The Lithuanian biotechnology industry has been developing since the 1990s and is regarded as one of the most sophisticated in Central and Eastern Europe. It is estimated that the sector employs 700 people, including 160 R&D employees, while its total annual revenues exceed EUR 50 million. The success of the Lithuanian biotechnology industry has been reinforced by the return of Lithuanian scientists who had spent over a few years abroad.

However, the potential goes beyond this with a pool of a pool of 18,000 R&D researchers and specialists in Lithuania today. 15 research institutions carry out chemical and biochemical research on protein, enzymes and nucleic acid for pharmaceutical purposes. 16 institutions, including five major universities, train biotechnology and business specialists in cooperation with both domestic and foreign biotechnology companies. 

Industrial biotechnology

Lithuania has highly developed agricultural and forestry sectors. Industrial biotechnology became a rapidly growing sector of Lithuanian economy in the past decade, especially production of biofuel, and is going to continue growing in the years to come. Annually Lithuania produce excess of biomass that can be reproduced to biofuel:

• around 1.0 million tons of surplus grain
• more than 4.5 million tons of residual biomass and waste products from stockbreeding
• more than 2.5 million m3 of forestry residues are formed during wood manufacturing

Success stories: Thermofisher, TEVA, Fermentas, SICOR Biotech, BIOK, Biocentras, Traidenis etc. More success stories