Life science is getting Sweden ready for the next crisis

How are Uppsala’s life science companies helping during the crisis?

- Many companies are extremely involved in community work, for instance by donating and making personal protective equipment for municipalities, laboratories and intensive care units. The County Administrative Board has laudably coordinated the collaboration on this. Other companies have switched production to help right now. Early on STUNS Life Science contacted the region’s manufacturers, and before we had barely explained what it was about, they understood and without hesitation helped by inventorying, securing and supplying the equipment they had in stock.

How is the pandemic affecting the industry?

- Life science is a variety of different businesses, which becomes especially apparent in times of crisis when support measures and efforts are to be targeted at groups, and it shows how different the members are. In Uppsala, there are over a hundred private life science companies of all sizes, from huge manufacturers to small one-person enterprises, that are reliant on consultants and competent capital; in other words, investors who also provide knowledge and experience. Some companies are making products in much higher demand right now – it can be difficult for them to deliver in time; others are finding it difficult to gain access to liquidity and to hospitals in order to validate their products. For the latter, it is considerably harder right now.

Can the crisis be a catalyst for social change?

- It simply has to be. It is our duty to learn from the situations we are currently going through. For companies, it is about evaluating and reassessing previous processes, subcontractors, how the business is run and with what degree of flexibility.

It is fantastic that companies and entrepreneurs can help solve society’s challenges and that the companies themselves see their role in this. I hope to see more of this type of collaboration also after the crisis.

Life science is tomorrow’s healthcare. All the investments we are presently making in it can both help the current situation and be an effort to overcome future challenges and crises. Sweden should therefore ensure the life science sector is in the best long-term position so it can continue to be successful.

Björn Arvidsson was interviewed by Maria Eklöf, senior consultant and associate partner at New Republic. ‘Three Quick Questions…’ is a series of interviews conducted by New Republic.