Takeda is Cutting up to 200 Jobs in Vienna and Putting its New Seestadt Lab on Hold
A month ago, the Japanese Embassy, the local government, and Takeda celebrated the opening of new office buildings and the partnership between the two countries. Additional projects and the expansion of Takeda's infrastructure and workforce were also underway at the same time. It was supposed to be a milestone for Austria as a hub for research and innovation, but now reality has set in: Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda is embarking on a massive restructuring.
In Seestadt Aspern, Vienna, Takeda's life sciences laboratory, which was set to accommodate approximately 250 researchers concentrating on oncology and rare diseases, now faces uncertainty regarding its operational future. / Picture: © Vienna Business Agency / LOVE architecture and urbanism ZT GmbH / Lorenz Consulting
As the daily newspaper “Die Presse” reported exclusively, the company is planning a wave of layoffs in Austria, eliminating approximately 200 jobs. This is particularly bitter news for the capital: Takeda has now decided not to put into operation the project in Vienna’s Seestadt Aspern—the state-of-the-art “Laboratory of the Future”—which was only completed in May 2026 and cost hundreds of millions.
New Leadership at the Top Brings Global Transformation
The backdrop to these tough cost-cutting measures is a profound strategic shift at the top of the company. In June 2026, top executive Julie Kim took over as global CEO from Christophe Weber, who had previously led the company for eleven years. Kim is steering the long-established corporation through a global transformation. According to the company, the goal is to “strengthen competitiveness, improve the long-term growth profile, and continue to ensure reliable access to vital therapies.” As part of this shift, the focus is now increasingly on standardizing and simplifying workflows to prioritize resources more effectively.
In Austria, this restructuring primarily affects the research and development (R&D) functions in the biologics division in Vienna. Takeda has not yet confirmed the exact number of employees, as negotiations regarding a severance plan are still ongoing; however, the company told the APA that the final number of affected jobs could be just under 200. The affected employees have already been offered career counseling services to help them find new career paths.
The “Laboratory of the Future” is seeking a subtenant effective immediately
The most far-reaching consequence affects Vienna’s Seestadt Aspern (Donaustadt). Just a few weeks ago, in May 2026, construction of a massive life sciences laboratory was completed there. Following the ceremonial groundbreaking in September 2023—which had been actively supported by representatives of the federal and Vienna municipal governments—hundreds of millions were invested in the 25,000 to 28,000-square-meter site. Originally, around 250 top researchers were supposed to begin working there this year on groundbreaking cancer therapies and drugs for rare diseases.
That will no longer happen on Takeda’s part. The company announced that it is discontinuing certain R&D activities in the field of biologics in Austria. Instead, management is now actively seeking a new tenant. The goal is to transfer the existing infrastructure to another organization or company in the life sciences industry so that innovation can continue there.
Fierce Criticism from Unions and the Opposition
Reactions from politicians and employee representatives were not long in coming, as reported by ORF. Bettina Wucherer, executive director of GPA-Vienna, called it a “bitter blow for employees” and identified massive damage to “Vienna as a hub for innovation.” She noted that budget cuts are now being made precisely where highly qualified jobs of the future were supposed to be created.
Sharp criticism also came from the FPÖ. The party’s economic spokesperson, Barbara Kolm, described the failed lab project as a symptom of “a lack of location policy” and blamed a “record-high tax rate” as well as “runaway bureaucracy” for the withdrawal.
Yet until recently, Takeda was considered a model company in Vienna. As recently as March, Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig had praised the pharmaceutical company at the SPÖ caucus meeting as a key leader in future-oriented industries.
Austria Remains a Key Market for Plasma-Based Therapies
Despite the bad news, Takeda is working to minimize the damage and emphasizes that Austria will remain a central hub in its global network in the future. The company currently employs more than 4,000 people in Austria (up to 4,500, according to its website) at its sites in Vienna, Linz, and Orth an der Donau.
Vienna is regarded worldwide as one of the leading production sites for plasma-based therapies. Together with Octapharma, Takeda processes approximately four million liters of blood plasma annually in the Austrian capital, equivalent to nearly one-fifth of the global volume. These life-saving products are needed by patients with immunodeficiencies, hemophilia, or rare genetic disorders. Takeda assured that plasma-based research and the entire value chain will remain in Austria. Further investments are also planned for the remaining production facilities in Vienna and Linz, where medications for chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease are manufactured.
A World of Contrast: Grand Opening in Vienna-Meidling
Just a few weeks ago, it became clear just how close joy and sorrow can be within the same corporation: In May, Takeda Pharma Austria, led by General Manager Rebecca Fowler, celebrated the grand opening of its newly redesigned office location in Vienna-Meidling. To mark the global corporation’s 245th anniversary (founded in 1781 in Osaka), the location in the 12th district was extensively modernized under the architectural guiding principle of “Tsunagu” (Japanese for “to connect”).
The ceremonial sake ceremony in May was attended by, among others, the Japanese Ambassador to Austria, H.E. Iwama Kiminori, as well as Meidling District Chairman Wilfried Zankl. At the time, the ambassador praised the company’s active and expanding economic activities in Austria. While the administrative and sales core in the modernized Meidling facility thus appears to be solidified, the scientific sector of cutting-edge biological research in Vienna now faces an uncertain and difficult restructuring.