Life Sciences and Health

Amsterdam is an innovative and dense Life Sciences and Health hub, thanks to its concentration of many forward-thinking and collaborative research institutions, hospitals, universities, companies and startups. The European Medicine Agency (EMA) has also been based in Amsterdam since 2019, serving as a catalyst for LSH business and conferences. The city also has its own Life Sciences District in the grounds of Amsterdam University Medical Centre (UMC), including a new Medical Business Park – providing communal lab facilities and offices where purpose-driven medical companies and research institutions can work and collaborate.

What makes Amsterdam a great place for Life Sciences and Health events

• Amsterdam has many internationally renowned universities, academic hospitals and research institutions, including Netherlands Cancer Institute and Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.
• It is home to Europe’s densest and most innovative life sciences and health community.
• The city consistently ranks highly among various LSH indices, such as the Nature Index Research Leaders (4th in Europe for health sciences research output, per 2024 data), Health Consumer Powerhouse's Euro Health Consumer Index (2nd since 2018) and Statista’s ranking of European health systems (5th in 2023).
• The European Medicines Agency relocated here in 2020, partly due to the influential nature of the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB).
• There are over 300 life sciences companies, including the national blood bank Sanquin, vaccine maker Wacker Biotech, AI and machine learning MedTech firm PacMed, and pharmaceutical firm Abbvie.
• It is also very well-connected, with excellent transport links and extremely fast digital connectivity.

Life Sciences and Health Conferences in Amsterdam

Several associations have chosen to host their event in Amsterdam. This includes the World Congress of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), the International AIDS Society Conference, the Alzheimer's Association's International Conference, the European Society of Cardiology's Annual Congress, and the European Hematology Association congress.

More recently, Amsterdam has also hosted the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). In October 2025, the city is set to host the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP).

How Amsterdam Convention Bureau can help

The Amsterdam Convention Bureau can help you organise impactful conferences and meetings that truly add value for delegates, local businesses and residents alike. We work independently and offer a number of free services, including arranging tailored initiatives designed to make a local impact and amplify your event’s goals. Read more, for example, about how ACB helped facilitate free public liver testing at Amsterdam RAI for the EASL Congress 2025, or about how our collaboration with the local organisation, Pijn Alliantie in Nederland (PA!N), brought the 50th edition of the World Congress ISAP to life. Contact our team to help you connect and find the right locations in Amsterdam for your event or answer any questions about hosting meetings.