Nordic Life Science 1
ow can we stand more prepared when the next pande
mic hits, not only with vaccines but also with various types of tests and innovative tools? How can we cope with the long-term consequences of the current outbreak and, equally as important, how can we strengthen the health of patients worldwide? We know that those who are the most vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus are those with underlying conditions. Several of our members are now working hard to find pieces to solve the coronavirus-puzzle, as others continue to work just as hard to find solutions to existing health challenges, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes etc., diseases killing hundreds of thousands that should not be forgotten as the world suddenly faces a simultaneous acceleration in health challenges. The nature of what life sciences is all about has become brutally clear to each and every one of us over the last few weeks. It is about saving lives or, at the very least, about increasing quality of life. But in order for the life science sector to continue to do so, and to help our societies to stand better prepared in the future, the sector itself needs to survive. Companies across the Nordics are now experiencing the economic consequences of the Corona-crisis. The stock markets are plummeting, clinical trials are delayed or halted, production lines are suffering from lack of staff. Measures are urgently needed to safeguard the Nordics remaining a vibrant epicenter of life science innovations. Some of those measures lie within the responsibility of the political system. But there are also initiatives that industry organizations, such as SwedenBIO and our Nordic counterparts, can undertake ourselves. For a brief moment 98 NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG in time, we hesitated about going through with Nordic Life Science Invest, a new pre-event aimed for launch during this autumn’s Nordic Life Science Days, our largest life science partnering conference in the Nordics. The NLSInvest pre-event aims to showcase to the world the strength of our Nordic start-up scene, with pre-selected companies pitching to global investors. That hesitation has passed; this is precisely what we need to do now, because access to funding following this situation is critical. This is not about just any funding; we need to join forces to attract intelligent capital to the Nordics, serious investors who can contribute with both financial resources and skills in reaching the global market. We require a genuine interest in supporting this Nordic power-engine to keep spreading life science-innovations across the world and improving people’s lives everywhere. We also need strong business-to-business partnerships and a generosity in sharing experiences with fellow companies. If there is one thing we have seen much of in these last few weeks, it is examples of this generosity, this will to help, both within the healthcare system as well as across the sector at large. It is nothing less than amazing! I personally find it incredibly inspiring to hear about the creative solutions some companies have found to keep the wheels spinning: clinical trials leaping into digitalization development, production lines being altered in order to swiftly produce products needed in the healthcare system, and staff are being shared both within and between sectors. One day, in a few months from now, we will be able to meet and greet again. Until then, let’s do everything we can to ensure that this crisis was not all in vain. The wins that we are currently making in collaborative spirit must be what prevails when all of this is over. It is in our hands to make it happen. NLS