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Medicon Valley Alliance (Denmark/Sweden)

Building cross-border alliances that help build business

Keywords: Leadership, Partnership Working, Rest of World, Empowerment, Skills

Overview

Following completion of a remarkable new bridge linking Sweden and Denmark in 2000, an exciting development opportunity arose in what became known as the Øresund region. The Medicon Valley Alliance – a network of firms, universities, hospitals and public authorities – and the Øresund Science Region capitalised on existing links between the area’s universities and biomedical sector. As a result the Øresund region is now one of the leading biomedical regions in Europe and today accounts for 60% of all Scandinavian life science exports. Even more impressive, it is now one of the top 10 European regions for biotechnology and applied microbiology, immunology and oncology.

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The opening of the Øresund Bridge in 2000 linked southern Sweden with northern Denmark and established the area as the most densely populated metropolitan region in Scandinavia. Øresund was already home to a thriving biomedical industry with strong links to local universities. While the bridge was being planned, the Universities of Lund and Copenhagen took the opportunity to develop those links further by building cross-border alliances that would benefit business.

In 1997, business and research communities on both sides of the border came together to form the Medicon Valley Alliance (MVA). Its aim to improve links between biomedical firms, business services and financial companies. The MVA also promotes the Øresund Science Region (ØSR), a networking organisation that undertakes matchmaking, benchmarking, technology transfer and marketing. This has, in turn, led to the creation of other vital networking organisation covering IT, food, logistics and the environment.

The Medicon Valley is now one of the leading biomedical zones in Europe and accounts for 60% of all Scandinavian life science exports. It’s also in the European top ten of regions for biotechnology, applied microbiology, immunology and oncology, as well as being the 10th most productive European region in terms of its biotechnology patent applications.

Summary

In 2000 a new road/rail bridge was built across the Øresund strait that divides Denmark and Sweden.
The Medicon Valley Alliance was formed to forge links between biomedical science businesses and research communities in the two regions.
Medicon Valley is now one of the leading biomedical clusters in Europe, accounting for 60% of all Scandinavian life science exports. It has world-class R&D skills in diabetes, neurosciences, cancer and inflammation.
The MVA’s success is based on day-to-day cooperation between the members, with local universities playing a key role.
The Øresund Science Region used the MVA approach as a template for other equivalent projects. As a result the Oresund “brand” is recognised around the world as a high tech region.

» Background

Background

The Øresund is a narrow straight between the Copenhagen area of Denmark and the southern Skåne area of Sweden. In 2000 the Øresund Bridge was completed, carrying road and rail traffic across the straight and making the area the most densely populated region in Scandinavia. In addition, the opening up of former Soviet Block countries, and the accession of the Baltic States to the European Union have also given the region a new strategic importance in trading and commercial terms.

Although much of the area’s economy was resolutely low-tech, a biomedical science industry had been slowly growing for many decades. Research-intensive pharmaceutical firms such as LEO Pharma, Novo Nordisk, Nycomed and H Lundbeck have been based in Copenhagen since the 1930s, while on the Swedish side of the border AstraZeneca, Pharmacia and Ferring had been in operation since around the First World War.

These businesses had long-established links with the region’s 14 universities. In the mid 1990s, with the prospect of the Øresund bridge in sight, the Universities of Lund and Copenhagen set about extending and deepening those links across national borders.

» The Project

Overview «

The Project

In 1997, the local Danish and Swedish business and research communities came together to form the Medicon Valley Alliance (MVA) as an EU Interreg II project. The MVA was – and remains – a non-profit, fee-based organisation with around 270 members, designed to improve links between biomedical firms, business services and financial companies in the Øresund area.

By 2000, the MVA had successfully brought together a network of companies, universities, hospitals and public authorities from across the area, including a large number of small firms. In 2007, MVA changed its name to Medicon Valley Alliance to reflect its business emphasis.

The MVA works to help business development, influence the political environment and publicise the region. It hosts conferences, approves R&D projects funded through the Øresund Science Region (ØSR) and coordinates research projects. It has a board of directors representing different stakeholders and staff based in offices across the region.

The ØSR is a vital part of the MVA initiative. It acts as a networking facility for companies, universities and public authorities. Established in 2001, the ØSR is “owned” by a partnership of 14 local universities designed to promote research and educational cooperation. The ØSR’s network activities include matchmaking, benchmarking, technology transfer and marketing. Since the arrival of the ØSR other equivalent networking organisations – known as platform alliances – have been created to cover IT, food, logistics and the environment.

ØSR’s board includes university rectors, senior politicians and CEOs from the region. The board takes an overview role, with detailed discussions taking place in the five different platform alliances and their sub-networks (the food platform, for example, has six separate sub-networks).

» The Impact

Background «

The Impact

Today the Medicon Valley is one of the leading biomedical regions in Europe and accounts for some 60% of all Scandinavian life science exports. Its research activity is a particular strength - Medicon Valley is ranked as a top 10 European regions for biotechnology and applied microbiology, immunology and oncology in terms of research publications. It’s also the 10th most productive European region in terms of its biotechnology patenting.

MVA members work together on research projects, creating strong links between firms and universities. For example, the region has a significant presence at every stage in the drug development chain, from the identification of target products through to their clinical development. In fact Medicon Valley has world-class R&D capabilities in four therapeutic areas: diabetes, neurosciences, cancer and inflammation.

The ØSR has built on the MVA’s success to produce state-of-the-art scientific networks and sub-networks. It has succeeded in branding Øresund as a high-tech region or global significance, and promoted integration across the Danish-Swedish border.

The organisation’s members communicate well across diverse topics including science, technology, management and policy, and the network members value the opportunity to explore each other’s fields through the numerous meetings that occur.

The commitment of its members was demonstrated in 2007 when regional authorities attempted to take over ownership of ØSR. The situation was only resolved when the Danish Confederation of Industry, with support from its Swedish counterpart, stated that if the regional authorities took over the ØSR, industrialists would withdraw from the network, such was their commitment to and belief in the ØSR and MVA.

» Lessons Learned

The Project «

Lessons Learned

Regular discussion yields impressive results. University, business and clinical communities get genuine value from talking and sharing specialist information on a day-to-day basis.

Recognise that universities can have an important role to play. In this case universities were able to facilitate and host business networks thanks to a combination of their in-depth knowledge and neutrality. The network’s non-commercial business model helped make the alliance work, as businesses quickly came to realise it wasn’t a potential competitor.

The absence of a formal, central authority can be a strength, not a weakness. In a decentralised situation like this, the network assumed a broker role, with all decisions negotiated between interested parties. The result is that everyone’s voice is heard and every opinion acknowledged.

Invest time to build trust. What could have been an unwieldy decision making process worked well thanks to the trust that built up between the network members and the network’s leaders. This process took time and required the leaders to have a visible presence in the region and to be clearly committed to its success.

Cooperation, not competition, is the key to success. The goals these networks have achieved are a direct result of their collaborative approach and belief in the value of teamwork.

» Reference

The Impact «