File:Research in Medicon Valley 2017 - 20170817 (36100329443).jpg

Research in Medicon Valley 2017 An Analysis of Life Science Research at Universities in Greater Copenhagen

Commissioned and published by: Medicon Valley Alliance. This analysis has been prepared by Øresundsinstituttet and was written by Anna Palmehag. Project manager: Jenny Andersson. Translation: Justina Bartoli. Cover photo: Anna Palmehag. August 2017

© Øresundsinstituttet (CC BY 3.0) <a href="http://www.oresundsinstituttet.org" rel="nofollow">www.oresundsinstituttet.org</a>

You are now about to read an MVA analysis titled “Research in Medicon Valley 2017 – An Analysis of Life Science Research at Universities in Greater Copenhagen. This publication is the result of an analysis collaboration between Medicon Valley Alliance and Øresundsinstituttet and as such it is a university focused in-depth follow-up to the more general “State of Medicon Valley 2016 – An Analysis of Life Science in Greater Copenhagen” published in November 2016.

Obviously, the volume and quality of universities’ R&D and their interaction with the two other pillars in the region´s life science triple-helix structure, the hospitals/regions and the industry, are of crucial importance for the Medicon Valley life science eco-system.

This analysis serves several purposes. Firstly, it introduces a methodology by which we can evaluate the life science research in the region. Secondly, it allows us to identify specific challenges and opportunities, compare them with our point of departure, such as specific areas of excellence and ongoing investments and initiatives. Thirdly, it helps to highlight and emphasize the potential for future regional collaboration and point to strategies and actions that can help catapult the Medicon Valley region from its current status as the strongest life science cluster in the Nordics, but only a second tier life science cluster globally, to a global first-tier life science cluster, which, based on world class excellence in selected areas, can credibly position itself as the leading life science cluster in Northern Europe.

Not surprisingly, the life science research is headed by the largest, broadest and most internationally reputed universities in Copenhagen and Lund, but both Malmö University and Roskilde University have created an interdisciplinary image for themselves. When it comes to engineering, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) stands out in the region, and current investments aimed at strengthening DTU´s profile within life science and bioengineering makes DTU a strong third, when it comes to the importance and impact of the universities for life science related R&D in the Medicon Valley region.

This analysis also specifically highlights the potential related to the synchrotron light facility MAX IV, inaugurated in June 2016 and the neutron research facility European Spallation Source (ESS) currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2023. These two truly world class research facilities can not only serve as global-ranging scientific beacons for the Medicon Valley region, but also to some extent improve the Danish-Swedish balance within Medicon Valley, ensure strengthened collaboration and provide an opportunity to promote the life science cluster of the Greater Copenhagen region more consistently and effectively.

I hope you will enjoy the reading.

Copenhagen and Malmö 17th of August, 2017

Petter Hartman CEO Medicon Valley Alliance

Around 7 000 researchers at nine learning institutions in Medicon Valley conduct life science research: the University of Copenhagen, Lund University, the Technical University of Denmark, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Alnarp, Malmö University, the National Institute of Public Health/SDU, Roskilde University, Kristianstad University and Aalborg University in Copenhagen. Important research areas in the region are diabetes and metabolic diseases, cancer, neuroscience and stem cell research, biobased applications and biorefinery, plant science and protein research. Some of the many thriving, but less broad, areas of research are genomics and metagenomics, coagulation, sports medicine, chemical ecology and biobarriers. From an international perspective, Medicon Valley is just a notch below the most successful life science regions, but more specialised and strong niche areas create potential for the region’s universities to become prominent in the global competition for researchers and funding. These niche areas may comprise certain research areas – as the elite research centres at the University of Copenhagen – or an entire university, as in the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Alnarp. All the while, expectations are mounting when it comes to the opportunities and potential that the research facilities ESS and MAX IV will bring to life science research.

Detta verk av Øresundsinstituttet är licensierat under en Creative Commons Erkännande 3.0 Unported-licens (CC BY 3.0). Bilden får fritt publiceras under förutsättning att källa anges. .The picture can be used freely under the prerequisite that the source is given. Øresundsinstituttet, Malmö, Sweden. Øresundsinstituttet är ett oberoende dansk-svenskt kunskapscentrum