Life Science Strategy
STRATEGY2025-07-02
(Flagship) The Commission will propose an investment plan for clinical research to facilitate funding for multi-country clinical trials, in compliance with competition rules, and to further develop and streamline European research infrastructures in the field of clinical research.
(Flagship) The Commission will create a network of European Centres of Excellence in advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) to coordinate their further development, together with the Member States, taking into account existing centres, with EUR 4 million financial support from the Horizon Europe work programme 2026-202754
The Commission will continue to support, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Clinical Trials Regulation with the overall aim to make Europe more competitive for clinical trials and medical research investments.
The Commission will launch a pilot for phased, stepwise funding of collaborative research under the Horizon Europe work programme 2026-202755, leveraging results from past EU projects, to accelerate the development of promising health technologies.
The Commission will explore a pilot to identify and exploit collaboration opportunities between EU Biotech clusters across the EU, with a focus on supporting the scaling-up of their startups as well as on enhancing their global industrial innovation standing. The action should build upon existing actions, such as the European Cluster Collaboration Platform.
(Flagship) The Commission will promote One Health approaches in research and innovation by collaborating with Member States and other stakeholders to:
identify further priority areas that would benefit from One Health approaches for consideration for financial support, leveraging existing data and repositories, and
develop guidance to support inter- and transdisciplinary R&I in One Health.
(Flagship) The Commission ambitions to make the EU a world-class innovator in One Health microbiome-based solutions, including by mobilising close to EUR 100 million under the Horizon Europe work programmes for 2026-2027 to support development and deployment of such solutions.
(Flagship) The Commission will implement the new strategic research and innovation agenda on health and climate change, including through mobilising EUR 170 million Horizon Europe funding and invites Member States and industry to contribute.The Commission will also propose a global research collaboration to foster alignment between global funders and to support the development of solutions to increase our resilience and to support climate adaptation and mitigation.
The Commission will develop a strategic R&I agenda on food systems to foster development of competitive, sustainable and resilient food systems solutions, complementing the forthcoming strategic approach to R&I in agriculture, forestry and rural areas announced in the Vision for agriculture and food64
(Flagship) The Commission will establish a European Life Sciences R&I Data Assembly bringing together a range of EU and Member State authorities working in data-related domains and key EU R&I bodies to support consistent interpretation and harmonisation of relevant legal data frameworks and to strengthen cross-regulatory coordination and collaboration.
The Commission will support activities to develop and populate strategic biodata resources, including non-human biodata, and enable access for European and global users in complement to the European Data Union strategy.
The Commission will invest EUR 50 million in integration of multi-modal generative AI technologies into multidisciplinary biomedical research via the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025.
The Commission will invest EUR 25 million from the Digital Europe work programme 2026 to boost the European genomic data infrastructure, in alignment with the EHDS.
The Commission will support research and innovation in cross-sectoral life science technologies to develop new products that can drive industrial innovation and sustainability (including novel molecules and advanced materials), improve the efficiency of biomanufacturing and other industrial biotechnology processes, and support bioremediation. This includes mobilising EUR 200 million under the Horizon Europe work programme 2026-2027.
The Commission will support the scale-up and uptake of sustainable advanced fermentation by promoting innovation through public-private partnerships and supporting the scaling-up of startups and other SMEs operating in this area and by organising an annual conference on advanced fermentation to connect stakeholders, foster collaboration and promote knowledge exchange.
The Commission will support life sciences research and innovation to promote the leadership position of the European Union for bioeconomy solutions and sustainable management of biomass. This includes mobilising more than EUR 150 million under the Horizon Europe work programme 2026-2027.
The Commission will collaborate with Member States, industry, academia and regulators to support development, validation and uptake of new approach methodologies to de-risk the development of new medicinal products and medical devices through a new European Research Area (ERA) policy action85 . In addition, the Horizon Europe programme will allocate EUR 50 million to these methodologies through its work programme 2026-2027.
