SwedenBIO announces major new drive to connect life science in the Nordics internationally

SwedenBIO, the trade association for the Swedish life sciences sector, today announced a series of major initiatives designed to showcase the “Nordic edge” in life sciences internationally. 

Spearheaded by a newly-formed division, International Business Development and Promotion, the ultimate aim is to further stimulate the Nordic eco system for life science by increasing the amount of investment flowing into the sector, as well as the number of commercial and academic collaborations and company start-ups and expansions.In parallel and of equal importance is to support SwedenBIO members in their international activities.

– The continued success of Nordic Life Science Days shows that the life sciences in both Sweden and the Nordics in general are flourishing. However, although we are seeing record numbers of overseas enquiries ranging from potential collaborations to investments, we perceive a need to paint a clearer more unified picture of the exciting opportunities on offer. At the same time, we have also noticed that many of our members are seeking to accelerate internationalization of their activities. These new initiatives are therefore designed to stimulate and smooth the path to greater cooperation between the Nordics and other sectors globally, says Jonas Ekstrand, Director General, SwedenBIO.

The 5 key initiatives are:

• Collaboration with BIO in the US

SwedenBIO has initiated a long-term collaboration with BIO in the US. As a first step SwedenBIO’s flagship event NLSDays will now use BIO’s partnering system. This will allow US investors, together with big pharma and medtech scouts to engage more efficiently with life science in the Nordics, as well as greatly increasing Nordic companies and organizations’ visibility through the large number of highly successful conferences that BIO arranges across the US and Asia.

• Promotion of the Nordic life science competitive edge internationally

SwedenBIO’s new division will bring together Nordic partners for the first time at key international life science events such as BIO US and BIO Europe. Starting with coordinating Nordic Life Sciences Pavilions at BIO Europe 2018 (Copenhagen) and Bio US Convention 2019 (Philadelphia), this will enable SwedenBIO and other Nordic organizations’ members to access international networks and partnerships, connect efficiently with potential investors and gain visibility in front of influential decision makers.

• Launch of a new Nordic investors meeting – in the US and in Europe

To be held bi-annually in Boston (April 2019) and Europe (November/December 2019), the Nordic Life Science Investors Meeting is the newest and most comprehensive Nordic life science investment symposium in the industry, bringing together members of the investment community, industry leaders, selected emerging fast-growth companies and technology innovators. The program will include private partnering activities, selected company pitches and networking opportunities. A key aim is to drive syndicated investments, acquisitions and other investment opportunities.

• Joint collaboration with the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce

SwedenBIO are together with the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce of the USA (SACC-USA), which has 20 chambers all across the country, working on an agreement that will greatly benefit both SwedenBIO’s members and the chambers. The idea is that the SACC-USA Chambers will be welcome at SwedenBIO and the members of SwedenBIO can use the local SACC Chambers when traveling in the USA. SACC is also one of the US partners for SwedenBIO’s new investors meeting being held in Boston next year.

• NLSDays

Looking to repeat the success of 2017, the Nordic Life Science Days is returning to Malmö-Copenhagen in September 2019 with expanded capacity for exhibitors and an enhanced programme of activities.

The new initiatives will be driven by the experienced core team of Jonas Ekstrand, Director General SwedenBIO, and Program Director NLSDays; Olivier Duchamp, VP International Business Development and Promotion, SwedenBIO, and Managing Director NLSDays; and Nicole Hanzon, Communication Strategist SwedenBIO and Program Coordinator NLSDays.

Contacts:

Director General: Jonas Ekstrand, Jonas.ekstrand@swedenbio.se, +46 (0) 703 02 08 96

Communications Manager: Nicole Hanzon, Nicole.hanzon@swedenbio.se, +46 (0) 706 96 36 33

Media: Ola Björkman, ola.bjorkman@letemknow.se, +46 (0) 70 245 74 97