 The Skåne region in southern Sweden and the Copenhagen area of Denmark share a growing and dynamic cluster of Biotech companies, known as Medicon Valley. The area attracts international attention for its close cooperation between industry, hospitals and universities. |
 Region Skåne Trade & industry Founded: 1999 Publicly listed: No Number of employees: 7 Key business area(s): Attract foreign investments Telephone: +46 40 35 92 03 Website Contact |
|
|
| Dynamic
integration of Biotech know-how in Medicon Valley Medicon Valley is located in the geographic area called the Øresund region that includes Skåne in southern Sweden and neighbouring Copenhagen in Denmark. This cluster of companies in the Life Science sector attracts both Japanese and American enterprises seeking access to the Scandinavian and northern European markets. “In Medicon Valley we offer a unique opportunity for the Biotech industry to take advantage of a close cooperation with both regional hospitals and universities”, says Ulf Åberg, Managing Director at the department for Trade and Industry in Region Skåne. “Industry, hospitals, and universities have a tradition of very close contacts here, which is attractive for international companies looking for new locations to expand and develop their businesses. This is our main success factor”, he continues. There are today over 300 companies established in Medicon Valley. The area also includes 11 universities, five science parks and 26 hospitals of which 11 are university hospitals. More than 54,000 people work in the medical industry here, including some 5,000 researchers. Many of the companies established in the area are in the business of drug discovery. Three other prominent Biotech activities are bio informatics, bio assay, as well as genomics and proteomics. Opportunities in Medicon Valley The trade show Bio Scandinavia, held every year, by Region Skåne and Copenhagen Capacity, is an integral part of Medicon Valley activities. It brings together international companies, mainly from the U.S., to form partnerships with the local enterprises. This year’s event takes place on the 15 - 16 of November in Copenhagen. Last year some 60 companies participated. A major international breakthrough for Medicon Valley occurred in May this year when the American company Biogen chose Copenhagen for their expansion in Europe. Biogen is the world’s oldest independent biopharmaceutical company. It invested 350 million U.S. dollars here and will employ approximately 400 people at its new plant. “Medicon Valley offers Life Science companies a top level research environment, as well as a vibrant business community. There is a lot of entrepreneurial spirit in the Øresund region”, says Ulf Åberg. Co-operation across borders Development of the Life Science and Biotech cluster has strong political backing on both sides of the border between Skåne and Copenhagen. The Trade and Industry department of Region Skåne, as well as its counterpart Copenhagen Capacity, is part of the Medicon Valley Academy, which has over 200 members. Many are companies in the area. Region Skåne also has partners in the rest of Sweden to further advocate Scandinavia as a hub for Biotech and related business. International marketing of the Medicon Valley cluster is done with assistance from the Invest in Sweden Agency, among others. The universities of Lund, Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark are among the region’s main research institutions. In total, there are some 135,000 students in the area, which encompasses Medicon Valley. Among the multinational companies located here are AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Pharmacia, Lundbeck, Ferring and Leo Pharmaceuticals. Biotech start-ups include for example NeuroSearch, Bavarian Nordic, Active Biotech Biora and BioInvent. Besides Biogen, several other U.S.-based companies have in recent years chosen to establish operations in the region. The Future By the year 2005 the vision is to make Medicon Valley internationally well-known for its excellence in scientific environment and talent. Medicon Valley will in four years also have made further advancements in sharing know-how and technology transfer between industry, hospitals and universities. The entrepreneurial and innovative environment will be thriving, according to this vision. “I am sure we will see an even stronger Biotech cluster in the Øresund region. The combined effort by both Sweden and Denmark in this respect is a key to success”, concludes Ulf Åberg. Facts For more information about Medicon Valley, please contact Ann-Christine Lloyd at telephone +46-40-35 92 06 or e-mail: ann.christine.lloyd@skane.se |
All Rights Reserved