Header Image: Members of the European Life Sciences Coalition.
The numbers are difficult to ignore. In recent years, 66 out of 67 European biotechnology companies chose to go public on markets outside the EU. This is a structural signal, rapidly becoming an alarm siren.
It’s well known that Europe excels at research. But when it comes to scaling innovations into companies and tangible products for patients and society, Europe often falls short. Over time, this imbalance risks weakening Europe’s position — not only economically, but also in terms of patient access to cutting-edge treatments.
“Increasing the availability of European venture capital for life sciences has become a societal urgency.” – Jérôme Van Biervliet
“Europe has proven time and again to produce life sciences research of the highest quality,” says Jérôme Van Biervliet, Managing Director of VIB. “The challenge lies in ensuring that these discoveries are translated into innovative companies, new therapies, and broader societal impact.”
“There should be a robust pipeline — from early-stage derisking to entrepreneurial biotech, where VIB stands out,” says Van Biervliet, adding that funding is a key component of this translation. “Increasing the availability of European venture capital for life sciences has become a societal urgency.”
Read Jérôme Van Biervliet’s thoughts on How to anchor innovation in Belgium!
A European Coalition
The European Life Sciences Coalition (ELSC) was launched in February 2026 to tackle this exact challenge. Formed in association with Invest Europe, the coalition brings together venture capital firms, and ecosystem players with a shared objective: strengthening Europe’s life sciences investment environment.
The coalition includes Forbion, Novo Holdings, Omega Funds, Sofinnova Partners, HealthCap, Cooley (UK) LLP, Covington & Burling LLP, Van Lanschot Kempen, and VIB. Collectively, these members manage more than €24 billion in life sciences and biotech assets and have founded or invested in over 1,400 companies.
The coalition is mobilizing greater levels of private and public investment across the sector and pushing for solutions to structural investment barriers:
- Unlocking more capital to protect and grow Europe’s life sciences and biotech ecosystem.
- Safeguarding Europe’s competitiveness in this space, amid unprecedented global pressure.
- Championing venture capital as the growth engine that turns scientific breakthroughs into world-class companies delivering solutions to patients.
- Helping policymakers craft strategies and a policy environment that attract capital to strengthen Europe’s industrial and research base in life sciences.
Supporting Scale-ups
From a long-term perspective, Europe’s problem is not a lack of innovation or entrepreneurial talent, but the ability to scale and sustain life sciences companies. Europe remains underpowered financially.
“Global competition is exponentially intensifying, and Europe has a serious shortage of scale-up capital.” – Naveed Siddiqi
“Europe has a solid track record of creating world-class products, services, and investment returns,” says Naveed Siddiqi, Senior Partner at Novo Holdings. “However, global competition is exponentially intensifying, and Europe has a serious shortage of scale-up capital — primarily due to the severe absence of funding from deep pocketed institutional capital such as the pension, insurance and private banking sectors.”
Sustainable Financing
The keyword according to Siddiqi is “sustainable”. Biotech companies require more than just seed and early-stage funding. For ventures to grow into globally competitive players, they need a continuity of capital, aligned incentives, and an ecosystem that supports them beyond their first breakthrough.
“Coordination is key for the European economy and for transforming global health outcomes.” – Naveed Siddiqi
“We must educate and encourage the different parts of the ecosystem to engage with each other,” says Siddiqi. “This includes innovation, corporate, financial and philanthropic groups. Coordination is key for the European economy and for transforming global health outcomes.”
Mårten Steen, Managing Partner at HealthCap, agrees: “Continued collaboration between research institutions, entrepreneurs, and investors will be essential to ensure that the next generation of European life sciences companies can scale and compete internationally.”
No Borders, Just Breakthroughs
In a global environment where capital moves fast and competition intensifies, Europe’s investment issue has become more than just a local challenge — it has become a strategic imperative for the whole ecosystem.
In light of this, platforms that bring together research leaders, investors, and policymakers are becoming increasingly important — for exchanging views, but also to align on what needs to change.
“Europe’s life sciences industry is strong, but its future will depend on how well we connect our strengths across borders and sectors.” – Ann Van Gysel
At Knowledge for Growth on 3-4 June 2026 in Antwerp, the topics and potential solutions championed by the European Life Sciences Coalition will be shared with the broader ecosystem. On 3 June during the State of the Union, Van Biervliet will represent the ELSC in the session ‘The Money Is Out There. So Why Can’t You Get It?’, addressing the critical question of how Europe can better support its next generation of companies.
The discussion will continue on 4 June, when the Knowledge for Growth congress and exhibition will bring together the wider medical biotech, medtech, digital health, agtech & industrial biotech community, to explore how Europe can strengthen its position in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
As Ann Van Gysel, CEO of Biovia, concludes: “Europe’s life sciences industry is strong, but its future will depend on how well we connect our strengths across borders and sectors. The European Life Sciences Coalition aims to encourage that alignment. Together with them, we are mobilizing actors from across the European health innovation ecosystem, to turn our shared ambition into action.”
