Life Sciences in Luxembourg

General environment

The creation of the public research centre, (Centre de Recherche Public, CRP), marked the beginning of research and development in Luxembourg which has evolved over the past 20 years resulting in the foundation of a new university and other research centres. The strong financial and political support over the years has enabled the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to develop life sciences and research. Life sciences in Luxembourg represents an emerging and fast evolving market with significant investments being made, with the intention of bolstering innovation and commercialisation of diagnostic and therapeutic tools

The promotion of life sciences focuses mainly on:

• Biotech companies
• Research institutions
• The University of Luxembourg
• Private laboratories and foundations
• Multidisciplinary approaches and partnerships (e.g. personalised medicine solutions, systems biology)

Local life sciences challenges

The life sciences sector faces important challenges now and in the future. In addition to global challenges and game changing innovations, Luxembourg is facing a number of challenges, such as:

• The need to attract and retain a skilled workforce in order to build up a critical mass of researchers and institutes
• The need to position Luxembourg to be recognised as a key global player in research
• The need for development of infrastructure and research buildings in order to create an optimal functional environment
• Governmental reform and implementation of competency systems and evaluations for public institutions
• Dealing with the complexity of regulations and increasing costs of research and clinical trials

Global life sciences challenges

The life sciences sector is a highly complex sector with many different global challenges threatening the industry.

Key challenges are:

• M&A, cost reduction
• Expansion and change in focus/targets of sales and marketing
• R&D (in)efficiencies, clinical data re-use
• Transparency, regulations and compliance
• Government pricing and contracting
• Healthcare reform and comparative effectiveness