Nordic Life Science 1
Isaksson’s curious, creative world view stems fro
m her childhood in Piteå. Her mother was a entrepreneur and her father worked for what became Telia Research. “Our home had a room dedicated to electronics and computers,” she says. Family life included soldering, programming, and talking at dinner about technology and society. Her story about linking a detector to a cassette recorder so people entering her bedroom heard “Go away!” always gets laughs. But engaging with the world in the early 90s – including political conservatives in Texas – via a dial-up modem convinced Isaksson to change career plans from architecture to global, digital connectivity. After studying engineering at Umeå University, Isaksson’s entrepreneurial career included helping corporations like Sony Ericsson develop and strategize digital products. This work revealed how business-public sector connections affect society. “Governance is a prerequisite for innovation,” she says. “For example, if you want access to data you need to change information and regulatory structures.” Around 2014, she took advisory roles such joining the boards of Nordic Innovation and the Swedish Government Innovation Council. Her first links to Vinnova were through these boards and by evaluating Vinnova research programs. To achieve social and economic sustainability, Isaksson has these guiding principles for an organization, including Vinnova: Identify a clear relationship to public needs and the requirements, such as policies, work ethics and culture, to deliver what you’re offering. At Vinnova, she says, work practices and processes, portfolios and programs must be based in the best opportunities for a sustainable society. Another principle is increasing international connections, which she recognizes is a strength in the life sciences. Involving stakeholders is also a key to sustainability, Isaksson notes. “If you want to create a good offer to market, you have to be customer centric. If you haven’t tested your idea on clients, why bother?” saksson took on Vinnova leadership because “transformational change is in the mandate of the job.” And one transformation she works for, based on her experience with startups, global corporations, and government is bringing diverse participants together for co-creation. We used to equate innovation with industry, she says, but today it includes academia, social and civil organizations, and regulatory and other public agencies. Co-creation will help us go beyond facing challenges sector by sector to sharing common capabilities such as in data infrastructure and management. “Innovation is not a zero sum game,” she says. Co-creation happens at science parks and incubators, Isaksson says, and they’re important talent attractors. She names two supported by Vinnova: AstraZeneca’s BioVentureHub co-locates biotech companies, academic groups, and big pharma to share equipment, expertise and ideas. The GE Healthcare Testa Center provides facilities and diverse expertise with a goal of sparking innovations in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. “This is an example to other sectors of companies showing the value of openness,” she says. An example of how life science can benefit from co-creation is artificial intelligence. AI is a general purpose technology, Isaksson says, so it provides opportunities for technology transfer across sectors. AI solutions from transportation, for instance, might apply to life sciences. Collaborative environments that broadly consider ethical, practical data applications, Isaksson says, include Sweden’s SciLifeLab and the Chalmers AI Research Centre. The life sciences have always been data-driven, Nordborg says, and the Nordic region has extensive health data including from self-reported sources. Now, she says, “the challenge is interoperability.” The exchange of information across digital systems, organizations, and borders in useful forms that can integrate with data from other sources is a challenge in any field. For healthcare, data interoperability is urgent, in part because of demands from patients. Echoing the theme of co-creation, Nordborg says their perspectives as users are critical when developing health systems innovations and policy toward a goal of equality in participation and care.