Nordic life sciences sector tops Euros 11.3 billion according to Ernst & Young report launched at Nordic Life Science Days

Biotechnology and medtech products dominate 

Stockholm - Uppsala, September 11, 2014: Over 570 companies were represented at the recent Nordic Life Science Days in Stockholm, with a four-fold increase in the number of business opportunities registered in the partnering system compared to last year, reflecting the continuing strength of the region. In addition, a report produced for SwedenBio from Ernst & Young calculated the value of the Nordic Life Sciences Sector at Euros 11.3 billion, of which €3.98 billion for biotechnology products and €7.30 billion for medical technology products.

According to SwedenBIO CEO Jonas Ekstrand, the Nordic Life Sciences sector is, despite a relatively small combined population of ca 25 million inhabitants, well-developed and holds some of the world’s most innovative and promising projects in its pipeline. “The Nordic market is attractive for the Life Sciences sector from a number of perspectives e.g., a high degree of education, well-known researchers, well-developed infrastructure, a high innovation rate and established data registries. Naturally, we are also aware of the increased pressure on health care systems and with rapid technology development, and so we see companies in the region adopting innovative business models to make R&D and operations as efficient as possible and to demonstrate the value of their products to payers. Thus the concept of patient centricity, where a service or a product is designed around the patient, is gaining momentum within the Life Sciences sector. These trends include patient-empowering and information-leveraging (PI) technologies, Digital Health, big data, personalized medicine and orphan drugs.”

The report also shows the continuing strength of Sweden. 80% of the compounds of the Nordic biotech pipeline are generated in Sweden and Denmark, Similarly Sweden raised the most capital with Euros 533 million out of a Nordic total of Euros 852 million. The Stockholm-Uppsala region, accounting for about half of Sweden’s life science, recognizes the challenge to maintain knowledge and know-how in an increasingly competitive environment for investments. “In order for the Nordics to keep up with the ongoing changes in the industry, there is a need for increased collaboration between the Nordic clusters and more explicit communication of benefits of the Nordic market”, says Erik Forsberg CEO of Uppsala BIO. “The strong research and industry base represented by the Nordic clusters will create a stronger Nordic market and a stronger future if commonly utilized.”

The report is available as pdf to download at http://www.swedenbio.se/. Direct web-link here

CONTACTS

For more information please contact:

Ola Björkman, Senior Advisor, Stockholm-Uppsala Life Science +46 70 245 74 97 or

Erik Forsberg, Managing Director, Uppsala BIO +46 70-350 4143

Stockholm-Uppsala is the region where business and research thrive!
Our region is a hot-bed of creative cross-disciplinary collaboration and, together, we are building international businesses and delivering real research breakthroughs that will help solve the world’s health problems.
We’re open-minded and productive. Our state-of-the-art infrastructure and talented scientists provide all the services and support you’ll need. www.suls.se

Stockholm-Uppsala Life Science was founded in 2007 by biotechvalley.nu, Uppsala BIO and the City of Stockholm to market our life science region globally.