A mix of old and new, Basel emerges as a leading European biopharma hub

The Roche Towers serve as a modern landmark among medieval architecture in Basel, Switzerland, melding old and new in the city which is emerging as a center for innovation in Europe’s life sciences industry.

Roche’s presence in the city began in 1896, when it became one of the first companies dedicated to manufacturing scientifically researched pharmaceuticals. Today, the pharma giant — along with Novartis, one of the world’s largest drug manufacturers — serve as the anchors of Basel’s burgeoning life sciences ecosystem, as well as contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Lonza whose headquarters is also in Basel.

Home to more than 800 life science companies, Basel is one of the densest biotechnology hubs in Europe and a supercluster that is rapidly becoming a global biopharmaceutical hub, according to Christof Klöpper, CEO of Basel Area Business & Innovation.

Klöpper, who heads the agency that promotes local investment, contends that with more than 33,000 professionals in the Basel area it has Europe’s largest life sciences talent pool, which has attracted Big Pharma and major biotech players including Bayer and Moderna.

The University of Basel has strong life sciences programs, providing companies with access to a rich pool of graduates, and within an hour’s drive of the city there are 14 universities spread across three European countries.

“Basel is a small city and it’s quite a high density of life sciences specialists here,” said Klöpper, noting that like hubs in Boston and Silicon Valley in the U.S., it has served as a magnet for technological development, infrastructure, and resources such as the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area. “So many companies are coming in,” he added.

When it comes to promoting a strong business environment in the Basel area, Klöpper credited a “science-sympathetic” regional government and “excellent” tax rates. Ultimately, he said the vision for Basel is to create a single end-to-end ecosystem accelerating innovation from lab to launch.

Upward growth trajectory

Last week, contract research organization Clinilabs announced the expansion of its European operations and the establishment of a regional headquarters at the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area. The location positions the company “within one of the world’s most concentrated life sciences ecosystems” and at the center of a “highly collaborative and scientifically advanced environment,” according to the announcement.

In 2025, BeOne Medicines — formerly known as BeiGene — redomiciled to Basel as part of its strategy of becoming a diversified biotech company focused on oncology. While the company has had a presence in the city since 2018, the redomiciliation boosts its position in a leading global biopharma hub, according to Giancarlo Benelli, senior vice president and head of Europe for BeOne.

“It’s a hub for oncology research and biotech,” said Benelli, adding that cancer is a serious challenge that requires collaboration with different stakeholders. “There was no better choice than being here in Basel and being among a number of partners to develop together.”

In 2024, Johnson & Johnson moved into its new Basel campus — one of the company’s nine sites in Switzerland — and inaugurated the J&J Innovation Hub, which is part of a Basel-based venture incubator called BaseLaunch supporting Swiss biotech startups.

Last month, Pfizer became the latest partner added to BaseLaunch — which includes AbbVie, CSL, J&J, Novo Nordisk, Roche, and Takeda — whose portfolio companies have altogether raised more than $1 billion in financing. Since its founding nearly a decade ago, BaseLaunch has supported 27 biotech companies with several of them entering Phase II clinical trials.

In January, BaseLaunch announced a partnership with Catalent. Working with the global CDMO, the incubator hopes to “strengthen access to manufacturing expertise and industry know-how, supporting innovators as they advance therapies from development toward patients.”  

Klöpper claims that in the years to come some of the “most interesting and helpful drugs” will come from Basel. “We’re quite optimistic,” he concluded. “Here, in this ecosystem, you’ll find the brightest biotech people and the best ideas from Europe.”