The eighth Swedish American Life Science Summit will take place on August 22-24. For three days, life science executives, investors, companies and experts will gather for the annual conference in Stockholm. Nordic Life Science Review talked to Project Manager Sana Alajmovic, who gave us a pre-summit briefing.
What will the theme be for this year’s conference?
“The 2012 Summit will focus on the globalization of the healthcare market, with an emphasis on Asia, diabetes and digital health. Our original mission was to help enable transactions between America, the largest market in the world, and Sweden, one of the most innovative life science countries. However, over the last few years the summit has seen an increased participation from many other countries including China, Japan, India, Singapore, Korea, Brazil and Israel. China is arguably the most attractive emerging pharmaceutical market, growing by more than 20 percent a year. But we need to understand the market better to fully capture its potential. Diabetes is a global public health crisis. One in ten adults will have diabetes by 2030, posing a huge challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. So this is a public health crisis that we need to shed more light on,” Sana Alajmovic explains.
Sana Alajmovic goes on to say, “When thinking about globalization of healthcare, it is only fitting to consider how wireless technologies are being utilized in different parts of the world as well as how these products may improve health worldwide. The u.s. is ahead of Sweden at incorporating technology to provide and facilitate healthcare, but it’s just a matter of time before we will be seeing more of this in Sweden. Mobile applications in particular are a fast growing trend in the u.s.”
This is the eighth time that the summit has been arranged. What impact do you think that SALSS has on the life science industry?
“The Swedish life science industry is currently undergoing a structural transformation with big pharma outsourcing r&d to smaller research companies, institutions and universities. The shutting down of the AstraZeneca r&d site in Södertälje is an example of that. By creating this global platform we hope to highlight the latest trends within business, build a forum for debate and establish new contacts and new
business opportunities. By introducing u.s. investors, and at the same time promoting Swedish life science, we hope to create investment possibilities.
Hopefully, we can also contribute to collaborations being initiated and provide some inspiration,” states Sana Alajmovic.
What is the view on Sweden as a life science nation in the US?
“Very positive. In the u.s, both Sweden as a country and the Swedish life science-industry have excellent reputations. Swedes are known to be easy to work with, innovative, flexible and skilled workers. In relation to its gdp, Sweden is one of the world’s largest spenders on r&d. Historically the country has had a strong position and we see not only u.s. investors but also investors from Asia becoming interested in Sweden. However, there is room for improvement when it comes to commercializing our research, compared to the u.s,” Sana Alajmovic concludes. g
