the life sciences sector and forge valuable connections between science, business, and politics. They also help raise Austria’s international profile and foster the exchange of ideas and partnerships that support the growth of innovative companies.”
In addition to substantive discussions, the focus was on personal interaction. Through targeted one-on-one meetings and networking events, participants from across the entire biotech value chain were able to establish new contacts, deepen existing relationships, and explore concrete opportunities for collaboration.
Marcus Hofer, CEO of Standortagentur Tirol, and Lejla Pock, CEO of Human.technology Styria, added: “The Summit demonstrates how important exchange across regional and national borders is for the development of the biotech industry. Innsbruck provided an excellent setting for new connections, discussions, and partnerships. At the same time, we’re carrying this momentum forward and look forward to continuing the Summit in Graz in 2027.”
The fifth BIOTECH SUMMIT AUSTRIA will take place on October 21 and 22, 2027, in Graz.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
Other news from the department business & finance
