The start of the construction of the new facility was celebrated with a major event January 25th.
In May 2023, Sweden’s innovation agency Vinnova decided to invest SEK 160 million in the innovation platform at GoCo Health Innovation City located in Mölndal outside Gothenburg.
Construction is now starting on GoCo Active Lab where research into new drugs and therapies will be combined with a unique approach to accelerate development in preventive healthcare, the initiators state.
Read more: New Swedish innovation cluster for advanced therapies
“We see that the future in urban development involves combination buildings. GoCo Active Lab is a fusion of modern lab spaces, future training, and conference environments, where we offer food experiences and meeting places for the industry where ideas and knowledge can be exchanged,” says Jacob Torell, CEO of GoCo Health Innovation City.
GoCo Health Innovation City’s new establishment will also physically connect to AstraZeneca’s research facility.
“It feels very pleasing for us that the next major step is now being taken to further strengthen Sweden’s life science cluster and increase our competitiveness. That GoCo Health Innovation City is getting closer to AstraZeneca means that together we improve the conditions for innovative collaborations that can lead to future treatments and medicines,” says Anders Holmén, VP Head Pharmaceutical Sciences at AstraZeneca.
The base for CCRM Nordic
GoCo Active Lab’s laboratories will be the base for CCRM Nordic, a national center focusing on the development and production of advanced medicines that provide groundbreaking opportunities for the treatment of diseases that have not been cured so far.
Read more: New innovation cluster for advanced therapies
CCRM Nordic is a non-for-profit company backed by an industry consortium consisting of AstraZeneca, CombiGene, Cytiva, Getinge, GoCo Health Innovation City, Takara Bio Europe, BICO, Verigraft and CCRM Canada.
We look forward to even better conditions for research and innovation in preventive health and advanced therapies, but also see opportunities for our students.”
The building will also be a research arena for several major players such as Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Chalmers, OligoNova and the University of Gothenburg.
“This is an exciting and important investment. We look forward to even better conditions for research and innovation in preventive health and advanced therapies, but also see opportunities for our students. With the investment, we strengthen life science in the region,” says Professor Jenny Nyström, Dean at Sahlgrenska Academy, the medical faculty at the University of Gothenburg.
Contribute to better public health
The second part of the center consists of the Active concept where new findings in sports medicine, mental health and nutrition are combined with resources for training and rehab for both elite athletes and the general public.
A key person in the investment is the hockey legend Henrik Lundquist, who is one of the owners. The goal is to contribute to better public health by creating bridges between elite, general sports and the latest research.
Designed by SHoP
The multi-facility GoCo Active Lab is designed by the American architectural firm SHoP, which among other things has designed the headquarters for Google and YouTube.
“We are very proud and pleased that we get to move into a building that meets our needs for advanced labs and at the same time provides us with an opportunity for collaboration, innovation and focus on people’s health. This is completely in line with what we stand for and gives us the right conditions for successfully contributing to the development of future drugs,” says Fredrik Wessberg, CEO of CCRM Nordic.
A rapidly growing district
Parallel to the development of GoCo Active Lab, the district is growing rapidly with more operations. Already today, over 70 actors have moved in. Among these are the diagnostic company Fujirebio Diagnostics, the medtech company Xvivo Perfusion, the specialist clinic Atleva for hand and foot surgery, the research-oriented elderly home Norlandia, the women’s clinic Akleja and the biotech company Ribocure – and at the beginning of 2025, Mölnlycke Healthcare will move its headquarters to the site.
Read more: Report: The life science sector is unknown to many in Western Sweden
Collaboration across borders
Collaboration across borders is the core of the entire GoCo Health Innovation City, and the current GoCo Active Lab is a clear example of the triple helix model as a lever for innovation in Swedish life science, according to the initiators.
“Chalmers sees unique opportunities to combine cutting-edge research and disruptive commercialization at GoCo. For example, Chalmers Precision HealthTech Hub will be able to grow in close interaction with, among others, Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, AstraZeneca, the CCRM initiative and startups,” says Mats Lundquist, vice rector at Chalmers.
Featured illustration of GoCo Active Lab: SHoP
