Borderless location
Multiply your market access
Located at the intersection of Switzerland, France and Germany, the Basel Area offers effortless expansion across borders. With easy setup, low operating costs and one of Europe’s lowest tax burdens, it’s your most valuable discovery.
Multi-market entry, made easy
The Basel Area Life Sciences Supercluster sits at the crossroads of Switzerland, Germany and France, creating one of Europe’s most connected life sciences locations. Here, you’ll benefit from the power of three: triple the talent pool, triple the market access, and zero border friction.
From the Basel Area’s strategic location, entering some of the world’s biggest economies is literally a walk in the park, boosting customer reach and multinational clinical trial options in one step. But nothing gets lost in translation, our ecosystem runs in English. And with direct flights from Basel, Europe’s key capitals are all less than two hours away.
< 2 h flights to most of Europe
~ 1 h to Zurich Airport
Direct Flights to the U.S. & Asia
~ 15 min to Basel EuroAirport
Direct flights to European hubs
Your antidote to complex setup
The Basel Area lets you hit the ground running – and keep sprinting. Liberal labor laws and transparent migration rules make it easier to unlock global talent, while pragmatic authorities treat you as a partner. One‑stop permits and fast company registration turn setup time into market time.
Add Switzerland’s signature safety, stability and predictable regulation, alongside low taxes, turnkey workspaces and Basel’s strategic location with direct access to major European markets, and your capital starts working from day one.
"We chose Basel after surveying biotech hubs worldwide. The talent, ecosystem and government officials made it an excellent choice, while its central, beautiful setting easily attracts global recruits."
CEO of the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE)
"Our experience in setting up in Basel was similar to the city’s riverside current – effortless, smooth and refreshing. The support offered at launch let us focus on our operations with confidence."
Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of BeOne Medicines
Tax and incentives
Keep more of every breakthrough
De-risk your research with funding and deductions built for discoveries: access up to 25% cash incentives on R&D costs, alongside one of Europe’s lowest effective corporate tax rates.
Up to 25% cash incentives for R&D
The Basel Innovation Incentive Program rebates R&D salaries, equipment depreciation and Swiss clinical trial spend.
One of Europe’s lowest corporate tax rates
Taxes from 13% down to 10.7%, with R&D and patent box, plus 10-year holidays.
Add up to 50% more on R&D tax deductions
Up to 150% total R&D tax deductibility on qualifying Swiss-based research.
Basel’s Location Becomes Your Competitive Advantage
- Run multi-country clinical trials across Europe from Switzerland
- Access a larger cross-border, multi-lingual talent pool
- Reach 10 countries within an 8 hour drive
- Work within multiple regulatory environments in close proximity
- Travel easily between major European hubs
- Simplify international travel with direct flights to the U.S., Asia and beyond
- Centralize European operations in one accessible location
Let’s talk
Connect with us to learn more about funding, subsidies and tax incentives available for you in the Basel Area Life Sciences Supercluster.
FAQs
Basel is located in northwestern Switzerland at the intersection of Switzerland, France and Germany. This unique Basel location provides immediate cross-border access to multiple European markets, talent pools and partners.
The Basel Area is uniquely positioned at the crossroads of 3 countries, providing seamless access to European and global markets. With two international airports (Basel and Zurich), flights of under 2 hours available to major EU capitals and within an 8 hour drive of 10 countries, it’s ideal for HQs as well as regional coordination.
The Basel Area offers streamlined business registration, transparent labor and immigration laws, and pragmatic authorities. Permits are fast, and companies often start operations within weeks. For more information and free consulting services, get in touch with our team at investinbasel.com
Basel’s proximity to Switzerland, France and Germany allows companies to run multi-country clinical trials more efficiently, with access to diverse patient populations and leading hospitals.
Yes. The Basel Area offers one of Europe’s lowest effective corporate tax rates—10.7% with R&D deductions—and foreign life sciences companies can qualify for tax holidays of up to ten years. In addition, the Innovation Incentive Program provides up to 25% cash back on R&D salaries and equipment costs, while Innosuisse, Switzerland’s innovation agency, funds up to 50% of projects with academic partners. These incentives reduce risk and free up capital for growth and discovery.