Can collaboration close biopharma’s talent gap for good?

The biopharma industry is under mounting pressure, with an increasingly complicated global landscape reshaping everything from investment to innovation. The promise of groundbreaking therapeutics serves as a guiding light through the complexity ― but delivering such sophisticated treatments at scale demands deep expertise only obtainable through years of education and training. Do we have the experienced workforce we need at the ready? The answer, in short, is no.

In our latest installment of the Global Biopharma Index, more than a third of the 1250 industry leaders surveyed reported severe or critical shortages in workers to support novel drug modalities, such as cell and gene therapies, mRNA, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Other key drivers straining the biopharma talent pipeline include sustainability, manufacturing, and digital tools, including AI. These highly complex areas are simultaneously fostering rapid industry growth while also widening the skills gap.

So how can leaders adjust in time to secure biopharma talent to support the future of our industry?

We can start by building a bridge between academia and industry, helping to attract, train, and retain the best people at the source.

Biotechnology advancements of tomorrow are being worked on today in university labs around the world, but academia can’t compete with the salary and growth opportunities offered to top researchers in the commercial sector. Compounding the issue, current educational programs, including PhDs, are primarily tailored for R&D roles in industry but fall short in preparing professionals for specialized areas like process development or cGMP operations.

One way to overcome this obstacle is by universities and industry working together to provide an avenue for scientific exploration using the latest and greatest technology and products. Through public-private efforts, researchers can gain invaluable scientific knowledge using industry resources that prepare them for their future careers.

Take the Center of Excellence (CoE) established by Cytiva and the University College London (UCL) in 2018, for example. This collaboration fosters scientific discovery in smart biomanufacturing and genomic medicine, enabling research in areas that have high resource requirements, such as cell-free synthesis, lipid nanoparticles, and process analytical technologies (PAT).

Federal support can also be a powerful way to foster new biopharma talent. The Testa Center ― born from a collaboration between Cytiva and the Swedish government’s innovation agency, Vinnova ― provides open-access, modern lab facilities for academia, startups, and industry to develop, verify, and scale up bioprocess technologies. Using the center’s modern, pilot-scale testbed, Uppsala University conducts training sessions that allow students to interact with technical experts and gain hands-on practice with industrial processes. The opportunity to gain practical experience with advanced equipment and overcome current bioprocessing challenges bridges the gap between academic learning and real-world applications.

In 2023, about 4 out of 10 of our Resilience Index survey respondents weren’t confident that their country’s educational system could develop the talent needed to grow the biotech industry. The 2025 report shows us that educational challenges remain, with added concerns around barriers to hiring across borders. Only around one in three executives now believe their government supports workforce scaling or overseas recruitment.

With many of the industry’s pioneering minds approaching retirement, the key to preventing ongoing biopharma talent challenges from getting worse will be through sharing knowledge and resources to foster a wealth of opportunities that attract skilled workers and secure a successful future.

Cytiva is helping build and retain the biopharma talent the industry needs through our Fast Trak™ training and education program. For more than 35 years, we’ve supported our customers with hands-on bioprocessing training and troubleshooting so they can foster new skills and keep their workforce motivated to bring advanced therapeutics to the next level.

For biopharma to continue to thrive, we must create a diverse, sustainable, and well-trained talent pipeline. The latest index data tells us that the industry needs more collaboration with academia and support from government to adapt and develop curricula and programs that meet evolving needs. These efforts will better prepare a robust talent pool that can sustain the research, development, and commercialization of emerging technologies and therapies. From training and education to partnerships, companies and countries must invest in building their talent to secure a skilled and engaged workforce for the future.

For more information on how to overcome current biopharma talent challenges, explore the findings and recommendations from the latest Global Biopharma Index.