Nordic Life Science 1
TOP STORIES COLUMN MEDICON VALLEY BRIDGING LIFE S
CIENCE CLUSTERS IN THE EU, UK is the next step needed IT IS OBVIOUS that the likelihood of success will increase dramatically, if we embrace the Golden Triangle in the UK (London-Oxford-Cambridge). If we define Europe as Europe and not just the EU, writes Niels Abel Bonde, Chairman, Medicon Valley Alliance. A S INDICATED in my previous column [NLS No 03 2025], co-authored with Carl Johan Sonesson Chairman of the Executive Committee, Region Skåne, Sweden, Europe has an axis of innovation stretching from Helsinki across Sweden and Denmark all the way to Southern England. Other regional innovation hotspots include the Swiss-German-French border region and the region around Flanders and the Southern parts of the Netherlands. The EU’s innovation hotspots have rightly been identified as the building blocks of a new, more innovative, and competitive European life science strategy. This aligns with the strategy launched by the European Commission on July 2 this year aiming to make Europe the most attractive place in the world for life sciences by 2030. Given the EU’s current position, and considering that neither China nor the US will stop and wait for Europe to catch up, this is an extremely ambitious deadline. After all, 2030 starts in less than five years. If we are to have any chance of success, it is all hands on deck! If we look at the existing life science hot spots mentioned in the Draghi report, including Medicon Valley, it is obvious that the likelihood of success will increase dramatically, if we embrace the Golden Triangle in the UK (LondonOxford-Cambridge). If we define Europe as Europe and not just the EU. As a recent analysis by British Citeline, presented at the MVA Annual Summit on November 10 in Copenhagen, clearly documents, The Golden Triangle is in many ways the leading life science cluster in Europe. The Golden Triangle is a uniquely dense life science ecosystem that brings together world-class research centers, healthcare providers, and medical charities within a very compact geography. Furthermore, it is home to four of the world’s top ten universities for healthcare (Oxford University, Cambridge University, Imperial College London, and University College London), creating a continuous flow of cutting-edge research, skilled talent, and clinical expertise. If we compare the clusters, the Golden Triangle has 236 companies actively developing pipeline products in Europe whereas Medicon Valley ranks second with 117 companies. Although I take pride in the fact that the Medicon Valley region has the most active fundraisers in the EU with USD 9.8 billion raised across 130 deals since 2019, we are still second to the Golden Triangle. Apart from the documented need to bridge EU and UK life science hotspots to be able to credibly rival US and China, the analysis highlights a number of strategic opportunities for increased collaboration. Among them are Pan-European talent mobility and training, shared digital health and data platforms, joint manufacturing and supply chain hubs, and public- private infrastructure sharing. The latter involves research infrastructure such as the MAX IV Laboratory and European Spallation Source in Skåne, which potentially puts Medicon Valley in the driving seat. Now that we have identified the passengers and have both a map and a clear direction, I suggest we turn the key. NLS NIELS ABEL BONDE, CHAIRMAN, MEDICON VALLEY ALLIANCE NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG | 19 PHOTO IDA WANG