NLSInvest organisers welcome address followed by a short panel discussion with Nordic investors.
Speaker(s):
Mr. Mike Ward - Global Head of Thought Leadership, Decision Resources Group - Clarivate
Mr. Jonas Hansson - Venture Partner, HealthCap
Dr. Niccolò Bacchi - Associate, Novo Seeds - Novo Holdings
The path to approval is littered with pitfalls, leading to unnecessary delays in getting your products to the people who need it the most: the patients. Such delays inevitably cost not only time, but extraordinary amounts of money. The first part of this workshop will showcase how creating a regulatory roadmap for all required regulatory interactions will not only help you to plan meetings with relevant agencies, but will also prepare you for the requirements, cost, and time required to reach regulatory milestones throughout your drug development. The ability to avoid unnecessary delays allows you to properly prepare, as well as to show your investors that you are informed and addressing each stage of development. Separately, but equally important, the deadline for the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) is fast approaching, bringing with it a host of new challenges to manufacturers in the European market. Failure to understand the implications of these changes can result in losing certification and, therefore, the right to place your medical devices on the EU market. The second part of this workshop will thus outline several, specific challenges coming with MDR and will prepare you to tackle those challenges head-on.
Speaker(s):
Dr. Tina Amini - Medical Device Division Director, NDA Group
Dr. Björn Carlsson - Principal Consultant, NDA Group
Dr. Steffen Thirstrup - Director, NDA Regulatory Advisory Board, NDA Advisory Services
There is nothing more attractive to potential buyers than a strong Intellectual Property portfolio. But how do you increase the value of your company’s intellectual property and, at the same time, your overall value)? During this interactive workshop, valuation experts from leading IP firm AWA will provide tips, tricks, and a practical checklist that you can implement immediately following the session to increase the value of your IP. Think health checks, the importance of timing, and the awareness of intellectual assets. We will also provide tools from years of experience on how to effectively engage with your investors when it comes to showcasing your start-up’s IP and value.
Speaker(s):
Ms. Frida Björk - European Patent Attorney, Partner, AWA
Ms. Anneli Jönsson - European Patent Attorney, Partner, AWA
Ms. Johanna Bergh - European Patent Attorney, Partner, AWA
Dr. Helle Friis Svenstrup - Patent Attorney, AWA
Mr. Joacim Lydén - European Patent Attorney, Partner, AWA
At an early stage, it is vital to plan for and create a valuable, sellable company. But what do you actually need in order to build value and success in a company? Most often, the early focus is placed on activities e.g. scalable business offerings, IP, and the founding team, whereas much less focus is placed on a key source of often-unleashed potential: a well-composed Executive Board. Your Board can be a great asset for value creation. Likewise, a non-functioning Board can devastate company development, even jeopardise its mere existence. Welcome to this interactive workshop, where we highlight how a well-performing Board help drives your value-creation journey, and we work together to understand both how to compose and to recruit your Board wisely.
Speaker(s):
Dr. Per Antonsson - Investment Manager, Almi Invest
Ms. Åsa Otterlund - Partner, Burro Advisors
Dr. Helen Pettersson - Investment Manager, Almi Invest
From 1st April 2021, company presentations will be available on-demand in the following categories:
We are 27 million-strong, with shared values of openness, trust, sustainability, and equality, making the Nordics the perfect setting for partnerships & investments. In this session, we celebrate our Nordic Region with a Keynote by Cytiva CEO, Emmanuel Ligner, and a showcase of our 2021 Flagships, selected for their personal contribution to Nordic values & success. It is by coming together as a unified region that we are a greater force to be reckoned with globally – and we can see why when we take a look at what we each contribute nationally:
Moderator(s): Ms. Helena Strigård - Director General, SwedenBIO
Speaker(s):
Mr. Olivier Duchamp - Managing Director, NLSDays - NLS Invest
Ms. Helena Strigård - Director General, SwedenBIO
Mr. Emmanuel Ligner - CEO & President at Cityva (former GE Healthcare Life Sciences)
Mr. Gudmundur Fertram Sigurjonsson - Founder, President & CEO, Kerecis
Mr. Gudmundur Fertram Sigurjonsson
“It is great to be a part of NLSDays to tell the story of Kerecis and network with other companies in the biotech space. I am now more convinced than ever that the groundbreaking developments that are taking place in the Nordic region truly will make a great impact on our lives,”
