Sahlgrenska Academy, the medical faculty at the University of Gothenburg, is the first official founding partner of the innovation program GoCo Arena. As one of several founding partners, Sahlgrenska Academy will be active in setting the agenda for the programme. The goal of GoCo Arena is to accelerate health innovation through a platform for collaboration between scientists and industry. The platform includes a venue at the heart of GoCo Health Innovation City, the life science city being built next to AstraZeneca in Mölndal.
Our ambition is to become a life science cluster. The first step is to gather actors from science and industry at the same venue. However, in order to boost innovation, we need to create means for people to collaborate, exchange knowledge and meet.
"These kind of meeting venues are needed, as they connect the research we conduct with the industry. We have a rich tradition of collaborating with external partners, and that is fundamental in order for Sweden to defend its leading role in health innovation, with export successes such as Losec and Per-Ingvar Brånemarks research on osseointegration," says Agneta Holmäng, Dean & Professor, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg.
A national strategy for life science
The Swedish Government has decided that Sweden shall be a leading nation within life science. The national strategy that has been developed in order to reach that goal stipulates eight prioritised areas deemed particularly important. The first of these is structures for collaboration.
"We’re curious about the industry and vice versa. And we need to strengthen our possibilities to meet and collaborate. By stepping in as a founding partner to GoCo Arena, we get an important platform for reaching out with our research and for cooperating with the industry," says Agneta Holmäng.
"At the same time, we get a seat at the table where the agenda for the innovation programme is set. The potential is enormous, because a culture of innovation provides the possibility to attract world leading scientists, talents and companies," she adds.
The arena stands ready and the programme is launched
Earlier this fall, the innovation programme was launched with a day dedicated to the theme Behavioral Changes Toward Better Health. It was held at GoCo Arena, the meeting venue created for people to meet and innovate together. The initiative is a natural step for Next Step Group, that together with Vectura Fastigheter develops GoCo Health Innovation City.
"Our vision with GoCo Health Innovation City is to create a cluster with actors from the Life Science industry, who can collaborate and create innovations that will meet the challenges facing human health," says Marie Uddenmyr, responsible for GoCo Arena.
"To be successful we need to be a facilitator that gives these actors from different fields possibilities to meet each other and collaborate in a neutral arena. To welcome Sahlgrenska Academy as a founding partner proves we’re on the right track and also how important this initiative is," she adds.
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