The health and biotech valley
Belgian leadership in innovation is undeniable. In 2023, Belgium invested €19.8 billion in research and development, accounting for 3.32% of its gross domestic product and comfortably exceeding the EUs target of 3%. The EU’s European Innovation Scoreboard – 2024 ranks Belgium as a strong innovator, with a performance at 123.6% of the EU standard and increasing 10% faster than the average. Since the 1950s, when Janssen Pharmaceutica was founded in Belgium, the country has grown into a leading hub for vaccine and drug development. Its strong focus on biopharma and biotechnology has only intensified over the years. Today, all ten of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies have a presence in Belgium, not only with their R&D activities. Since the COVID pandemic, during which Belgium produced one billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine, the country has become a prime biomanufacturing and export hub. In 2023, its biopharmaceutical exports reached €80 billion, making it the third-largest exporter in Europe. Apart from R&D and biomanufacturing, Belgium has also been a global frontrunner in early-phase clinical trials, consistently ranking as a European leader in trials per capita.
In the last five years, significant investments have been made in Belgian biotech and pharma, especially in development and production of vaccines and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). In 2021, GSK announced a €400 million investment to further expand its vaccine development and production facilities in Wavre and Rixensart. Another record investment – of €1.2 billion – in vaccine production was announced in 2022 by Pfizer, thereby further expanding its COVID-19 production lines in Puurs. Significant investments in ATMPs came from Johnson&Johnson which, together with Legend Biotech, established the first production site for CAR T-cell therapy in Europe in 2023, and UCB, which established a new cutting-edge and high-tech bioproduction plant and gene therapy facility, worth €200 million, in Braine-l’Alleud in 2024. A third area where major investments have been made is in antibody therapies, with Sanofi investing €120 million in expansion of its bioplant in Geel with a monoclonal antibody production line, and the Japanese multinational, Takeda investing €300 million in a new production facility and warehouse for plasma-derived therapies in Lessines.
Demand versus supply
Along with the exponential growth of the biopharma and biotech industries in Belgium, the number of direct jobs in this sector has increased by 50% over the past decade, reaching approximately 39,000 in 2023. This growth is expected to continue, but can the country supply the urgently needed talent to accommodate the demand? The numbers do not look very promising. According to a 2023 report by Deloitte, focusing on the biopharma industry, Belgium has a talent gap of 27%, particularly in R&D and manufacturing & supply. Each year, around 400 positions remain unfilled, and this gap is projected to widen over the next five years. While Belgium ranks third in continental Europe for annual biopharma sector growth – trailing only Denmark and Switzerland – it lags significantly in the number of relevant graduates.
Beyond the need for more talent in absolute numbers, it is equally crucial that the graduates supplied by the higher educational system are adequately specialized to meet the demands of both current and future roles. Biotechnology and biopharma are rapidly evolving fields, and the education system must keep pace to ensure it delivers relevant, future-proof talent. Curricula should incorporate, at least to some extent, innovative advancements in ATMPs, mRNA and immune therapy, nuclear medicine, microbiome research, bioprinting, microfluidics, tissue engineering, and other emerging fields, as companies are increasingly looking for employees with expertise in these areas. Perhaps even more importantly, a basic understanding of data sciences and AI is becoming a significant advantage – and in some cases, a requirement – for biotech positions, as interdisciplinary collaboration is essential. Professionals who can bridge the gap between life sciences and data science are highly sought after in the job market, yet remain scarce.
Beyond state-of-the-art innovations, fundamental sciences such as mathematics or chemistry remain crucial for cultivating talent that fosters logical thinking and strong problem-solving skills. Balancing both fundamental sciences and innovative topics, however, is becoming a challenge. The continuous innovation of the biotech field provides educators with the hard task of selecting the most relevant content for their classes. On the other hand, it is worth noting that the first-year student population in higher education is becoming increasingly diverse in their knowledge, with varying levels of foundational understanding in the basic sciences. Lecturers are confronted with the challenge to deal with this diversity while ensuring the quality of their curriculum. Together, these factors result in study programs that are bursting at the seams.
