EU STEM Coalition welcomes new EU Life Sciences Strategy

Implementation Is Key

On July 2nd, 2025 the European Commission has unveiled its “Choose Europe for Life Sciences” strategy, aiming to position Europe as the world’s leading hub for life sciences by 2030. The initiative focuses on strengthening skills in AI, biotech, and STEM; supporting research careers; connecting education, science, and business; and attracting global talent.

Beatrice Boots, Chair of the EU STEM Coalition, welcomed the strategy as a bold step forward for Europe’s innovation agenda. “This is an ambitious move to reinforce Europe’s leadership in health, biotech, and sustainability-driven innovation,” she said. For more information on the strategy, click here to see the LinkedIn post. 

Education and Skills at the Core of Innovation

The EU STEM Coalition particularly applauds the strategy’s emphasis on education, skills development, and interdisciplinary cooperation. The Commission’s call for a “Union of Skills” and the integration of STEM curricula across all levels align strongly with the Coalition’s recent position paper.

Boots also noted the importance of creating a future-proof talent pipeline to support emerging areas like advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), One Health approaches, and AI-powered innovation.

Building on What Already Works

According to the EU STEM Coalition, successful implementation of the STEM Education Strategic Plan will be crucial to realising the strategy’s ambitions. Boots urged the Commission to better anchor these efforts in existing vocational education structures—especially through Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs).

Initiatives such as the Biotech CoVE in Austria and BioComp in the Netherlands and Belgium already provide strong foundations. These regional ecosystems connect education with innovation needs and should be scaled up in close alignment with the strategy.

The Coalition also recommends deeper integration with existing EU frameworks like the Pact for Skills, Smart Specialisation Strategies, and regional skills ecosystems to unlock the strategy’s full potential.

“Let’s ensure that ‘Choose Europe’ means choosing an integrated, inclusive, and education-driven approach to innovation,” Boots concluded. “Europe’s competitiveness in life sciences depends not only on excellent research but also on sustained investment in inclusive STEM skills pathways; from academic to vocational and lifelong learning.”

For more information on the strategy, click here to see the LinkedIn post. 

_{Published on eustemcoalition.eu on 3 July 2025}