Residual fish skin has formed the basis of Iceland’s fastest growing company, Kerecis. Skin from cold water fish is naturally rich in Omega-3, which accelerates wound healing and is also ideal for human tissue as there is no risk of infection between such cold-water fish and humans. The company’s vision is to become the world leader in tissue regeneration by sustainably harnessing nature’s own remedies. www.kerecis.com
Opening Plenary 20 April 9:30 CET
Opening Plenary
Dr. Rafiq Hasan - CEO, ExACT Therapeutics
Dr. Rafiq Hasan
“NLSDays 2021 is a great opportunity to learn about the strong innovation emerging from the Nordics, as well as to share experiences and best practices,”
EXACT-Tx is a clinical stage Anglo-Norwegian biotech company developing a technology platform for targeted therapeutic enhancement – Acoustic Cluster Therapy (ACT®). ACT® sonoporation is a unique approach to ultrasound-mediated, targeted drug enhancement – with the potential to significantly amplify the clinical utility of a wide range of therapeutic agents across a multitude of indications including within oncology (chemotherapy, immunotherapy), infectious diseases, and neurological conditions. www.exact-tx.com
Opening Plenary 20 April 9:30 CET
Opening Plenary
Mr. Erik Gatenholm - CEO and Co-Founder, Cellink
Mr. Erik Gatenholm
“It’s a great pleasure to speak and network with other entrepreneurs, business leaders, and innovators during the NLSDays 2021. The life science industry is going through a major revolution and what brought us here won’t bring us to the future we want to achieve. In the name of being able to create the future of medicine together, we need to learn to work together, to establish fruitful collaborations – and that can only be done if we learn to share our stories, ideas, and get to work,”
In 2016, Cellink commercialized the world’s first universal bioink, the first of many milestones in becoming the world’s leading bioprinting company. In 2020, after 3 successful acquisitions and multiple successful products launched, a bigger idea developed. With the combination of cutting-edge engineering, big data and AI initiatives, and biology, the first bio-convergence company has now emerged. www.cellink.com
Opening Plenary 20 April 9:30 CET
Opening Plenary
Dr. Jacqueline Ameri - CEO, Pancryos
Dr. Jacqueline Ameri
“Unique Danish funding opportunities for promising and emerging innovations were essential to our early establishment and growth. Likewise, NLSDays is a unique platform that brings together the entire Nordic life science community, not only giving us the possibility of connecting with a relevant VC and Pharma community, but also helping us to establish new partnerships across the Nordic region,”
PanCryos, a spinout from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology at the University of Copenhagen, is devoted to improve the quality of life for the millions of people suffering from type 1 diabetes. The company is developing a best-in-class stem cell derived allogeneic cell therapy (PanINSULA™) that will provide the same glucose control as the pancreatic islet: sensing changes in blood glucose and producing Insulin Naturally. pancryos.com
Opening Plenary 20 April 9:30 CET
Opening Plenary
Ms. Kaisa Helminen - Chief Operating Officer, Aiforia Technologies
Ms. Kaisa Helminen
“As global healthcare systems and organizations are adopting digital technologies such as AI at an ever increasing pace, it is crucial for us as the providers of these transformative solutions to collaborate with each other as well as with the medical professionals adopting these technologies. NLSDays provides that platform for us to share and communicate our vision by bringing together industry leaders across a wide array of fields,”
Aiforia’s mission is to provide the most powerful tools for AI-assisted analysis to enhance the translation of medical images into data and discoveries in all realms of healthcare. From scientific research to clinical diagnostics, Aiforia aims to outfit healthcare professionals with the digital solutions they need for the shifting landscape of medicine. www.aiforia.com
Opening Plenary 20 April 9:30 CET
Opening Plenary
The Nordic countries hold a unique position. With decades worth of health data covering more than 27 million people, we have the possibility to become a world-leading health innovation hub for the benefit of all individuals, patients, and global society. However, in order to realize this ambition, we must cooperate to better align, integrate, and use our health data in a protected and patient-centric way that also supports industry participation. In turn, industry holds a reciprocal requirement to protect our data, and to articulate & address their role in creating societal value. If we open up to greater collaboration, we can learn from each other and overcome the challenges together. In this session, leaders from across the Nordic Region and life science ecosystem will share their views on successful collaboration models related to health data as a driver for innovation and development, with recommendations for joint action.
