Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
German biotechnology company BioNTech has announced plans to cut between 950 and 1,350 positions worldwide by the end of 2026.
The restructuring programme will mainly affect its late-stage mRNA manufacturing site in Germany and research operations in Europe and in the United States. In Germany, around 250 to 350 jobs are expected to be lost in Marburg, and up to 150 in Idar-Oberstein.
The decision follows a steep financial downturn, with BioNTech reporting a net loss of approximately €700 million in 2024. The restructuring supports BioNTech’s strategic shift towards developing mRNA-based cancer therapies, with the first approvals anticipated by 2026.
Alongside the layoffs, the company plans to create 800 to 1,200 new jobs, notably expanding its Mainz headquarters (the business expansion was recorded in the ERM database: BioNTech 2022-DE.
Founded in 2008, BioNTech is headquartered in Mainz, Germany, and focuses on individualised immunotherapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The company operates in Germany, the UK, Austria, France, the Netherlands, the United States, Singapore, China, Turkey, and Australia. Rwanda employs about 7,000 people worldwide.
Updated, 27/02/2026: BioNTech has announced the closure of its Austrian subsidiary by 30 June 2026. As a result, 27 jobs will be cut at its site in Vienna. The terminations affect all employee groups at the facility, with the first redundancies registered to begin as of 31 March 2026.
Eurofound (2025), BioNTech, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 202675, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/202675.