For years, Portugal sat just outside Europe’s main biotech conversation: scientifically credible, strong in research, but too small, too fragmented and too thinly financed to compete with the established hubs in Switzerland, the UK, France, Germany or the Nordics. That view is becoming harder to defend. Portugal still does not have the scale of Europe’s top biotech markets, but it is building something more durable than a collection of isolated startups.
Clean Food Group to scale yeast-based oils with £4.5m in the bank
Latest NewsClean Food Group has secured £4.5 million from a group of investors led by Clean Growth Fund and New Agrarian, together with £700,000 in non-dilutive funding from Innovate UK. The London-based biotech will use the funds to accelerate the ramp-up of the world’s largest yeast-based oils and fats facility in Knowsley, Liverpool.
BioNTech reports promising Phase II data for uterine cancer ADC
Latest NewsMainz‑based biotech BioNTech has presented compelling Phase II data for its compound trastuzumab pamirtecan. The antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) was evaluated in patients with advanced uterine cancer who had previously undergone multiple lines of treatment.
Basilea lands US$6m CARB X boost for novel antibiotic
Latest NewsAmid chronic under-investments in new antibacterial weapons, Basilea Pharmaceutica has secured an additional US$6 million from CARB‑X to fund the first‑in‑human Phase I trial of a novel Gram‑negative antibiotic now entering early clinical development. The compound BAL2420 targets LptA, part of the lipopolysaccharide transport bridge that Gram negative bacteria rely on to build their outer membrane.
SLAS Announces the Cohort for Innovation AveNEW at SLAS Europe 2026
BackgroundTwelve emerging life science startups to showcase enabling technologies at the SLAS European Conference and Exhibition in Vienna, 19-21 May 2026
Jeito Capital raises record US$1.2bn to bankroll European biopharma’s next generation
Latest NewsJeito Capital has closed its second dedicated biopharma fund, Jeito II, on a record US$1.2 billion (€1 billion), making it the largest fund ever raised by a fully independent European biopharma-focused private equity firm. The move firmly places Jeito among the leading global backers of clinical stage innovation.
Gilead acquires German ADC specialist Tubulis in US$5bn deal
Latest NewsFor Tubulis, the time for an exit has arrived: US based pharma group Gilead is set to pay up to US$5bn for the biotech’s ADC expertise.
Portugal’s biotech industry is growing up
Background, Latest NewsFor years, Portugal sat just outside Europe’s main biotech conversation: scientifically credible, strong in research, but too small, too fragmented and too thinly financed to compete with the established hubs in Switzerland, the UK, France, Germany or the Nordics. That view is becoming harder to defend. Portugal still does not have the scale of Europe’s top biotech markets, but it is building something more durable than a collection of isolated startups.
The rollercoaster ride stopps and danish IO Biotech goes bust
Latest NewsThe Copenhagen-based cancer immunotherapy company IO Biotech has come to an abrupt end, marking one of the more sobering recent failures in Europe’s mid-cap biotech segment. Founded in 2019, the company had sought to position itself at the forefront of therapeutic cancer vaccines, but a decisive clinical and regulatory setback ultimately proved insurmountable.
French AI: 20 million funding for Generare to find better data in nature
Latest NewsFrench Generare, founded in 2023, is positioning itself at the intersection of synthetic biology and artificial intelligence by tackling what many in the sector now see as a fundamental bottleneck: the lack of genuinely novel molecular data.
Lilly moves deeper into sleep medicine with up to $7.8 billion Centessa deal
Latest NewsEli Lilly has agreed to acquire UK-based Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth up to $7.8 billion, giving the pharma giant a high-profile entry into one of biotech’s most closely watched neuroscience fields: orexin biology. The companies announced a definitive agreement on March 31, 2026.