Life sciences boost the entire Basel Area
The Basel Area continues to develop dynamically: more and more life sciences companies from abroad are settling not only in Basel-Stadt, but also in the neighbouring cantons. in 2024, this key sector accounted for three quarters of all relocations. Innovation areas and targeted location promotion are strengthening the cluster and making the region a leading hotspot throughout Europe.
in 2024, 36 international companies decided to locate in the Basel Area, 26 of them from the life sciences sector. This development underlines the cluster’s outstanding role as a driver of growth and innovation. More and more companies are choosing locations in Basel-Landschaft and Jura, which contributes to regional diversification and makes the economic structure more resilient overall.
Areas such as the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area in Allschwil, the Novartis Campus and the Jura site are creating highly attractive ecosystems for biotech, medtech and healthtech companies.
Strong international interest
In total, the companies that relocated in 2024 came from 16 countries. Mainly from Europe, but also from America and Asia. This internationality not only strengthens the region’s expertise, but also increases its global visibility.
The strategic focus of Basel Area Business & Innovation is having an impact. According to fDi Intelligence, the region occupies the top position for location promotion in a European comparison of smaller cities. A clear sign of the quality and reach of the regional strategy.
Start-ups ensure future growth impetus
The region also scored highly in the start-up sector. Although the number of start-ups supported fell slightly to 67, it is still in line with the long-term average. The inflow of capital is particularly impressive. in 2024, 478 million francs flowed into start-ups in the two programmes BaseLaunch and DayOne, a strong signal of innovative strength and investor access.
According to feedback from the newly established companies, over 700 new jobs will be created in the next five years. This is also a clear commitment to the region as a long-term business location.