“Sweden should be the natural choice for international investment in this area,” said Ibrahim Baylan, Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, at Thursday’s press conference.
– It is not common for the value of international investments in life science for the benefit of society or the importance of small and medium-sized research-intensive companies to be highlighted so clearly in a context that deals with research and innovation, but it is the right thing to do, says Vice President Frida Lawenius, who is working on the research policy proposal at SwedenBIO.
– If there’s one thing we’ve seen during the pandemic, it’s that alone is not strong. The importance of having strong research in academia, industry and healthcare and the value to society that comes from these actors working together.
SwedenBIO notes that the new resources in this bill are extensive and that a considerable part is aimed at life science. Several high-profile medical areas such as precision medicine, antibiotic resistance and protein research are identified, but also support for exploratory cross-sectoral research and innovation in life sciences.
– This is a welcome development of how the importance of co-creation is viewed in order to get a real innovation height, something that Frida Lawenius says SwedenBIO has long called for.
The availability of research infrastructures such as SciLifeLab is also highlighted and there is a welcome restoration of Vinnova funds as well as efforts in the area of health data.
– Long-term thinking and a strong cash flow are the foundations for successful projects, so it is good to see that the previous volatility is now being replaced by more stable conditions. But what really stands out is a change in attitude towards the role of business, which is reflected as much in changes to rules and directives as in direct investment.
The government notes that companies are underrepresented as users of research infrastructure and that transparent rules are needed to enable companies to benefit from the equipment.
– We have internationally renowned research infrastructures and world-class research and innovation environments. There are also many exciting companies in Sweden. With the investments in the bill, we can continue to jointly advance Sweden’s position in life science,” says Anna Sandström, chair of SwedenBIO’s R&D group and responsible for research policy issues at AstraZeneca.
For more information, please contact Frida Lawenius, Vice President SwedenBIO on 073 515 75 60 or frida.lawenius@swedenbio.se.
About SwedenBIO
The industry organization SwedenBIO works for a competitive life science sector in Sweden. We do this by creating effective interfaces between the different actors in the sector, by building knowledge and by giving the industry a strong voice in public debate. Our nearly 300 member companies have a total of 20,000 employees and operate in the fields of drug development, biotechnology, medical devices and diagnostics or are experts in business development, financing, intellectual property and law, among others.
Read the press release in the SwedenBIO press room.
Link to the Government proposal: https://www.regeringen.se/rattsliga-dokument/proposition/2020/12/forskning-frihet-framtid–kunskap-och-innovation-for-sverige/
