Europe Doesn't Lack Science. It Lacks Bridges.

Europe excels in science. Knowledge for Growth 2026 in Antwerp demonstrated this once again.

The quality of research, the level of expertise in biotech, pharma, medtech and digital health, and the vitality of the Belgian and European life sciences ecosystem are remarkable. The ambition is there. The knowledge is there. The entrepreneurial spirit is there too.

But that is not enough.

Key Takeaways

• Europe does not lack scientific excellence. The real challenge begins after discovery.
• To create real impact, promising ideas need stronger alignment between science, funding, technology, communication and execution.
• Knowledge for Growth highlights the essential role of ecosystems: innovation moves faster when researchers, companies, investors and experts connect early enough.
• For Akkodis, this is precisely where our added value lies: at the intersection of science, technology and practical implementation.

Scientific Excellence Is Only the Beginning

Europe excels in science. Knowledge for Growth 2026 in Antwerp demonstrated this once again.

The quality of research, the level of expertise in biotech, pharma, medtech and digital health, and the vitality of the Belgian and European life sciences ecosystem are remarkable. The ambition is there. The knowledge is there. The entrepreneurial spirit is there too.

But that is not enough.

A scientific breakthrough does not automatically become an innovation. A promising research result does not spontaneously turn into a deployable solution. And a high-potential idea does not, on its own, reach patients, companies or the market.

When an idea needs to be made understandable for investors. When it needs to be translated into a clinical, regulatory or industrial pathway. When technology, data, compliance and execution need to come together. When the right partners need to be convinced to engage at the right moment.

This is precisely where Europe still too often faces barriers.

The issue is not science. It is the path towards impact.

From Innovation to Impact

Discussions around life sciences in Europe often focus on innovation. Rightly so. But the topic needs to be framed more precisely.

Europe does not only need more innovation. It needs a better transition from innovation to impact.

Recent market signals point in the same direction. At the beginning of 2026, the European Life Sciences Coalition highlighted a structural issue: Europe remains very strong in research, but attracts significantly less growth capital than other regions. At the same time, many biotech companies are still considering IPOs on markets outside the European Union.

This is not a detail. It is a signal about confidence, speed and the ability to scale.

When strong ideas leave Europe at the moment when they need capital, partners and industrial strength, we do not only lose companies. We also lose knowledge, talent, jobs, production capabilities and, ultimately, impact for patients.

Four Connections to Strengthen

To turn science into impact, four dimensions need to be better connected.

Communication

The first is communication. This is not about oversimplifying science, but about making it clearer. A discovery that remains understood only within a laboratory environment will have more difficulty being funded, shared or deployed.

Funding

The second is funding. Many projects do not only need capital. They need capital at the right moment. Too early, the risk may seem too high. Too late, momentum has already been lost.

Competence

The third is competence. Innovation in life sciences no longer relies solely on scientific excellence. It also requires engineering, AI, data, validation, clinical expertise, regulatory knowledge and a deep understanding of industrial realities.

Partnership

The fourth is partnership. No organisation can bring a complex innovation to practical application alone. The strongest advances emerge when research, industry, technology, investors and specialised experts connect from the early stages, not when everything is already fixed.

When one of these connections is missing, innovation slows down. When they reinforce one another, impact becomes possible.

The Power of Life Sciences Ecosystems

This is what makes ecosystems such as Knowledge for Growth so valuable.

Not because a conference creates innovation on its own. But because it brings together the people who need to exchange ideas.

Researchers connect with companies. Start-ups meet investors. Industrial players discover new technologies. Experts identify both the potential of an idea and the conditions needed to move it forward.

These exchanges are not secondary. In a sector where speed, trust and expertise often make the difference, they can determine whether an idea remains a promise or finds the means to progress.

For Belgium, this matters.

For Europe, it is essential.

Clarity Is a Strategic Capability

During their workshop, our Akkodis experts Camille Turlure, Sander Hulsmans and Yuwen Gu addressed a question that is too often underestimated: why do scientific messages get lost?

At first glance, this may seem like a communication topic.

In reality, it is a strategic topic.

If a scientific message is not clear enough for an investor, funding becomes more difficult. If the value of a technology is not properly translated for a partner, collaboration becomes more complex. If results are not explained consistently, trust erodes.

Clarity is therefore not a final step. It is an integral part of the value chain.

In life sciences, communication directly influences the ability of knowledge to move beyond complexity and become a driver of trust, collaboration and action.

Connecting Science with Implementation

For Akkodis, this debate about ecosystems is not abstract. It is our daily reality.

Our teams work precisely where science becomes complex: when ideas need to be translated into processes, systems, data, validation, compliance, clinical pathways and industrial execution.

This requires more than expertise.

It requires profiles capable of connecting disciplines. People who understand science, but also the constraints of implementation. Experts who can connect technology to regulatory realities, project pressure, quality requirements and business objectives.

This is what the next phase of life sciences in Europe needs.

From Scientific Excellence to Real-World Impact

Not only more ideas. But a stronger ability to turn them into reality.

Europe has the assets. It now needs to connect them better.

Knowledge for Growth 2026 confirmed one thing above all: Europe has many strengths.

Recognised scientific excellence. Solid technological expertise. Clinical and regulatory experience. A dynamic entrepreneurial fabric. High-quality ecosystems. And professionals who work every day to shape the future of health and biotech.

But the future is not built with science alone.

It is built with what we are able to do with that science.

By connecting faster. By translating better. By funding more intelligently. By collaborating more effectively. And by scaling with greater coherence.

I am proud that Akkodis is part of this ecosystem and that we contribute to transforming scientific progress into concrete industrial and societal impact.

Would you like to know how Akkodis supports life sciences organisations, from discovery to scale-up? Contact our team.