ViennaUP is back from 18 to 22 May 2026, bringing a renewed focus on health tech to Austria’s capital. This year’s edition places life sciences in the spotlight, introducing new formats that connect participants with global industry leaders, showcase emerging innovations, and highlight the technologies set to shape the future of healthcare.
Set within one of Europe’s most established life sciences hubs, the festival offers more than a typical startup gathering. Attendees will experience Vienna as a thriving centre of research and entrepreneurship, while exploring funding opportunities, building meaningful partnerships, and engaging directly with the people driving transformation across the health tech landscape.
Vienna: a home for health
It’s unsurprising that ViennaUP – one of Europe’s largest startup festivals – is choosing to highlight the life sciences sector; health pioneers have long lived and worked in Vienna. It’s a city of knowledge and research, and one of Europe’s flourishing life science hubs. This, in turn, has attracted global leaders in the fields of pharmaceuticals, biotech, medtech and digital technologies to conduct research, production, sales, and distribution.
The prosperous Viennese life sciences sector is evidenced by numerous large pharma companies such as Boehringer Ingelheim and Takeda setting up major operations in the city. 754 life sciences organisations employing 49,000 people call Vienna home. The billions of euros in investments that flow into this sector every year and the dozens of prominent international science conferences annually speak to Vienna’s appeal, drawing local and international talent.
It’s not just large enterprises finding the location attractive. The past years have seen a large number of medical technology startups spring to life. Companies like Cellectric Biosciences, Cutanos, HeartBeat Bio, and LoopLab have been able to achieve breakthroughs and develop pioneering technologies, thanks in part to the great funding opportunities Vienna offers.
What else makes their success possible? An ecosystem which is home to top labs, research facilities and life sciences centres. These make hugely valuable contributions to improving health all around the world, including in Vienna, which offers its residents state-of-the-art medicine and affordable access to high-quality care and health services. In fact, in March 2026, the University Hospital Vienna and the university hospitals of the Medical University of Vienna were ranked 20th in the World’s Best Hospitals 2026 ranking by Newsweek and Statista.
Vienna is not just investing in the here and now for life sciences; the future looks bright, too, with a hotly-anticipated Life Sciences Center Vienna set to level up the city’s offer for life science and AI researchers.
Not your usual conference
ViennaUP is a truly dynamic startup event, where entrepreneurs, pioneers, investors and visionaries come together each year. Tech gurus and AI experts mingle with investor angels and the big names in the startup ecosystem at over 35 events with more than 10,000 participants across the city. The festival is decentralised and community-driven, giving visitors the chance to get to know Vienna like a local and experience the cosmopolitan metropolis it is.
Over 30 event partners provide an accessible, authentic celebration of the startup environment in Vienna. Initiated by the Vienna Business Agency for the City of Vienna, the festival is now in its sixth edition and artfully combines exciting formats with hot business topics, from AI and finance to sustainability and impact.
The place to be for innovative trailblazers
This year’s festival reflects the city’s status as a centre of excellence in the fields of health, technology, life sciences, and research. Health startups in Vienna are using the momentum to found in the city and scale across borders. Now, startups from around the region and the world have an opportunity to meet the who’s who of the Viennese health tech ecosystem at ViennaUP. There are several exclusive health tech events within a programme packed with forward-thinking talks, conferences, and workshops. Beyond the usual panel discussions and networking opportunities, these events offer health tech startups the chance to take centre stage and pitch their solutions.
- From Pitch to Patient – 19th May. This event brings together startups, healthcare professionals, and experts to explore how digital health and AI solutions can move beyond ideas and pitches to real-world clinical implementation and patient care.
- Connect Day 26 – 19th May. Connect Day 26 will feature a MedTech & Life Sciences focus topic running through interactive panels, expert Q&As, and startup pitches.
- The Future of Health and Age Tech: Pitch Session – 20th May. This session sees exciting startups in the industry pitch future solutions in healthcare and age tech.
- Onco:Innovate Conference – 21st May. Discover emerging trends in oncology and learn about groundbreaking solutions in this multidisciplinary conference.
- Longevity Business Forum – 21st May. How can we extend not just lifespan, but healthspan? Leaders from science, healthcare, technology and investment meet to answer this question.
Secure tickets for ViennaUP 2026 (18 – 22 May) today to dive into a health capital in the heart of Europe. Get to know the Viennese startup ecosystem and meet investors, founders, and talents revolutionising the medical technologies field.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/03/viennaup-2026-puts-health-tech-and-life-sciences-in-the-spotlight-sponsored/
