Nordic Life Science 1
However, in the last ten years both countries hav
e a thriving life science scene and in Sweden this has been accompanied with a large number of new public companies, as exemplified with the recent IPO of the Uppsala company Olink at Nasdaq in March, 2021, he says. “Life science companies have been able to succeed in Sweden largely because innovations at the universities are owned by the researcher. This means that the innovations are driven by the innovators instead of university administrators,” Uhlén says. “In addition, it is relatively simple to start companies in Sweden, with few obstacles in the form of financial or administrative burdens. Finally, there is a lot of venture capital and a large number of public biotech companies making the Swedish environment competitive and thriving.” 34 When not working, Mathias Uhlén enjoys spending time with friends and family, which includes his partner and three grown daughters, listening to music, skiing and playing golf. When not relaxing at his home by the sea, shared with his partner, a dog, a cat and also home to a chicken farm, he relishes traveling and spending time outdoors, especially in the Swedish archipelago. While almost all areas of science have stirred his curiosity throughout the years, the move into his focus areas was a combination of strategic and opportunistic decisions, he says. “During the years, I have worked with data- and technology-driven research, and to my great satisfaction, this field of research is thriving both in biology and medicine.” NLS