UIC coordinates large pilot project “Important initiative for Swedish life science incubation”

That UIC (Uppsala Innovation Centre) is a key player in the business incubator world is well known. Now it has received Vinnova funding to carry out a pilot project aimed at developing a Swedish national platform for cutting-edge expertise in early-stage life science companies. Magnus Engevik, who works with business development at Uppsala BIO, has talked about the initiative with representatives of Vinnova and UIC.

“We see this as an important effort to develop Swedish life science incubation”, says Lena Nyberg, Incubator Program Manager at Vinnova. “The goal is for start-up life science companies to gain access to the expertise that the nation’s business incubators possess, no matter where in Sweden they are located,” she says.

Vinnova’s initiative is based on the challenges faced by early-stage life science companies identified by the expert group in the government’s Life Science collaboration program, whose requests included a national network of specialist competence in life science.

Humble approach to the task ahead
To lead and coordinate the work of the new National Platform for Life Science Incubation (NPLS), Vinnova has chosen UIC.

Per Bengtsson, CEO of UIC, is proud of being awarded this prestigious assignment.

“We are full of respect for this task and are really looking forward to helping Swedish life science companies gain access to the best skills to be found in the nation’s business incubators,” he says.

The assignment consists of an initial phase in which the incubators’ work methods and views on their current strengths and weaknesses are mapped and a plan of action established.

“The second part of the project consists of an implementation phase where key activities are prioritised and a common platform built,” says Per Bengtsson. Collaboration between relevant incubators, based on their identified strengths, is established while the new collaboration platform is developed and tested.

The work of the project is based on the incubation activities carried out by the so-called ALIS incubators. ALIS stands for Association of Life Science Incubators in Sweden and includes the country’s eight life science incubators: GU Holding, Karolinska Institutet Innovations, Medeon Science Park & Incubator, Sahlgrenska Science Park, Smile Incubator, Stockholm Innovation & Growth, Umeå Biotech Incubator and Uppsala Innovation Centre (UIC).

Mapping crucial
Leading the work is Andy Browning, Project Manager at UIC. Helping him is a steering committee with representatives from branch organisations and industry (a small business that has successfully utilised the innovation support system as well as a large company are included). The group also includes a representative from a new national testbed (see below) and one from Vinnova.

“The outcome of the initial mapping process will be crucial to how well we can build a national platform that can add expertise to the incubators and thereby contribute to the strong development of life science ventures,” says Andy Browning.

To build a strong platform, a common basic level for business development in life science incubators has been drawn up (see illustration).

“The development of the common base level will be through collaboration, where best practice is communicated and taught between the incubators,” notes Andy Browning.

“One goal of the platform is that incubators lacking sufficient resources themselves will then be able to offer business development for life science companies via associated organisations who possess these skills. In other words, we create a national platform,” he says. 

Focus on prioritisation and implementation
The second phase of the project focuses on prioritising and implementing the measures identified in the first phase. Exchange and mediation between the incubators regarding best practice will take place continuously.

In the long run, best practice can be a specific program point for the ALIS incubators included in the experience exchange program Incubation Support – Excellence, which is run by the Swedish Incubators & Science Parks (SISP) organisation on behalf of Vinnova. Best practice is part of Step 2 of the process (see illustration).

Taking advantage of all assets at national level ...
“Together, ALIS creates a sufficient critical mass of life science start-ups to feel an impact of the national efforts made for the sector,” says Andy Browning. “We hope to be able to coordinate Swelife’s verification funding with the national platform, for instance.”

“The platform will also facilitate the availability of expertise and infrastructure for the new government-supported Testa Center in Uppsala (a testbed for verifying digital, technical or biological tools in an authentic production environment). For example, at Testa Center, small pharmaceutical companies will be able to test and develop manufacturing processes for new drugs and produce materials for in vitro and in vivo animal studies,” says Andy.

Read more about TESTA Center

Another example where NPLS will contribute is through collaboration with AstraZeneca’s Bio Venture Hub in Mölndal.

“As well as access to well-equipped lab environments for growing companies, AstraZeneca offers ‘sounding board’ services with its own experts. Here companies can get tips and ideas about everything from designing toxicology studies to marketing. Hub representatives have expressed strong support for the platform as it will facilitate AstraZeneca’s work and make it available to more companies,” says Andy Browning.

Andy Browning, left, Project Leader UIC, and Magnus Engevik, right, Business Development Uppsala BIO.

... and international level
During the course of the project, we will develop working methods with which the platform can even be used to implement international collaborations. For individual incubators, such investments are usually very narrow and short-lived, as the flow of companies is relatively small. The Swedish life science sector is already highly ranked and well-respected, but a common platform will provide better conditions for small companies to reach out internationally at an earlier stage.

As part of this work, we will use EIT Health and its network of Europe’s best life science accelerators, incubators and large life science companies. Such cooperation shall lead to a mutually beneficial exchange of ‘services’.

Magnus Engevik comments
Magnus Engevik, currently working on business development within Uppsala BIO and previously responsible for the IBIP incubator program, has the following to say about Vinnova’s National Platform for Life Science Incubation initiative.

“One of the basic problems is that we need a sufficiently large influx to be able to muster our resources and create a national platform that is not directly dependent on short-term (regional) project funding. AB Sweden needs a common, national program of high quality, with financial muscle and that does not die out as soon as the project is over.”

UIC well equipped for the task
“It’s in this light that we should view Vinnova’s pilot project. Uppsala Innovation Centre, which is the coordinating body, is very well equipped for the task. Certain factors, such as regulatory issues, how to share competencies regarding, for example, CE marking, how to implement an early plan for IP, how to build a sustainable team, etc., must be accomplished early in the process.”

Collaborate and get better all the time!
“This process must be available everywhere as a common base for everyone. Then, via the program structure (see illustration), we can add best practice, which everyone shares with one another within the framework that is AB Sweden. We are not big enough to ‘go it alone’. We must cooperate and get better all the time! The fact that a lot of public funding is involved in financing the system also motivates cooperation and sharing best practice.”

FACTS ABOUT NPLS (National Platform for Life Science Incubation)
NPLS is a pilot project to develop a national platform for life science incubation to secure the quality of business development for promising life science companies during their incubation process. By getting a number of business incubators in life science to cooperate in the project, its initiator Vinnova hopes that a high level of quality can be achieved nationally.

At the same time as a common base level for business development in life science incubation is implemented, national cooperation between incubators will be initiated. They will also work with common incubator companies in order to learn from each other.

Programs run within individual incubators can be enhanced with a larger influx. One example is the Go Global Medtech program given by Stockholm Innovation & Growth. Around each incubator are also several national testbeds that can now be utilised to a greater extent, since NPLS will boost the influx of knowledge to them.

The project will investigate whether the model of larger companies supporting smaller businesses with key competencies can be further developed and expanded to include other actors in Swedish life science, such as Thermo Fischer and Elekta. Instead of many individual contacts with different incubators, the platform will function as a single collective channel.

In addition, the platform will form a bridge to state institutions such as SWETOX and RISE.