“Basel is really the emerging center of life science innovation outside of the United States. I can’t imagine starting a company without having a Basel site and a Boston site, and allowing those to work synergistically,” said the CEO of Therapeutics, Greg Verdine. Here are the four things that have made Basel the biotech hotspot.
Basel Itself
Roche Pharma CEO Teresa Graham, which is headquartered in Basel, says Basel has “really fantastic international schools for children, great communities for spouses and an amazing amount of green space.” Switzerland has political and economic stability as well as being one of the most picturesque and culturally rich parts of the world. Basel is in the middle of Europe and has open borders with France and Germany, two of Europe’s biggest markets.
Roche and Novartis HQs and 800 other life science companies
Basel is in a unique position as a major European city hosting two of the world’s biggest pharma companies, Roche and Novartis. Roche recently opened a $1.4 billion research and development center within its Basel headquarters. Partly because of their large shadows a bustling ecosystem of biotechs has been steadily growing – much like Boston did over the past few decades. Of the 36 companies that settled in the Basel region in 2024, 26 were in some way involved in the life sciences industry contributing to Basel the biotech hotspot.
Talent Pool
Basel’s excellent transport links means it’s easy to have the pick of talent across three countries. Several Roche employes even commute to work via bike from a nearby village in Germany’s Black Forest. Switzerland is home to six of the top twenty universities in biosciences. The Basel area counts over 14 internationally recognized research institutes within an hour’s drive and more than 1,000 research groups. The University of Basel is known for its life science research contributing to the most European patent applications per capita.
Securing Money
To raise funds biotechs have the option of regional government funds as well as the Swiss Innovation Agency which supports science-based startups. A non-profit set up to finance innovation, Deep Tech Nation Switzerland, has become a critical player in the national biotech funding landscape. The science-sympathetic regional government offers attractive tax incentives to attract new firms and encourage growth. In 2024, Swiss biotechs raised more than $3 billion – a 22% increase over 2023 – all contributing to a reputation as Basel the biotech hotspot.