The Commission will continue to support the emergence and adoption of the next generation of virtual human twins solutions in the context of the European Virtual Human Twins Initiative. The Commission will dedicate EUR 8 million for a Virtual Human Twins Incubator to support uptake of virtual human twin solutions in the European market and their use in clinical research (e.g. clinical trials, clinical investigations) through the Digital Europe Work Programme 2025-2027.
(Flagship) The Commission will take action to support the career development of life science researchers and to help researchers from non-EU countries set up in the EU, including through the 'Choose Europe’ initiative, and work in synergy with similar activities run by the Member States
The Commission will launch a foresight study to identify the competences, skills and training needs for the life sciences, including for optimising the uptake of artificial intelligence. With EUR 1 million financial support from the Horizon Europe work programme 2026-2027, the study will complement relevant data and analysis by the European Skills Intelligence Observatory.
(Flagship) The Commission will propose an EU Biotech Act to make the EU regulatory system more conducive to biotech innovation in various biotech sectors, alongside supportive measures.
(Flagship) The Commission will be ready to propose legislation that strikes a balance between simplifying EU regulations related to medical devices and in vitro diagnostics, with a view to facilitate businesses’ operations across the EU single market, and effectively protecting patient safety and public health.
The Commission will create an AI-powered interactive tool to help researchers and innovators navigate the EU regulatory landscape, particularly in the early stages of research and development.
(Flagship) To fast-track life science startups in their journey to the market,the Commission will launch a matchmaking strategic interface connecting life science startups, industry and investors, leveraging the EIC’s portfolios, the EIC’s Trusted Investors Network (TIN) and other key European stakeholders.
The Commission will, through Horizon Europe and EU4Health, stimulate the procurement of life science innovation through dedicated calls in areas such as adaptation to climate change, next-generation vaccines or affordable solutions for cancer, backed by funding of approximately EUR 300 million107.
The Commission will mobilise EUR 2 million financial support from the Horizon Europe work programme 2026-2027 to support life science stakeholders and policy makers in public outreach by setting up a repository of tools and best practices in responsible R&I, risk and science communication, and pilot public outreach measures.
(Flagship) The Commission will reinforce the coordination of its services and set up a ‘Life Science Coordination Group’ within the Commission to ensure innovation- friendly coherent policies, funding and activities. The Coordination Group will also:
organise high-level topical discussions between policy makers and stakeholders;
monitor progress in implementing this strategy;
manage the European Life Science R&I Data Assembly;
support the development of an interactive tool to help European researchers and innovators navigate the life science regulatory landscape and provide information on data services and tools;
organise and manage other activities, such as:
creating a stakeholder forum for life sciences to encourage broad dialogue and engagement;
developing and coordinating horizon-scanning capabilities to identify promising emerging technologies with high potential for life sciences.
Action items (8)
European Biotech Act
Planned for Q3 2026.As a cornerstone of the EU’s Life Sciences Strategy, the law will make Europe the most attractive place for biotech by 2030 by speeding approvals and risk assessments without compromising safety, unlocking risk-tolerant finance and biomanufacturing scale, building EU-wide clusters/infrastructure, closing skills gaps, and enabling trusted AI/data use (incl. supercomputing and EHDS links). It tackles single-market fragmentation across health, agri-food, industrial and marine biotech, strengthening competitiveness and economic security. Expected impacts of the law includes faster time-to-market, deeper investment pipelines, resilient supply chains and environmental benefits, supported by strong EU governance.
European Innovation Act
Planned for Q1 2026.It will create horizontal, Single-Market-wide conditions to accelerate deployment and diffusion of innovation. The law will (i) simplify and make rules more innovation-friendly (incl. regulatory sandboxes), (ii) unlock IP-backed finance and improve access to EU/national funding, (iii) open research & technology infrastructures to companies, (iv) make public/private procurement more supportive of novel solutions, (v) improve commercialisation of publicly funded R&I (i.e. IP, standardisation, certification), (vi) enable talent attraction/retention (e.g. employee ownership schemes), and (vii) establish EU–Member State coordination of innovation policy, helping to close the EU’s innovation gap.