Moderator(s): Mr. Bogi Eliasen - Director of Health, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
Speaker(s):
Mr. Bogi Eliasen - Director of Health, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
Ms. Niina Aagaard - Chief Operating Officer, Nordic Innovation
Ms. Louise Rosenlund Nielsen - Head of International Development & Partnerships, CopCap
Dr. Mervi Aavikko - Project Manager FinnGen, University of Helsinki
Ms. Rajji Mehdwan - Head of People and Culture, Roche
Dr. Nikolai Brun - Chair HMA-EMA Taskforce on Big Data
Dr. Frederik Knud Nielsen - Strategic Pipeline Lead, Nordics, Novartis
Dr. Lars Lindsköld - Portfolio manager, Sweper / Swelife
Hosted by:
Microbiome Signature Project
Interreg-Oresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak
Medicon Valley Alliance
Copenhagen Capacity
Invest in Skåne
The human microbiome is considered a counterpart to the human genome, with the number of genes in our microbiome outnumbering the genes in our genome by 100 to 1. The microbiome is a set of highly interactive species which is heavily impacted by its surrounding environment and whose balance is vital to human health.
Today, gut microbiome is at the leading edge of scientific research across more than 170 countries. In this session, “Microbiome: the New Genetics?”, hosted by the Greater Copenhagen Microbiome Signature Project, we will hear from some of the world’s leaders on the current developments within microbiome research, such as host-microbe interactions and their implications on disease progression and treatment, where opportunities and challenges exist in translating proof-of-concept studies in animal models to clinical trials, and how research can transition from academia to industry to result in improved therapies and better therapeutic outcomes for patients. The discussions will further shed light on how the Nordics can play a key role in moving the field forward.
Moderator(s): Dr. Eric De La Fortelle - Venture Partner, Seventure Partners
Speaker(s):
Dr. Eric De La Fortelle - Venture Partner, Seventure Partners
Dr. Paul Ross - Director, APC Microbiome Ireland
Ms. Sarah Lidé - Senior Strategy & Project Manager, Medicon Valley Alliance
Dr. Gianfranco Grompone - Chief Scientific Officer, BioGaia
Dr. Mirjam Mol-Arts - Chief Science and Medical Officer, Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Dr. Henrik Bjørn Nielsen - Chief Scientific Officer, Clinical Microbiomics
New vaccines and novel vaccine technologies are in the center of public debate as a consequence of the corona virus pandemic and our industry’s ability to rapidly deliver to society. Since long, vaccines have played an important role in disease prevention, primarily in the area of infectious diseases. Vaccines are here to stay and novel technologies facilitate rapid vaccine development but also open up for curative approaches in other therapeutic areas such as oncology and CNS-disease. This session will deal with the rapid development of novel vaccine technologies, regulatory aspects and promises for new therapeutic vaccines to cure diseases in non-traditional therapeutic areas.
Speaker(s):
Dr. Renske Hesselink - Senior Consultant Development and Manufacturing, ProPharma Group
Dr. Michel de Baar - Executive Director, BD&L, Infectious and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Vaccines & Immunology, MSD
Mr. Göran Conradson - Managing Director, Ziccum
Our life science industry is full of exciting innovations, yet many companies are wary of shouting about their accomplishments, culturally and within a strictly regulated environment. At the same time, the world won’t notice your company unless you provide compelling information about who you are and how you are changing the game. It’s vital that potential stakeholders understand that you are developing the best solution to the problems they face. Therefore, you must be able to present them with the bold vision behind what your innovation means to the market, alongside a relevant brand story. Join us to learn about the power of branding in differentiating you from your competitors and in influencing customer perceptions through storytelling.
Our Nordic countries are bonded closely in life sciences, yet we are aware how important it is to also connect stronger with our neighbors, continental and overseas. In financing, we know that cultural differences and logistics impact deal-flow for life science start-ups and SMEs, but what actually are those differences and how can we better prepare for or against them?
