Europe’s Biotech Boom: Is Talent Keeping Pace with Innovation?

Across Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland, biotech has moved from niche to mainstream. Start-ups are forming at speed, investment is flowing in, and partnerships between academia and industry are flourishing.

Public biotech revenues in Europe grew by 6.8% in 2024, reaching $205 billion (EY). At the same time, biotech and healthcare attracted 27% of all private equity investment in 2024, second only to ICT (Invest Europe).

But funding is only part of the picture. The real shift is technological: AI is modelling molecules, bioinformatics is guiding diagnostics, and robotics and digital twins are transforming manufacturing. Every conversation we have with hiring managers confirms the same reality as innovation is accelerating, but talent is struggling to keep up.

The biotech boom is no longer just about building labs or securing capital. It’s about people.

A lot of the companies we partner with are more often than not searching for the same skill sets, and they’re also the hardest to find:

• Bioinformatics and Genomics skills to handle the flood of complex data.

• Hybrid profiles that blend biology, coding, and systems thinking to bridge gaps between disciplines.

• AI and Machine Learning expertise to drive predictive models for discovery and patient stratification.

This hybrid talent pool is small, globally mobile, and selective about where they choose to work. Without them, companies risk bottlenecks in product development, regulatory approvals, and commercialisation timelines.

We see the pressure every day in recruitment cycles and the data confirms it.

• In Belgium, there’s a 27% talent gap in biopharma R&D and manufacturing, leaving around 400 positions unfilled each year (Biovox).
  
  
• Across Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, companies face a 35% shortage in specialist roles, with average hiring times now 78 days, nearly three weeks longer than just a few years ago.
  
  
• At the European level, Q1 2025 biotech financing fell by 64% compared to Q1 2024, raising the stakes for science and talent that can deliver quickly.

Even the European Commission has made talent central to its vision, launching a new biotech strategy in July 2025 to make Europe “the most attractive place in the world” for life sciences by 2030 (EUNews).

We believe solving this isn’t the responsibility of companies alone. It takes collaboration across governments, academia, and industry. Some of the shifts we see gaining traction include:

• Upskilling and Reskilling: Training current professionals in AI, bioinformatics, and computational biology.

• Cross-Disciplinary Education: Designing academic programmes that blend biology with engineering, coding, and statistics.

• Global Talent Mobility: Streamlining visas and relocation so Europe remains open and attractive to international experts.

• Mentorship and Knowledge Transfer: Senior professionals guiding the next generation to ensure breakthroughs reach patients.

This is how Europe can turn innovation into impact by making talent as much of a priority as technology.

Looking ahead to the second half of 2025, we expect competition for talent to intensify. For professionals, this creates opportunity: roles at the forefront of AI-enabled biotech, careers shaping precision medicine, and the chance to develop skills that will define the next decade.

For employers, the challenge is clear: finding and retaining the people who can deliver under growing scientific and commercial pressure. That’s where we come in. Panda International supports growth across the full talent lifecycle:

• Permanent Recruitment to build long-term teams.

• Contract Solutions for flexible expertise in fast-moving projects.

• Executive Search to place leaders who can scale innovation.

• Multi-Hire Projects to deliver specialist teams at speed.

If Europe wants to lead in next-generation life sciences, we need to invest in people as much as platforms. Creating meaningful career pathways, building flexible pipelines, and empowering hybrid professionals will determine whether Europe keeps its edge on the global stage.

Discover how we can support your growth whether you’re advancing your own career or scaling a biotech business, we connect ambition with opportunity.