Evolution of the Healthtech sector during the COVID-19 pandemic

For the third consecutive year, the Luxembourg healthtech sector organised its annual event. This provided an opportunity to take stock of the evolution of a sector that is on the front line in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot, underlined the importance of the sector in the economic diversification policy and announced the advent of a future financing mechanism favouring public-private partnerships in the medical sector.

Organised in digital version by the Luxembourg HealthTech Cluster, managed by Luxinnovation, and the Ministry of the Economy, the event "Overcoming COVID-19: The response of the Luxembourg healthtech sector" brought together around 100 representatives of the health technology sector. It provided an opportunity to take stock of the development of this key sector of the national economy.

"The Healthtech sector was chosen by the government about 10 years ago as one of the priority sectors to diversify our economy," said Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot, at the opening of the conference. "It is still young and characterised by a high number of small companies. Among the companies established in Luxembourg, we have some hidden champions, with unique expertise who are renowned beyond our borders."

136 private companies

According to the data from the latest sector mapping updated on the occasion of this event, the healthtech sector in Luxembourg includes 136 private companies. It employed nearly 1,880 people in 2020. These data, which are the result of a collaboration between the Ministry of the Economy, the HealthTech Cluster and the "Market intelligence" department of Luxinnovation, can now be consulted interactively online on the Luxembourg HealthTech Cluster website, where it will be updated several times a year.

During the conference "Overcoming COVID-19: The response of the Luxembourg Healthtech sector," six companies also spoke about how they have had to adapt their business models, or even reinvent themselves, in order to improve their resilience and strengthen their long-term sustainability. They did this notably by investing in the digitalisation of their activities and by product and/or service innovation.

Like other companies in the sector, they received support through various public aid mechanisms, the range of which will soon be extended. "A new funding mechanism, favouring public-private partnerships for the medical sector, will soon be announced," stated Minister Fayot. This new mechanism will be unveiled on 1 April.

Innovation through collaboration

Within the national innovation and research agency, Luxinnovation, the Luxembourg HealthTech Cluster's primary mission is to bring together companies from the medical technology, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics and health industries and to support them in order to meet the multidimensional challenges of the sector.

"At Luxinnovation, we are very proud to have been able to support companies that have innovated to face this crisis. However, we are aware that there is still a lot to be done, including in the short term," said Jean-Philippe Arié, the manager of the Luxembourg HealthTech Cluster. "In a sector characterised by a great diversity of hyper-specialised players, the implementation of broad and sometimes unexpected collaborations is a daily challenge. However, these partnerships accelerate the market launch of innovative solutions. Our role, as an innovation agency, is to be a leading player in these relationships, both in the context of this crisis and in the longer term."

Press release my the Ministry of the Economy