The Life Science sector in Brussels
Breakthroughs in Medicine Valley
For patients, doctors and researchers, life sciences and medical
technology are industries that race against time. And Belgium—with the Brussels-Capital Region at its head—dares to beat the clock.
Belgium is both the central life sciences hub of Europe and a powerhouse in pharmaceutical research and drug exports. That’s based on our strong research capabilities, R&D investment, and policy support. Moreover, the highest per capita medical research and development investment in Europe has made Belgium one of three “medicine valleys” in the world. The Brussels Capital Region not only has three academic hospitals (Brussels UZ, Erasme Hospital and Saint-Luc Hospital, as well as the Jules Bordet Institute, which is dedicated to fighting cancer), but is also a pioneer in the research of rare diseases and the development of new drugs.
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Facts and figures
Brussels
- Main fields of expertise: Clinical trials, E-health and MedTech
- Clinical trial: highest rate for CT authorizations in the EU (47/1 Mio capita)
- E-health: 50% Brussels citizens have given their consent for EMR
- All 18 Brussels hospitals & 9.000 healthcare professionals use the EMR
- 69,000 jobs in healthcare and social care
Belgium
- 20,000 jobs in the MedTech industry
- € 3.5 billion turnover from the MedTech industry
- 28,881 jobs in the Pharma industry
- € 65.5 billion turnover from the Pharma industry (including chemistry)
- R&D investment
Highest rate in the pharma / capital industry
Opportunities
- Oncology – 19% of all clinical trials related to cancer
worldwide are conducted in Brussels. - Pfizer – Located one of their two global Phase 1 clinical trial units in Brussels.
- International trials – BIG, Bordet Institute, De Duve Institute, EORTC and Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research run clinical trials in Brussels.
- Key sectors supported by the Brussels-Capital Region are
Digital health and Medical technologies.
- Priorities of the Region relate to continuity of care, patient empowerment, prevention and personalised medicine.
- MedTech Meetup – the largest Belgian MedTech inspiring and networking event.
- Finance&invest.brussels – The city’s public investment fund invests in medical device projects.
Ecosystem
CLUSTER LIFETECH.BRUSSELS
- Your entry door to the Brussels lifetech ecosystem
- Gathering 150 members
- Vision: accelerating the innovation to the benefit
of the patient - Services:
– Business support (regulatory, business development, fundraising,…)
– Networking events
– International missions
MEDTECH
- MedTech Accelerator®: Start-up annual program to accelerate the commercial deployment of MedTech innovations
- Over 35 projects and startups helped since 2016
- MedTech Atelier®: prototyping service
E-HEALTH
- € 4 million invested by Brussels-Capital Region over 4 years to foster the use of EMR
- 50% of Brussels residents have consented to having an EMR
- 100% usage of EMR in all 18 hospitals and by all 9,000 healthcare professionals in Brussels
- Connectathon the largest EMR interoperability event will be hosted in Brussels in 2020
CLINICAL TRIALS
- 47 authorised clinical trials / 1 Mio capita Highest rate of authorisation in the EU
- 18 hospitals 11 acute care and 7 psychiatric care
- 3 academic hospitals UZ Brussels, Erasme hospital and Saint-Luc hospital signed more than 300 new sponsored clinical studies / per year
R&D Incentives
- IP regime – Maximum effective tax rate of 3.75%
- Full amortisation of IP – IP investments can be fully amortised based on their useful life
- Investment deduction for R&D and patents – ‘On-top’ deduction of investment value in qualifying assets, amounting
to 13.5% (one-off) to 20.5% (spread° - Payroll withholding tax exemption – 80% exemption of payroll withholding tax is available to certain organisations
- Local and European grants – Numerous initiatives on a regional and European level to stimulate scientific research
and industrial development - Tax credit for R&D and patents – Investment deduction can be
converted into a tax credit for R&D and patents. Unused credit can be refunded after 5 year