In the first half of this session, the Nordics’ own Mårten Steen, Partner at HealthCap, together with Jonathan Gertler, Managing Director at Boston-based BioVentures MedTech Funds, will discuss the opportunities and challenges for US-to-Nordic syndicates and how to better bridge the gap.
In the second half, Mårten & Jonathan will pull together an exciting panel of speakers to include perspectives on issues facing emerging companies, from corporate development to regulatory and commercial to transactional. With a focus on maximizing your chance of success, this panel will support you, as an SME, in better understanding what you should have and know, and how best to prioritize your needs.
Speaker(s):
Dr. Mårten Steen - Partner, HealthCap
Dr. Jonathan Gertler - Managing Partner & CEO, Back Bay Life Science Advisors - Managing Director, BioVentures Medtech Funds
Mr. Søren Møller - Managing Partner, Novo Seeds - Novo Holdings
Dr. Karin Kleinhans - Investment Manager, LSP
An educational and future-oriented workshop based on the Covid 19 pandemic leading us into different ways of working with customers and regulatory authorities, highlighting the opportunities it offers. We will learn from Baxter’s and Curida’s experience with “remote audits” and get a regulatory authority’s view of the new landscape. A panel discussion will conclude lessons learned and discuss impact on the future.
Speaker(s):
Mr. Magnus Jeppsson - Quality Compliance Manager, Baxter International
Mr. Leif Rune Skymoen - CEO, Curida
From 1st April 2021, company presentations will be available on-demand in the following categories:
Innovation & technology are the beating heart of human progress, starting the moment we begin to think and act differently in companies & investments. Our session will begin with a Keynote from the Head of the Life Science Division at the European Investment Bank (EIB), one of the largest supporters of European innovation, as well as one of the largest venture capital providers via the European Investment Fund (EIF). For Europe and the Nordics to remain globally competitive, the EIB’s mandate is clear: go digital, go green, and take the risk.
In the first half of our session, we will tackle the Elevator Pitch, with a ‘twist’. As a start-up, it is often expected that an elevator pitch is ready to deliver on-demand. How do the Pros do it? Meet our team of financial experts across four major funds. Each is here to tell you a bit about their vision, strategy, and ideal fit by offering up their ”Reverse-Elevator Pitch: Investor to SME.”
In 2015, NY Times quoted, “There are more CEOs named John than female CEOs.” Five years later, we see a growing number of female partners in VC firms and corporate leadership roles, but is it enough? In the second half of this session, we have put together a leading panel of female experts who will address the role of gender in financing and corporate development, including how women think and invest differently and how leadership diversity can increase a company’s valuation. Our panel will also tackle other topics, all geared towards helping you hunt wisely for intelligent capital and maximize your chances of success. For example, did you know an investor’s rejection can be a good thing? Expect an interactive dialogue & come with questions!
Moderator(s): Dr. Sonia Benhamida - Senior Vice President Healthcare, DNB
Speaker(s):
Dr. Sonia Benhamida - Senior Vice President Healthcare, DNB
Ms. Felicitas Riedl - Life Science Expert, European Investment Bank
Mr. Stephan Christgau - Founding & Managing Partner, Eir Ventures
Dr. Dina Chaya - Partner, NeoMed Management - Advisor, Omega Funds
Dr. Deborah Harland - Partner at SR One - GSK Venture Capital Group
Ms. Rachel Mears - Deputy Director General, Jeito Capital
Dr. Ingrid Teigland Akay - Managing Partner, Hadean Ventures
Dr. Joanne M. Hackett - General Partner Healthcare, IZY Capital
Dr. Christina Trojel-Hansen - CEO and Co-Founder - Oscine Therapeutics, in Residence - Arch Venture Partners
Ms. Jeanne Bolger - Corporate Venture Capital Investor, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
The Precision Medicine Revolution has shifted to an evidence-based and ‘proactive’ rather than ‘reactive’ approach and, with this shift, has come the understanding that simply having viable treatments is no longer enough. Improved & earlier detection of disease and the continued identification of new biomarkers are vital steps in improving diagnosis, improving the safety and efficacy of existing medicines, and developing new medicines and targeted therapies. This, of course, highlights the need for innovative diagnostic solutions by small and dynamic companies. At the same time, emerging companies advancing novel, biomarker-based, technology-driven, or digital diagnostics face clear challenges when bringing solutions towards the market: funding is limited, partnering larger players holds potentially unforeseen expectations on how far the SME should have developed, and today’s standards for clinical trial design can act as a hinderance to this sector of the ecosystem. In this session, we aim to get at the root of biomarker and diagnostic-driven SME success, first by minimizing translation gaps between academia, pharma, and diagnostics, then by discussing critical steps in preparation, funding, & merging of strategies across sectors.