European Life Sciences R&I Data Assembly
Planned for 2026.The assembly will be a key governance instrument under the EU’s new Life Sciences Strategy. It will bring together Member State authorities responsible for data, AI, and R&I with relevant EU bodies to tackle fragmentation, support consistent interpretation of legal data frameworks, and improve cross-regulatory coordination. By aligning approaches across domains such as the EHDS, Data Governance Act, and AI Act, the Assembly will create a more coherent data environment for life science research and innovation, enabling breakthroughs in genomics, personalised medicine, One Health, and biodiversity through shared, interoperable datasets and harmonised rules.
Horizon Europe 2026-2027
The next work programme will channel major investments into Europe’s industrial and scientific transformation. A €600 million flagship call under the Clean Industrial Deal will bridge R&I and deployment, fostering synergies with the Innovation Fund and supporting fusion through new PPPs. In life sciences, the Commission will establish a network of ATMP Centres of Excellence (€4 million), pilot stepwise collaborative health research funding, and invest €50 million in multi-modal genAI for biomedical research. €170 million will support a new health–climate agenda, complemented by global research collaboration and foresight on life sciences skills.
Virtual Human Twins Incubator
Planned until 2027.The incubator will accelerate market uptake and clinical use of next-generation “virtual human” models. Backed by €8 million under the Digital Europe Work Programme 2025–2027, it will fund testbeds, validation studies and pilots, helping innovators demonstrate safety, effectiveness and regulatory readiness for use in clinical trials and investigations. The incubator will convene regulators, HTA bodies, hospitals and SMEs to align evidence requirements, foster interoperability and ethics-by-design, and de-risk adoption across Member States. Complementary €25 million investment in European genomic data infrastructure in 2026, aligned with the EHDS, will strengthen the data backbone powering virtual twins.
Choose Europe Package
Choose Europe will co-fund recruitment programmes that link MSCA grants to long-term positions, tackling precarity and drawing top researchers to Europe, including in AI. It sits within a wider talent-magnet approach: a new Visa Strategy to better use the Students & Researchers and Blue Card Directive, pilots of Multipurpose Legal Gateway Offices, and an EU Talent Pool plus a 2030 target to host at least 350,000 non-EU tertiary graduates annually. Complementary quantum actions include a European Quantum Talent Mobility Programme and a Pilot for Researchers-in-Residence in quantum startups. Together, this integrates R&I careers, mobility and immigration tools into one offer.
Public Procurement Reform
Planned for Q2 2026.The Commission will overhaul the EU procurement framework to make public spending a strategic lever for competitiveness, security and innovation. The revision will enable sustainability, resilience and European-preference criteria in strategic sectors, while staying consistent with EU and international commitments. It will simplify and digitise procedures, embed once-only data reuse, curb overspecification, and promote innovation-friendly tools (e.g. outcome-based/R&D purchases, clearer IP clauses). Rules will be consolidated across legislation to ease use by all administrations and open tenders to startups and SMEs. Defence and security procurement will be modernised and cross-border aggregation strengthened to create lead markets and scale.
Medical Omnibus
Planned for 2026.The Commission will be ready to propose a targeted legislative package to simplify EU rules for medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics while safeguarding patient safety and public health, including in health emergencies. This follows a targeted evaluation of the MDR/IVDR to address identified bottlenecks and facilitate firms’ operations across the Single Market. Complementary enablers, such as the European Business Wallet, will reduce administrative barriers by enabling secure, verified data and credential sharing for compliance processes. The initiative aligns with the Life Sciences Strategy’s drive to streamline regulation and speed market access for innovation, especially for startups and SMEs.