Vienna, life sciences powerhouse
April 22, 2025|TA
With a remarkable 22% increase in industry revenues and a workforce now exceeding 49,000, Vienna is strengthening its position as one of Europe’s most dynamic life sciences hubs. The new Vienna Life Sciences Report, covering the period from 2020 to 2023, reveals that the sector is growing both in scientific excellence and economic impact.
Home to 754 organizations, including 646 companies and a robust research infrastructure, Vienna accounts for more than half of Austria’s entire life sciences industry. Annual revenues have surged to €22.7 billion, 81% of which stem from the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors alone. Equally noteworthy is the 8% increase in employment across the industry, underlining Vienna’s magnetism for talent.
“These results send a strong signal to the economy and confirm Vienna's approach over the last 20 years of consistently focusing on expanding the city as a research location and specifically strengthening the life sciences,” said Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig. “Through the development of medical innovations, the life sciences make a significant contribution to people's well-being and thus to the high quality of life for which Vienna is internationally renowned – and which attracts top talent from all over the world.”
"The life sciences make a significant contribution to people's well-being and thus to the high quality of life for which Vienna is internationally renowned – and which attracts top talent from all over the world."
Michael Ludwig, Mayor of Vienna
AI, Biomedicine, and Global Partnerships
The city’s growing prominence is driven not just by numbers, but by innovation. The convergence of life sciences and digital technologies—including AI in diagnostics and drug development—is redefining biomedical frontiers. Vienna recently welcomed the launch of AITHYRA, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Biomedicine at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The only one of its kind in Europe, the institute will use AI to propel biological and medical research, uniting computer scientists, engineers, and biologists in a collaborative environment.
“Life sciences are one of Vienna's key drivers of innovation,” said Dominic Weiss, Managing Director of the Vienna Business Agency. “With AITHYRA, the city has successfully asserted itself in international competition. This research institute strengthens Vienna's role as a leading business metropolis and at the same time provides groundbreaking impetus for the medicine of the future.”
Research Excellence and Manufacturing Muscle
The city hosts global players including Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD, Biomay, Octapharma, and Takeda—all contributing to cutting-edge treatments from cancer and rare diseases to vaccines and diagnostics. Vienna processes nearly 4 million liters of blood plasma annually—roughly 20% of the global total—making it a world leader in plasma-based therapies. Around 95 percent of these products are exported.
Vienna’s innovation pipeline is further powered by strong academic output: in 2023 alone, over 8,800 life sciences publications originated from its institutions. More than 34,000 students are currently enrolled in life sciences programs, reflecting sustained interest and a deepening talent pool.
Startups and Established Players Thrive
Macro Array Diagnostics (MADx), founded in 2016, exemplifies Vienna’s capacity to scale groundbreaking solutions internationally. “MADx helps doctors understand allergies down to the smallest detail. This allows treatment to be tailored even more precisely to the individual patient,” said CEO Christian Harwanegg.
The city also fosters next-generation companies like contextflow, an AI radiology start-up assisting in the early detection of lung disease. “The roots of our comprehensive analysis software for chest CTs lie in beautiful Vienna,” said co-founder Markus Holzer, noting the vital support from institutions like TU Vienna.
Other innovators include HeartBeat.bio, which is leveraging heart organoids and AI to develop new treatments for heart failure by creating “mini-hearts” from stem cells that can model diseases and test drugs to treat them. “Cutting-edge research in Vienna drives innovation,” said co-founder Michael Krebs. “Our international team appreciates the high quality of life in Vienna and the broad support for start-up projects.”
Meanwhile, global medical technology firm Ottobock, which specializes in prosthetics and other mobility support, manufactures €200 million worth of products annually in Vienna. “Vienna is the ideal location for our research work in medical technology. The high quality of life and well-developed infrastructure with several renowned universities enable us to attract highly qualified specialists,” said Andreas Eichler, the company’s Managing Director in Vienna.
A Blueprint for Sustainable Growth
For more than 20 years, the Vienna Business Agency, together with Austria Wirtschaftsservice, has been offering strategic support and networking for the life sciences industry through the LISAvienna consortium. Startups and SMEs benefit from a wide range of funding as well as research infrastructure: for instance, the Vienna BioCenter’s Startup Labs serve as a springboard for emerging companies.
“To ensure the long-term availability of vital treatments for patients, targeted innovation funding and close cooperation between science, industry and politics are needed. Only through strong partnerships can we drive medical progress, increase the city's international competitiveness and strengthen healthcare systems in the long term,” emphasized Barbara Rangetiner, Managing Director of Octapharma Pharmazeutika.
The full Vienna Life Sciences Report 2024/25 will be published in the coming weeks and available via: