BioWin Spearheads Talent Now, a Unique Initiative to Tackle Recruitment Shortages and Challenges in the Healthtech Industry

BioWin, the health cluster of Wallonia, today announces the launch of `Talent Now’, a new initiative aiming to tackle the recruitment challenges in the biotech and medtech industry in Belgium. For the first time, public and private parties join forces to respond to the specific and urgent requirements of companies in need of talent recruitment in the biotechnology and healthtech sectors.

The partners in this unique initiative include leading private companies GSK, UCB, Univercells, ThermoFisher, Takeda and Janssen. The project also has the support of the Walloon Government, represented by Christie Morreale, Vice-President of the Walloon Government and Minister of Employment, Training and Health and Willy Borsus, Vice-President of Wallonia and Minister of Economy, Research and Innovation.

“We are thrilled that this initiative enables a fruitful collaboration between clusters, leading companies and public players in the region. It has become critical for life sciences sectors such as biomanufacturing and cell and gene therapies to inform, attract and retain expert talents while enabling continuing education and training to maintain our global competitiveness,” said Christie Morreale, Vice-President of the Walloon Government.

“It is our ambition to collaborate on a national and European level to find immediate solutions to the talent shortage in the life sciences industry. It’s time to give it a strategic boost to support innovative Walloon healthtech companies and our economic growth by engaging expert talents, and continue to strengthen the Belgian biopharmaceutical ecosystem,” explained Vice-President of Wallonia and Minister of Economy, Research and Innovation.

The`Talent Now’ project is based on the outcome of a quantitative and qualitative study, performed by BioWin in 2019 and 2020, on the needs of biopharma, medical technology and data science companies. The study findings highlight the shortage of very diverse profiles at different education levels (high and medium skilled master’s and bachelor’s) in large, medium and small companies. Specific roles that are highly in demand include scientists, project managers, engineers, production technicians, operators and developers.

With the Covid-19 crisis, the need for these profiles has been amplified, especially in biomanufacturing and R&D. One of the eight recommendations of the report is to develop a dedicated, expert consortium such as`Talent Now’.