The Nordic region is one of the world’s most innovative regions, but we are not among the best in the world at converting innovation into global growth companies.
In the opinion piece “When innovation does not turn into growth/När innovation inte blir till tillväxt” published in Dagens Industri this week MVA CEO Anette Steenberg is addressing this paradox and urge the Swedish and other Nordic politicians and life science stakeholders to study and most importantly act on the recent published report by The Nordic Council of Ministers recently published report “Analysis of Competitiveness in a Nordic Perspective”.
We have the research, the talent, the companies, the health data and the capital – yet we are struggling translating innovation into companies, productivity and exports.
If we succeed in doing so, life science can not only become one of the strongest drivers of future growth and welfare in Sweden and Denmark. The sector could also become a crucial lever for the competitiveness that will help secure the Nordic region’s position among the world’s most prosperous regions.
The analysis, signed declarations and speeches are plenty and once again in this report it stresses that we have so much to gain by joining forces and this time perhaps with a higher urgency than ever before.
In the Swedish-Danish life science cluster organization Medicon Valley Alliance we are trying to do our part in bridging the Nordics and contribute to a stronger Nordic competitiveness in the life sciences but without joint Nordic political determination and framework alignment we will never ripe the major opportunities for a strengthened competitiveness that is needed more than never.
It’s time to act.