Life Science Instrumentation Market Size, Growth, Share & Trends Analysis

Rising investment in pharmaceutical R&D continues to drive the growth of the life science instrumentation market. Global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, supported by government funding and private capital, are significantly expanding their research pipelines and manufacturing infrastructure. This expansion increases demand for high-performance analytical, separation, imaging, and automation instruments crucial for genomics, proteomics, cell therapy, bioprocessing, and formulation workflows. The surge in R&D activities leads to greater needs for high-throughput screening, advanced molecular characterization, and data-driven process optimization. For example, • In October 2025, Merck broke ground on a USD 3 billion Center of Excellence for pharmaceutical manufacturing in Elkton, Virginia, to accelerate drug development and scale-up operations • In August 2025, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced an expansion into North Carolina with a 160,000+ sq. ft. biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility at Fujifilm Biotechnologies’ new site in Holly Springs, boosting biologics production capacity. • In September 2025, GSK revealed a $30 billion investment over the next five years to strengthen its R&D and supply chain infrastructure in the US. The UK-based firm stated this includes a $1.2 billion allocation for advanced manufacturing facilities and AI integration to develop next-generation biopharma factories and labs. • In July 2025, AstraZeneca announced a USD 50 billion investment plan in the U.S. through 2030, focused on establishing a new multi-billion-dollar manufacturing facility to produce drug substances for its weight-management and metabolic portfolio, including an oral GLP-1, baxdrostat, an oral PCSK9 inhibitor, and combination small-molecule products. This facility will focus on small molecules, peptides, and oligonucleotides, building on the company’s earlier USD 3.5 billion investment announced in November 2024. • In April 2025, Roche stated plans to invest USD 50 billion in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics in the U.S. over the next five years, aiming to strengthen its innovation and manufacturing capabilities. Such large-scale investments reflect a strong push toward advanced biologics and next-generation therapeutics, directly influencing demand for precision analytical instruments, chromatography systems, mass spectrometers, sequencing platforms, and lab automation solutions. Instrument manufacturers benefit from this momentum as pharmaceutical companies increasingly adopt integrated and digital research environments to improve efficiency, ensure regulatory compliance, and cut time-to-market. Additionally, the ongoing global focus on biologics, vaccines, and personalized medicine reinforces the long-term growth prospects for life science instrumentation, as these tools remain essential for discovery, validation, and production workflows throughout the drug development process. chain

The life science instrumentation market is facing a significant shortage of skilled professionals capable of efficiently operating, maintaining, and interpreting data from advanced analytical, imaging, and automation systems. Rapid advances in genomics, proteomics, and cell-based research have outpaced the number of trained experts, creating a growing gap between the complexity of modern instruments and user proficiency. This issue is especially severe in emerging regions, where limited access to specialized training, high technical requirements, and evolving digital workflows hinder adoption. As a result, research productivity and instrument utilization often suffer, prompting manufacturers and academic institutions to focus on workforce development, technical training programs, and user-friendly system designs to close the skills gap. For example, the Pistoia Alliance—a global non-profit promoting collaboration in life sciences R&D—released its 2025 Lab of the Future survey in partnership with Open Pharma Research, gathering insights from over 200 professionals across pharma, biotech, software, academia, and non-profits in Europe, the Americas, and APAC. The results show that more than 75% of life science laboratories plan to implement artificial intelligence (AI) within the next two years, with AI remaining the top investment priority for 63% of respondents for the third consecutive year. However, the survey also highlights a growing talent shortage, as 34% of participants cited the lack of qualified personnel as a major obstacle—up from 23% in 2024.

The growing expansion of CROs, CDMOs, and CTLs opens significant opportunities for the life science instrumentation market. As biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies increasingly outsource research, production, and quality assurance to improve efficiency and reduce costs, the demand for advanced analytical, imaging, separation, and automation tools is rapidly increasing. CROs and CDMOs depend on high-precision, high-throughput technologies to support drug discovery, formulation, and process optimization, while CTLs require robust systems to ensure product quality and regulatory compliance. This trend toward outsourcing continues to drive investment in next-generation instrumentation solutions that enhance accuracy, accelerate development timelines, and boost overall laboratory productivity. For instance, in October 2024, Samsung Biologics, a leading global CDMO, announced its largest-ever manufacturing contract with a major pharmaceutical company based in Asia, with production taking place at its state-of-the-art biomanufacturing facility in Songdo, South Korea. Earlier, in September 2024, Samsung Biologics launched two innovative biological development platforms, S-AfuCHO and S-OptiCharge. S-AfuCHO allows for the production of fucosylated antibodies with improved antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) for better therapeutic results, while S-OptiCharge serves as an upstream platform to optimize a molecule’s charge variant distribution. These developments underscore how CDMOs are fueling demand for advanced life science instrumentation to support innovative biology and manufacturing.

Inadequate healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies presents a significant challenge to the growth of the life science instrumentation market. Many developing countries face limitations in laboratory capacity, diagnostic facilities, and research infrastructure, which restrict the adoption of advanced analytical, imaging, and automation tools. Factors such as insufficient funding for healthcare and R&D, a shortage of skilled professionals, poor maintenance capabilities, and uneven distribution of healthcare resources between urban and rural areas further hinder market growth. Additionally, outdated laboratory setups and limited access to modern technologies slow down activities like clinical research, disease diagnosis, and drug development. Although government initiatives and public-private partnerships are being introduced to strengthen healthcare systems and research capabilities, the pace of infrastructure modernization remains slow compared to the rapid progress in science and technology. As a result, instrument manufacturers face barriers to market expansion, service delivery, and user training in these regions, emphasizing the need for sustained investment in healthcare infrastructure to enable the effective use of life science instrumentation. These emerging economies are experiencing continuous growth, which creates an ongoing need for advancements in their healthcare systems. The rapidly growing population in these areas increases pressure on medical services. While higher healthcare spending and funding initiatives support infrastructure development to some degree, challenges persist. These include an increasing number of patients with chronic diseases and high treatment costs that are often limited by reimbursement options.