Woman in a lab coat with goggles in a snowy mountain setting.

Future of Health

Discover how Switzerland can be your gateway to the European life sciences market.

1
st place

Switzerland leads in talent competitiveness, followed by Singapore, the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands

$
116
bn

In 2023, life sciences—including pharmaceuticals, vitamins, and diagnostics—made up 38.5% of Swiss exports

Top
10

Switzerland ranks 10th worldwide for the number of active biotech patents within its territory

Switzerland offers seamless market access, top talent, and a business-friendly ecosystem. 20 percent of European Life Science companies have already chosen Switzerland as their HQ location. Find out how Switzerland can help you scale and thrive in Europe.

Why Switzerland

Modern laboratory with microscope, computer screen showing graphs, and test tubes.

Ecosystem

Develop partnerships to scale your business

The Swiss life science ecosystem is made up of innovative start-ups and multinational giants such as Roche, Novartis, Bayer, Abbott, Merck, Biogen, CSL Behring, Baxter, Johnson & Johnson, Hamilton, and Medtronic. These companies benefit from Switzerland’s experienced cluster along the entire value chain to develop, produce and market new products and services - from drug discovery to commercialization, all in one place.

If you are looking to set up supply chain and other headquarter functions, Switzerland provides excellent infrastructure and solutions for managing revenues and risks.

Scientist in a lab coat working with glass containers and tubing.

Regulatory

Enjoy a safe and innovative legal framework

Considering European expansion? Life Science companies favor Switzerland as a headquarter location for many reasons. Its central location, various trade agreements and progressive regulations make it easy for companies to tap into the European market, made up of almost 500 million consumers. A business-friendly environment and competitive corporate and personal tax rates provide further advantages for setting up headquarter functions in Switzerland. 20% of European Life Science companies have already chosen Switzerland as their HQ location, representing over 90 companies with active clinical trials. Life Science companies that already settled in Switzerland include Bluebird Bio, Roivant Sciences, BeiGene, Alnylam, Incyte, Biogen, Moderna, Luye Pharma, Align Technology, and Amgen.

Laboratory technician using a pipette on a microscope slide.

Innovation

Collaborate pragmatically with leading research institutes

Switzerland’s strong collaboration between science and industry accelerates the path from lab to market. In a 2021 analysis by Biotechgate, Switzerland has the strongest product pipeline in Europe, after the UK. With CHF 9 billion invested by pharma alone in 2020, and two-thirds of all R&D spending coming from private firms, Switzerland ranks among the top globally in R&D intensity. 14 Swiss companies are ranked among the top 500 companies worldwide in terms of corporate research spending, with Roche ranked in 8th position and Novartis in 14th position.

Learn how your company can benefit from Switzerland’s unique focus on applied science.

Medical professional in blue scrubs operates equipment, focused on a screen.

Talent

Attract and retain the best people

Benefit from Switzerland’s talent pool - because it’s vast! Switzerland is a hub for PhD professionals in Life Sciences and related disciplines, with its top-ranking universities attracting diverse doctoral talent. Switzerland provides a rich talent pool for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology and digital health. Switzerland's excellent quality of life, favorable tax policies and flexible work arrangements make it an attractive destination for C-level executives. Its renowned apprenticeship system ensures well-trained lab technicians or QC analysts with practical skills for the highly regulated life sciences sector and biologics manufacturing processes.

Find out more about talent in the Swiss health industry.