Site logo
Pharmaville Logo
    • Featured
    • Cornerstone Life Science Locations
    • Home
    • Locations
    • Events
    • Articles
      • Featured Editorial & Interviews
      • News and Insights
      • Xtalks Clinical Edge Magazine
    • More
      • Add or Update a Listing
      • About Pharmaville
      • Visit Xtalks
      • Contact
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Notice
    Add or Enhance a Listing
    Sign in or Register
    Add or Enhance a Listing
    Listing cover image

    Sweden

    • Claim listing
    • Location Details
    • Related Events
    • prev
    • next
    • Contact Us
    • Bookmark
    • Share
    • Claim listing
    • prev
    • next
    Description

    Austria has solidified its position as a premier European life sciences hub, offering a sophisticated ecosystem that seamlessly integrates pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology innovation and academic research.

    Known globally for its excellence in oncology, personalized medicine and medical device engineering, the nation attracts major industry players like Takeda, Boehringer Ingelheim and Novartis.

    The capital, Vienna, serves as a central engine for growth, housing the Vienna BioCenter, one of the world's most prominent biotech clusters for molecular biology and fundamental research.

    Austria's healthcare innovation is further bolstered by a robust network of non-university research institutions, such as the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Joanneum Research, which drive advancements in digital health and AI-based diagnostics.

    The country is particularly renowned for its leadership in plasma-derived medicinal products, processing approximately 15% of the global blood plasma supply.

    Strategic R&D tax incentives, including an uncapped 14% research premium, foster a fertile environment for clinical trials and medtech startups specializing in 3D-printed implants and biosensors.

    From the world-class biobanking facilities at the Medical University of Graz to the emerging Health Hub Tirol, Austria provides a comprehensive value chain for global life sciences stakeholders.

    Featured Editorial
    featured editorial
    Claim Your Profile to Receive a 1500-word Editorial Article

    Pharmaville offers locations the opportunity to be featured in an in-depth interview that highlights their unique strengths and advantages. These interviews showcase areas such as research expertise, clinical trial capacity, manufacturing infrastructure, and investment opportunities, and are published directly on the Pharmaville platform. This helps regions share their story with a global life science audience and position themselves as leading destinations for innovation and growth.

    Regions
    • Austria
    • Europe
    Healthcare and Research Infrastructure

    Austria's life sciences are supported by five medical universities (Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Linz and the Veterinary University in Vienna), alongside leading research institutes such as the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA, GMI, CeMM), the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Austrian Institute of Technology. National programs like Uni-Med-Impuls 2030 program provides funding to strengthen collaboration and modernize research facilities.

    Gallery
    Government and Public Research Funding

    Austria invested 3.26% of GDP in R&D in 2023, with a projected 3.34% in 2024, ranking third in the EU. Dedicated programs include the FFG Life Science Programme (with around $111.46 million allocated from 2022 to 2026) and aws LISA – Life Science Austria, which support clusters and startups. The aws Spin-off Initiative was launched in 2025 to expand funding and VC access for academic spinouts.

    Investment and Financing

    Between 2020 and 2023, 83 new life sciences companies were founded in Vienna. Equity financing and M&A activity in the sector reached the triple-digit million-euro range annually. Austria also supports early-stage ventures through programs like aws Preseed & Seedfinancing, which will provide $22.4 million (€19 million) in funding between 2024 and 2026.

    Industry Presence

    In 2023, Austria hosted 1,174 life sciences companies. Vienna accounted for 646 companies and 19 research institutions, and is the location for the Austrian subsidiaries of the top 20 global pharma, biotech and medtech firms. Novartis represents one of the largest private sector employers, with around 3,300 staff across Vienna, Schaftenau and Kundl. In 2024, the company reported approximately $2.24 billion (€1.9 billion) in net sales in Austria, and its medicines reached around 713,000 patients, equal to about 10% of the national population.

