The biotechnology and life sciences sector is establishing itself as one of the driving forces of the Portuguese economy, with exports set to reach a record value of around €5.6 billion in 2025, representing significant growth compared with the previous year. This performance stems from a dynamic ecosystem comprising around 124,000 companies and over 268,000 employees, with a strong focus on research, innovation and internationalisation.
Biotechnology, in particular, stands out for the development of high value-added solutions, ranging from advanced therapies and personalised medicine to digital health and artificial intelligence applied to the discovery of new drugs.
International events such as BIO-Europe Spring, held in Lisbon, reinforce this global visibility by fostering links between companies, investors and research centres.
The sector’s growth is driven by entities such as Biocant Park, CoLab AccelBio, iBET, GenIbet (part of Recipharm Advance Bio), and the University of Coimbra, which bring together science, industry and investment and strengthen the international profile of Portuguese innovation.