Vienna has a long history of excellent scientific and medical research: Semmelweis, Billroth and Landsteiner are all part of this proud history. The traditions of the Second Vienna Medical School are expressed today in a focus on medical biotechnology centring on vaccinations, antiinfectives, immunology and oncology.

In the 1990s a vibrant life sciences scene began to develop in Vienna alongside the larger international corporations already located in the area. A recent study has revealed that Vienna is currently home to 140 life sciences companies with a total of about 10,000 employees. There are a further 3,800 researchers also active in the field at five universities and a wide variety of non-university research organisations.

Numerous international corporations have a presence in the Vienna area. In addition to pursuing their activities in the countries of Eastern and South Eastern Europe from their bases in Vienna, some of these subsidiaries also operate research and production facilities here such as Boehringer Ingelheim or Otto Bock.

Life science activities in Vienna are mostly centred around the following locations:
-   Campus Vienna Biocenter
-   Vienna General Hospital (AKH)
-   Novartis Campus
-   University of Natural Resources and Applied Life
    Sciences (BOKU), Technology Centre, Muthgasse
-   University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna

To support the life sciences community in the Vienna Region, Life Science Austria Vienna Region (LISA VR) has been founded in 2002. LISA VR is a joint initiative of the City of Vienna’s Centre for Innovation and Technology (ZIT) and the Austrian Republic, represented by austria airtschaftsservice GmbH (aws).

LISA VR serves as the central life sciences consultancy and coordination point in the Vienna Region, and supports researchers and entrepreneurs on their way to a successful future. LISA VR provides consultancy for business start-ups, preparation of business plans, and financing. It offers assistance in applying to national and regional funding programs and helps open up access to private financing. Furthermore LISA VR internationally promotes the Vienna Region as a location for life sciences.