    Big Medtech Presence

    Vienna's medtech sector included 297 companies with around 10,700 employees and about $5.2 billion (€4.4 billion) turnover in 2023.

    Active Clinical Studies

    Austria placed #9 in the European Economic Area (EEA) per capita in 2023 (1.22 per 100,000) and recorded 111 commercial trial starts that year (2018 to 2023 at a CAGR of 5.6%). Austria participates actively in international research collaborations and ERC-funded projects, with Vienna hosting 18 of the 20 largest R&D and manufacturing companies engaged in local clinical studies. Novartis led clinical trials in the country with 42 active studies in 2024, enrolling 266 patients. Roughly half of these trials were in oncology, with others focused on cardiovascular, renal, metabolic and immunology indications.

    Location
    • Stockholm, Sweden

      Get Directions
    Related Events
    No Upcoming or Recorded Events Available
    Categories
    • Growth Life Science Locations
    Tags
    • R&D Ecosystem
    Videos
    Listing image
    Economic Contribution

    Life sciences companies in Austria generated nearly $47.2 billion (€40 billion) in revenue in 2023, of which around $32 billion (€27 billion) was directly life science-related. Vienna accounted for approximately $26.7 billion (€22.7 billion) in 2023 revenues. In 2024, Austria's pharma and biotech industries generated nearly $47.2 billion (€40 billion) in revenue, accounting for 8.3% of GDP. National healthcare expenditure stood at around $62.5 billion (€53 billion; around 11.2% of GDP), above the OECD average.

    Life Science Workforce

    As of 2023, Austria's life sciences industry employed 73,437 people in companies and another 24,294 in research and education institutions. About 45% of firms are active in pharma and 55% in medtech. According to the Vienna Life Science Report 2024/25, more than 49,000 of these employees were based in Vienna, reflecting 8% workforce growth between 2020 and 2023

    Laboratory and Manufacturing Space

    Austria hosts one of the EU's last integrated penicillin production sites in Kundl, Tyrol, which received $58.66 million (€50 million) in modernization funding. Vienna is developing the Life Science Center, a new complex designed to expand laboratory and office space for companies and institutions. Austria is expanding its advanced manufacturing footprint. Novartis has invested $1.89 billion (€1.6 billion) in Austrian sites between 2015 and 2024, including $188.7 million (€160 million) in R&D and infrastructure in 2024 alone. Facilities in Kundl and Schaftenau focus on biologics, plasmid DNA, mRNA and drug-device combinations, and have maintained zero-contamination records in microbial fermentation since 2021. Pfizer Manufacturing Austria produces around 15 million vaccine doses annually against TBE and meningococcal C. Octapharma is investing $236 million (€200 million) in Vienna to add 220 employees and new logistics capacity by 2028. Fresenius Kabi is expanding in Graz with $33 million (€28 million) more planned through 2026.

    Talent, Innovation and IP

    Austria filed 234 life sciences patents with the European Patent Office in 2022, equal to 10% of all national filings. Vienna's universities enrolled 34,145 students in life sciences in 2023 and produced 8,800 publications. Austria ranked 19th in the 2024 Global Innovation Index.

    Website

    Claim Profile to Update Website

    Contact

    Claim Profile to Update Contact Information

    Links

    Claim Your Profile to Add Related Links

    Downloadables

    Claim Your Profile to add downloadable documentation

    References

    https://pharmaville.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Pharmaville-Austria-references.pdf

    Related Event
    No Upcoming or Recorded Events Available

    You May Also Be Interested In

    Tirana

    • Emerging Clinical Trial Market
    • Add to comparison

    Skopje

    • Clinical Trial Expansion
    • Add to comparison

    Msida

    • Streamlined Clinical Trial Approvals
    • Add to comparison
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Notice

    © Honeycomb Worldwide Inc.

    Cart

      • Featured
      • Cornerstone Life Science Locations
      • Facebook
      • LinkedIn