The popular conference Nordic Life Science Days is back in-person this autumn, offering hot topics, inspiring presentations and discussions, and not least, opportunities for the Nordic life science community to finally meet, mingle, network, share ideas, create business synergies and initiate partnerships.
“We are back in-person after a long break. The 2020 event was postponed and the 2021 event was delivered in a fully digital format. Our participants, exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and supporters are very excited about being back in-person,” says Olivier Duchamp-Giudicelli, Managing Director, Nordic Life Science Days (NLSDays) and Vice President International BD & Promotion, SwedenBIO. “So far people are looking forward to building up new collaborations and partnerships, listening to the latest developments in our industry and learning about the most advanced and groundbreaking technologies and innovations. NLSDays is the largest partnering event held in the Nordics and is probably one of the richest partnering events globally.”
The importance of partnering will also be highlighted at the event’s Grand Opening on September 28. Together with Karin Conde-Knape, Senior Vice President, Global Drug Discovery at Novo Nordisk, five companies who cracked the code to successful partnerships, one from each Nordic country, will explore and illustrate the various ways to successfully power up through partnerships.
Two new formats
NLSDays 2022, taking place at Malmömässan in Malmö on September 28-29, has only one registration type. This offers access to everything, giving the participants a broad experience, according to Olivier. “You can access educational content, innovative exhibition space, including company stands and country pavilions, unique B2B meeting opportunities, and informal networking time around get-togethers and receptions,” he says.
“You can access educational content, innovative exhibition space, including company stands and country pavilions, unique B2B meeting opportunities, and informal networking time around get-togethers and receptions.”
Two new formats will also be introduced during this year’s event, both with the goal to “talk about life sciences in different ways,” says Olivier. The first new format, a Nordic Life Science Investment track, will showcase 40 selected Nordic Rising Stars pitches. The other new format, live Fireside Chats, will take place right in the middle of the exhibition area during coffee breaks and lunches.
NLSDays also has a pre-event, NLSDays Pre-Event, on September 27, which will include a Medicon Valley Microbiome Pitch Day, a welcome get-together and NLSInvest Private Dinner, bringing together the private equity and venture capital communities for an evening of networking.
Olivier Duchamp-Giudicelli, Managing Director, NLSDays. Photo: Camille Sonally
From multi-omics to gender science
Together with his colleagues, Olivier has been working on making the 9th edition of NLSDays the largest ever in terms of audience, represented countries/regions, exhibiting companies and face-to-face meetings.
“Our 2022 program is one of the most exciting programs we have developed since the conference inception in 2013,” he says. “This year, each Nordic country has been assigned the lead on one specific super session development, highlighting one of the strengths or assets within their life science ecosystem.”
“This year, each Nordic country has been assigned the lead on one specific super session development, highlighting one of the strengths or assets within their life science ecosystem.”
The super session Vertical Life Science – How Convergence is Erasing Silos, hosted by Sweden, will for example explore and discuss how advancements in different sectors brings them together, even industries never-before-aligned. Pioneers within bio-convergence will show how recent breakthroughs in combining fields has led to a revolution in genomics, and much more.
Emma Lundberg, Founder & Chairman, MindForce GameLab (Photo: Daniel Roos), and João Ribas, Senior Associate, Novo Holdings, will be speaking at Sweden’s Vertical Life Science super session.
Norway’s contribution, Vaccine Crosslinks: From Cancer to COVID, will focus on and discuss the opportunities presented by the immune links between cancer and infectious diseases. Questions like, how do we continue to build a future of mutually stimulating approaches to infectious disease, immunology, oncology, and technology, will be asked.
Michael Engsig, CEO, Nykode Therapeutics, and Gunnveig Grødeland, Senior Scientist and Research Group Leader, University of Oslo (Photo: Øystein Horgmo/Univ of Oslo), will be speaking at Norway’s Vaccine Crosslinks super session.
Diving into Deep Tech: From buzzword to benefit in life sciences, hosted by Finland, will showcase concrete examples of how bioelectronics, bioinformatics, biomarker tools, improved diagnostics, and digitalization are driving our industry forward. You will hear from investors, startups and the larger companies.
Kaisa Helminen, Chief Operating Officer, Aiforia Technologies, and David Sonnek, CEO, Navigare Ventures, will be speaking at Finland’s Diving into Deep Tech super session.
Iceland’s A multi-omics approach to disease will investigate the current explorations of multi-omics in academic and business settings across the Nordics. This super session will also discuss the ways in which –omics plays a role in life sciences today vs. what the future holds in both funding and success.
Andrea Ballagi, VP Sales and Marketing, Olink Proteomics (Photo: SciLifeLab), and Kári Stefánsson, Founder & CEO, deCODE genetics (Photo: Christopher Lund), will be speaking at Iceland’s A Multi-omics Approach to Disease super session.
The super session hosted by Denmark, Gender Science: Reproducing for the other 50%, will focus on a great challenge to the life science industry, both for innovators and investors: the importance of treating women’s health as more than a niche category and devoting equal time, resources, and money to where half our population exists.
Christina Östberg Lloyd, Lead Reproductive Medicine and Maternal Health, Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Photo: Pharmiva), and Kelle Moley, Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Technologies, Global Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Photo: Kisaco research), will be speaking at Denmark’s Gender Science super session.
The sixth super session, Follow the Money: Investors leading the way to sustainability, will give some concrete answers to life science companies on how to integrate sustainability into their business model.
“NLSDays has always aimed at bringing quality content and innovative companies together, for inspiration, for partnering, and for global industry growth. This year, as in each year, we aim only to do better. Join us – and meet the best that Nordic life sciences has to offer! See you in Malmö!” concludes Olivier Duchamp-Giudicelli.
Learn more and register at: www.nlsdays.com
Featured photo from NLSDays 2019: Camille Sonally
