Deep Tech Ecosystem Report 2026 Reveals Top Domains, Locations & Salaries

Updated Aug 20, 2026

Discover ten countries with the strongest Salesforce expertise, qualified talent, and competitive costs.

The latest report on the deep tech ecosystem, released by Qubit Labs, reveals thriving deep tech domains, the best locations for securing niche deep tech talent, and salary comparisons across the 18 most in-demand roles.

AI and LLM engineers earn $60,000 annually in Eastern Europe, while data scientists earn $38,000-$42,000 there, depending on experience level. Cybersecurity engineers in the region make $23,600 in Ukraine vs $51,000 annually in Poland. The United Kingdom offers high-quality talent, but the average salary across deep tech roles exceeds $70,000 annually.

This report gives a clear, data-driven view of what it costs to hire deep tech professionals and which locations deliver the best value. Armed with these insights, tech leaders, HR teams, and investors can hire with confidence and craft competitive offers that win top candidates.

“With these insights, you’ll discover hubs with strong deep tech ecosystems, benchmark salaries against market trends, and wisely plan your workforce strategies for driving measurable results.” — Iva Kozlovska, CEO of Qubit Labs.

Key Insights

The best hiring destinations for securing deep tech talent are Poland, Romania, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. While all countries have strong talent pools, deep tech talent rates in the UK are higher due to greater market maturity, sustained investment in innovation, and strong competition for highly specialized professionals.
AI engineers command $60,000 annually in Eastern Europe and $78,000 in the UK.
Data engineers earn $36,000- $45,000 in Eastern Europe vs. $74,000 in the UK.
Security analysts command $32,300-$42,000 in Eastern Europe and $58,000 in the UK.
The average salary for blockchain developers is $36,900 in Eastern Europe, which is ~56% less than in the UK.

The full deep tech ecosystem report with talent markets and salary benchmarks is available here: LINK

For decision-makers building deep tech teams, this report delivers the data that matters most: where to find top talent, which roles to prioritize, and how to budget with confidence.