Life Science Sector Key to Business Region Gothenburg
For Business Region Göteborg (BRG), the life science sector is a priority area. The municipally owned business development company actively works to promote innovation, attract investment, and facilitate the establishment of life science companies, one of the region’s fastest-growing industries.
Iris Öhrn works to attract international companies and investments to the Gothenburg region.
Life science is a strong and important part of the Gothenburg region, with more than 600 life science companies, high-quality healthcare at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and world-leading education and research at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Chalmers University of Technology.
– There is a strong “get things done” mentality across the entire region, built on long-standing collaboration between healthcare, academia, the city, and industry. Business Region Göteborg, as the region’s economic development agency, works with everything from startups to large companies. We promote the region and provide international investors with contacts and insights that can lead to new innovative collaborations, says Iris Öhrn, Establishment Advisor at Business Region Göteborg.
Business Region Göteborg, which has more than 90 employees, operates across several areas and focuses on innovation, growth, establishment, investment, and fostering cluster collaboration between the city, academia, healthcare, and industry.
– My role as an establishment advisor is to ensure that we attract new capital, new companies, and new expertise. A large part of the work involves identifying international collaborations and partners for regional stakeholders, which in turn leads to new establishments and investments.
– As we compete globally, we frequently participate in international trade fairs and focus heavily on promotion and marketing. We are also working increasingly strategically with selected key markets and priority companies.
Beyond Life Science
When Iris Öhrn meets stakeholders in the Gothenburg region, she encourages them to think beyond life science in their continued development.
– What I mean is that they should remain open to other fields that ultimately impact their operations, including the digital and technological transformation. Advances in technology, ranging from AI and digital solutions to advanced therapies and sustainable production, are fundamentally reshaping the life science sector, and it is important that the Gothenburg region keeps pace with these developments, says Iris Öhrn.
