The level of support and commitment to the initiative speaks volumes – the urgency of the task is clear. The ecosystem is ready to take action, now the government needs to respond with resources and clear signals in the national life science strategy.
Our input has brought together a wide range of actors, from academia, incubators and science parks, research infrastructures, trade associations, public investment and export promotion organizations and, not least, capital market actors. This points to two things:
1) The expectation that the government will do its part to provide resources and create conditions for a stronger international attractiveness is high. Life science in Sweden is dependent on a strong international connection in terms of capital, competence and access to a global market. These are things that we cannot create solely within our borders – that goes without saying. It is important to arrange for visibility to the outside world and to have something attractive enough to make visible.
2) The ecosystem does not have time to wait any longer for insight and action. There is a momentum here and now, which is why a number of stakeholders are coming together to use their voices to talk about why this is important and how they can contribute.
– If we can gather this commitment in two months, it says a lot about the demand that exists, says Helena Strigård Vice President of SwedenBIO and project manager for the work and continues.
– We have developed an ambitious and concrete package of measures for both public and private actors to tackle. No one can do everything but everyone can do something. I hope that the government sees this as an opportunity here and now where bottom-up can meet top-down to jointly take a big step forward in international competition.
Helena believes that the commitment is there and it is broad, but the conditions must come from the government. Not least in terms of urgently resourcing investment and export promotion and providing a budget for the life sciences strategy.
Lotta Ljungqvist, who shares responsibility for the group with SwedenBIO, reinforces the picture:
– In the life science industry, we are ready to take our responsibility to ensure that Sweden can continue to assert itself as a knowledge economy in life science. Now we also need to create action and I believe that by working together across the whole ecosystem we can do that.
For further information, please contact Helena Strigård, Vice President SwedenBIO on 073 640 28 05 or Helena.strigard@swedenbio.se.