Bridging the talent gap
The Belgian educational system faces increasing pressure to supply the biotech sector with more and specialized professionals. Since no single solution exists, the path to success requires a multifaceted approach.
- Sparking interest from an early age
The route towards more biotech talent starts at an early age. Primary and secondary school children need to be made aware of the opportunities and benefits of a career in the sector. Recognizing this need, the Flemish government has launched the STEM Agenda 2030, aiming to boost enrollment in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs and careers by the end of the decade. However, the road to success remains long, as recent data indicate a decline rather than growth in STEM participation. While STEM students made up approximately 38.6% of secondary school enrollments in Flanders in 2020-2021, this figure has steadily declined, reaching 36.4% in 2023-2024. More effective measures will thus be needed to turn the tide.
- Towards more inclusivity
Significant progress has been made in making the scientific world more inclusive, particularly for women. What was once a predominantly male domain is gradually evolving into a space where both women and men can thrive. It is apparent, however, that the increase in female employees does not (yet) lead to equality when it comes to C-level positions. The 2024 Women in the Workplace report by McKinsey & Company revealed that while women outnumber men in entry-level positions within the pharmaceutical sector, their representation declines progressively, reaching just 28% at the C-suite level. To break this glass ceiling, biases in promotion opportunities must be tackled. Additionally, strong networks, support systems, and inspirational role models can help pave the way for more women to reach leadership positions.
In addition to gender inclusivity, more steps must be taken to create a welcoming sector for others, including neurodivergent individuals. Embracing neurodiversity in the workplace, particularly in the life sciences sector, brings numerous benefits to organizations. Neurodivergent individuals, such as those with AD(H)D, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or other neurodevelopmental conditions, often think differently, enabling them to excel in traits highly valued in life sciences, such as creativity, analytical thinking, and strong multitasking or problem-solving abilities. A great example of neurodiverse inclusion is presented by the pharmaceutical company Roche, specifically recruiting individuals on the autism spectrum for positions in data analytics.
- Collaboratively shaping curricula
To ensure the workforce entering the field is adequately prepared, curricula should be designed to remain relevant to current and future job opportunities while maintaining a strong foundation in basic sciences. Collaboration between several players is crucial. The industry should play an advisory role in the development of curricula, but can also be more directly involved by offering guest lectures, presenting internship opportunities, facilitating workplace learning, and more. Training centers, such as ViTalent in Flanders and the EU Biotech Campus in Wallonia, can help academic institutes reach their educational goals. These centers provide state-of-the-art infrastructure, including cleanrooms, robotics, biomanufacturing pipelines, and logistics, which are often too complex or costly for typical educational institutions to acquire.
Intensifying collaboration between higher education institutions and secondary schools is essential as well. The learning objectives used to guide education in secondary school should be compatible with the entry requirements of academic biotech programs. The modernization of secondary education in Flanders, which was initiated in 2019, could be a valuable tool for this purpose. Compared to previous programs, the new curricula place a greater emphasis on biotechnology, thereby responding to the needs of the ecosystem. Intensive consultation among all partners remains necessary to streamline the reform.
- Reskilling and upskilling
Learning is a continuous process, particularly in the life sciences and biotech sectors. After leaving the classroom, technological advancements won’t slow down – quite the opposite. By motivating and enabling employees to upskill and grow professionally throughout their careers, organizations can build a flexible workforce that not only adapts to innovations but also drives change. Intense collaboration between industry and educational institutions, but also between different divisions within the organization is vital here as well.
Belgium’s position at the forefront of biotechnology and life sciences largely depends on the ability to grow its talent pool and ensure education evolves alongside technological innovations. Sustainable solutions must be sought in collaboration. After all, as evolutionary theory shows us, the choice is clear: adapt or fall behind. The time to act is now.