Moderator(s): Dr. Abdel Halim - KOL on biomarkers, precision medicine and companion diagnostics, Biomarker Consult
Speaker(s):
Dr. Jutta Heix - Head of International Affairs, Oslo Cancer Cluster
Dr. Abdel Halim - KOL on biomarkers, precision medicine and companion diagnostics, Biomarker Consult
Ms. Carolina Haefliger - VP, Head Centre for Genomics Research, AstraZeneca
Ms. Karin Conde-Knape - CVP Global Diabetes, Cardio-Renal and Global Drug Discovery, Novo Nordisk
Dr. Gupta Udatha - Project Coordinator, DIGI-B-CUBE
Mr. Karl Bergman - CEO, Elypta
Dr. Patrick Sobocki - Investment Manager, Industrifonden
In the world of exponential data and digital disruption, there are more stakeholders involved in R&D than ever before. Traditional business models across the drug discovery and development value chain are transitioning at an increasingly rapid pace. Likewise, the diversification of product pipelines has expanded beyond drugs to increasingly include medical devices, big data, and digital tools, through which we can better engage patients and harness the best of medicine. In this session, we take a look at this new field: who is involved, how are they working together, and what does this mean for the future of clinical trials from Academic, Pharmaceutical, Technology, and Regulatory perspectives? Likewise, what are the updates around the new Medical Device Regulations (MDR) – and how should SMEs prepare to take their first big steps towards getting their device(s) on the market?
Moderator(s): Dr. Jessica Shull - European Lead, Digital Therapeutics Alliance
Speaker(s):
Dr. Jessica Shull - European Lead, Digital Therapeutics Alliance
Ms. Sofia Nordgren - Director of Regulatory Affairs, Devicia
Dr. Magnus Björsne - CEO, Astrazeneca BioVentureHub
Mr. Martin Olovsson - CEO and Co-Founder, Ondosis
Dr. Sam Oddsson - Chief Medical Officer & Co-Founder, SidekickHealth
Mr. Torbjörn Hägglöf - Artificial Intelligence Business Sales & Delivery Executive, Cognitive Business Solutions, IBM Global Business Services
Dr. Elisabeth Liljensten - CEO, Devicia
CROs and other service providers tend to get a ‘bad rap’ across parts of our industry. Even if they are founded in and driven credible, industry-valuable science, service providers must also survive as businesses by selling their services to ideal partners. And, as we know, challenges can easily arise when sales-meets-science.
In this session, our industry experts from Link Medical discuss how the business challenges of scientifically oriented CROs, as well as how to address the challenges for start-ups and SMEs in finding the “right fit” with the perfect CRO partner.
To support the discussion, one of Link Medical’s California-based clients, will share their experience of how they, as a small company, successfully navigated a sea of CROs to identify their best long-term partner.
Moderator(s): Ms. Chelsea Ranger - Program Director NLSDays, SwedenBIO
Speaker(s):
Ms. Chelsea Ranger - Program Director NLSDays, SwedenBIO
Ms. Lena Lindeberg - Vice President Commercial Operations, LINK Medical Research
Mr. Roland Winger - Senior Vice President Clinical Operations, Allakos
A panel discussion to give the participants a toolbox on how to think about sustainability (UN SDGs) in life science companies and how to work with this matter.
Speaker(s):
Ms. Luisa Monse - Operational Development Manager, Vinnova
From 1st April 2021, company presentations will be available on-demand in the following categories:
From 1st April 2021, company presentations will be available on-demand in the following categories: