Biotechnology is an exciting part of the life sciences industry. It refers to technologies and products based on cellular and biomolecular processes which contribute to the progress of health care, humankind, and our whole planet.
Basel is a globally renown life sciences hub with more than 700 companies. A rapidly developing field is that of cell and gene therapy – and it has discovered Basel as its place to be. Pharma giant Novartis has a manufacturing cell and gene therapy facility just outside the city of Basel while Celonic's GMP manufacturing facility for gene vectors and cell therapy is situated in Basel directly. And there are interesting smaller companies on the rise, like T3 Pharma or Cimeio Therapeutics.
Why Basel is an attractive life sciences hub
Basel has a lot to offer for life sciences companies and organizations. For example:
- Basel is perfectly situated in the “Dreiländereck” of Switzerland, Germany and France and thus attracts a broad and well-educated talent pool coming from renown academic institutions like the University of Basel, ETH Zurich, KTI Karlsruhe to name just a few. But of course, talents from everywhere are attracted by the high standards of living, the attractive compensation and great career options the Basel region has to offer. Overall, more than 31000 life sciences professionals are working in and around Basel.
- Switzerland offers political as well as economic stability. It is a business-friendly country with low bureaucratic hurdles and attractive tax conditions for companies including low tax rates and numerous double taxation agreements with important trading partners. Start-ups even profit from capital gains tax exemptions.
- A dynamic market: The life sciences landscape in Basel with more than 700 industry-related companies is a leading and competitive business hub. It hosts big pharma players such as Roche and Novartis but also numerous innovative start-ups eager to make their mark in the sector.
- Basel is home to a lot of private investors as well as venture capital firms who provide what upcoming companies need most: money. The business-friendly economic system of Basel fosters that: start-ups that fail (and that are half of them) receive aid from dedicated programs and support networks providing legal and logistical help, provide extra investments, as well as access to a network of experienced professionals.
These are significant reasons that put Basel in a solid position to compete with world-leading biotech hubs like Boston or Cambridge (US).
Our Coopers Life Sciences team is well connected within the life sciences community – in Basel as well as in other parts of Switzerland, like Western Switzerland where other highly interesting life sciences companies are located.
Whether you are a life sciences professional who is interested in making some career changes or a life sciences organization looking to attract more talent – feel free to get in touch with us for a simple chat. Let’s talk and see how we can support your journey. We promise, with us you are in good company.
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Foto: Louis Reed via Unsplash
