Region Västra Götaland has all the essential elements to contribute to a Swedish arena for life science research that would also have international appeal.
“Västra Götaland is located halfway between Oslo and Copenhagen, a highly interesting area. If we are to put our region on the world map, it would be from a Scandinavian or Nordic perspective rather than a national perspective,” said Olle Larkö, dean of Sahlgrenska Academy.
At the Sahlgrenska Academy seminar in Almedalen representatives from industry, healthcare and academia underscored three conditions:
• do not act provincially,
• create attractive ecosystems around successful environments and
• include students.
With the University of Gothenburg, Chalmers, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and a global pharmaceutical industry around the corner, Region Västra Götaland has all the essential elements to become an internationally attractive arena for life science.
But it won’t happen by thinking provincially. That was the starting point for Sahlgrenska Academy’s Almedal Seminar on life science.
1.6 million people
The close cooperation between the Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital gives researchers access to patient data from 1.6 million people. According to Stefan Larsson, CEO of healthcare consultancy Boston Consulting Group, this offers unique opportunities.
“Region Västra Götaland has one of the strongest infrastructures for register research, and collaboration between the University, Chalmers, the business community and innovation is exciting – the region actually has Sweden’s fastest growth rate in life science collaboration. Many international life science enterprises would also like to come to Sweden, but to achieve success we must dare to find new forms of collaboration.”
Best practice
Hospital Director Barbro Fridén knows where Sahlgrenska University Hospital should begin:
“We can offer a cohesive healthcare system, from highly specialised care to biobanks, and my point is that each patient should contribute to research and contribute to the development of knowledge. But that requires organisation in health care and that we really comply with evaluated best practices.”
Any discussion of life science in West Sweden must, of course, include Astra Zeneca. But, as the pharmaceutical group’s former Chief Scientific Officer Karin Wingstrand concluded, an attractive ecosystem must contain more than just Astra, must make it easier for the individual researcher’s idea to advance from molecule to innovation to patient – and beyond, all the way to new jobs.
“Idéfångst”
Sahlgrenska University Hospital’s research director Lars Grip calls it “Idéfångst” – a Swedish term for ideation or brainstorming:
“We have to rig a platform that makes it easy to conduct research. From the healthcare side, we have to stop being passive recipients of innovations. Instead, we have to identify our needs and meet the business community based on our initiatives.”
The panel was unanimous on one point: Region Västra Götaland will be strong not to compete, but to better contribute to a national collaboration. And future strength can be found among the students.
Build trust
Pam Fredman, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Gothenburg, said:
“It’s really about building trust. We have a platform for clinical research, but we need to connect the students to it, create an ecosystem in which students encounter research and can remain to develop their innovations. The students are our main messenger for trust.”
