Nordic Life Science 1
Cecilia Edebo, CEO, Sahlgrenska Science Park Albi
n Boman, CEO, Anyo Labs' “In Sweden we’re very good at creating innovation but we’re not very good at commercialization. We believe that BioVentureHub has an important role to play in bridging all those investments from for example Vinnova or from venture capital, so that these companies will have an opportunity to grow,” adds Björsne. The next big thing in health innovation Sahlgrenska Science Park, which is dedicated to enhancing the competitiveness of Gothenburg and western Sweden's life science sector, also proactively fosters collaboration both within and beyond the country’s borders. “Gothenburg is not very well known internationally. We’re working to put the region on the map globally, for example through our Sahlgrenska Global Health Hackathon,” the park’s CEO Cecilia Edebo says. T 64 | NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG he hackathon, which has attracted about 1,000 people from six countries across three continents, has been running for a year. Its grand finale is set to take place at the Nordic Life Science Days conference, which opens its doors – for the first time ever in Gothenburg – on October 13-14. “We had a dream to do something with our international partners globally,” Edebo explains, and continues: “Through the hackathon we’ve seen 75 new innovations spring up, and who knows – maybe one of them will be the next big thing in health innovation.” While looking abroad and strengthening Gothenburg’s ties with the world, Cecilia Edebo is also conscious that some restraints in the local ecosystem cause promising companies to up and leave. “We have supported the establishment of several successful companies, but they tend to move out of Sweden, ‘get exported’ and then we’ve lost the opportunity for economic growth. One of the main challenges is that we don’t have access to enough test beds in Sweden in general – that often results in companies moving abroad,” she says. Rewarding collaboration One of the companies supported by CO-AX, Sahlgrenska Science Park’s accelerator, is Anyo Labs, a startup founded in 2022 that develops AI tools for drug discovery. “Right from the start we realized that there are a lot of different infrastructures and incubators around. At CO-AX we were looking for contacts in the industry and to see where the drugs actually make a difference, which is in the hospital,” says Anyo Labs’ CEO Albin Boman. The strong environment for collaboration between academia, industry, and the hospital sector has proven beneficial for the young tech company, as Anyo Labs have established a rewarding collaborative project. “We’re collaborating with a surgeon from the university hospital, who is running research in his specific disease area. EUROPE // SWEDEN PHOTO TONY TRUMP PHOTO JESPER LARSSON