On Friday 9th of February, Oslo Science Park buzzed with life. A large crowd was present when the two ministers for health and trade announced the government’s fifteen point export strategy for the health industry. Although our two good neighbors, Sweden and Denmark, have had their life science strategies in place in years, this has been far from obvious for Norway.

The four large health clusters, Norway Health Tech, The Life Science Cluster, Oslo Cancer Cluster and Norwegian Smart Care Cluster, were mentioned several times as an important and extended part of the export apparatus and “Team Norway”, together with Innovation Norway, Invest in Norway, embassies, and the Export Council. The clusters jointly cover the breadth of the health industry, from digital municipality and home care to drugs and bioindustrials.

The rapidly increasing number of incubators, innovation districts, tech transfer systems, interest organizations and other networks, were also mentioned as important puzzle pieces in this rapidly growing ecosystem. The health industries – without being a selected industry – have had one of the highest year-on-year growth rates in Norway for many years already, but the potential is so much larger when we compare to Sweden and Denmark.

Building a trustful and competent ecosystem that can point our startups in the right direction, utilizing our joint international networks, is the best recipe for success.”

Some have described the increasing number of players in Norway as “a jungle”. Firstly – it is better to have a jungle than a desert, as a Swedish visitor stated, drawing parallels to their own buzzing regional and national ecosystem. Secondly – if you ask one of the several hundred startups in the ecosystem, they are not so confused. They know very well why they chose this incubator and that cluster. As we know, the health industry is not really one industry – it is at least four different tracks, with very different development times, market dynamics, investor interests and regulatory frameworks. If you know this, very often you also know that not one entity or person sits with a complete answer alone. Building a trustful and competent ecosystem that can point our startups in the right direction, utilizing our joint international networks, is the best recipe for success. This is true both at the Norwegian and Nordic level, and The Life Science Cluster is very happy to be part of an Interreg ØKS project, “Life Science Academy for Startups”, which is doing this in a Nordic context together with ten Nordic partners.

On 13th and 14th of February, the University of Oslo’s Norway Life Science conference gathered over six hundred people under the title, “Unlocking the potential of health data.” A large number of ecosystem players and industry companies had been active during the year in developing a successful program looking both to Finland, the UK and other countries for learning, discussing the impact of AI, needs and opportunities from public and industrial perspectives, and Boston Consulting Group presented the report “Establishing Norway as a health data leader – what will it take?” The message was clear, the data is there – but we need to start.

Finally my favorite slogan, “Stronger together – building global partnerships through Nordic cooperation.”

Finally my favorite slogan, “Stronger together – building global partnerships through Nordic cooperation.” We are many ecosystem players who for decades have worked for more Nordic collaboration, and a long line of successful initiatives proves this point. It was with great pleasure I shared the stage with Medicon Valley Alliance, our Swedish/Danish sister cluster, Statens Serum Institut and Astra Zeneca. Learnings and collaboration during the COVID pandemic was pointed to.

On the Nordic level we see that the clusters have many of the same focus areas, and working together only makes sense. Talent, infrastructure, microbiome and women’s health were among the areas discussed.

In Norway, ecosystem players are working better and better together to serve those we are here for – companies. One example of this is a joint project for investor methodology, led by five national health tech and life science clusters, and also including incubators and tech transfer offices across the country and the SPARK Norway project.

Through this joint effort, both Industrifonden and Eir Ventures have visited Norway this year. They have shared insights with the ecoysystem in organized and informal meetings, and they have met startups one-to-one. Lene Gerlach, Eir Ventures, announced after a full day of meetings, “I am really impressed by the high-quality of start-ups and academic research projects that were presented.” A webinar was also held on the topic “How to prep for partnering – best practice for BD conferences” with over 100 registered. Understanding business developments takes years, but it IS possible to share insights, and help the following generations quicker up the ladder.

Understanding business developments takes years, but it IS possible to share insights, and help the following generations quicker up the ladder.”

After having an export strategy in place, now comes delivery. How to get there has many more than fifteen bullet points. Tax, willingness to support building the necessary competence and infrastructure are only a few of the things needed.

The best is yet to come – collaboration to deliver on the trust we have received. Solutions from Norway, building industry in Norway and the Nordics can only be done together.

This column was originally written by Hanne Mette Dyrlie Kristensen (in the featured photo), CEO, The Life Science Cluster, for NLS magazine No 01 2024, out February 2024