Nordic Life Science Days, or NLSDays, which is organized by SwedenBIO, has grown into one of the largest partnering events in the Nordic region within life science since its inception in 2013. This year's edition was held on October 13–14 for the first time ever in Gothenburg and marks a new chapter – both geographically and strategically.
With the support of Business Region Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska Science Park, GoCo Health Innovation City and AstraZeneca Western Sweden was highlighted as a blooming ecosystem for industrial growth and international investments. The conference's "supersessions" with local heavyweights such as Leif Johansson, former CEO of Volvo and former chairman of the board of AstraZeneca, highlighted themes such as the financing climate, clinical collaborations, culture-driven innovation and deep tech trends. In the parallel investment track, NLSInvest promising Nordic startups had the chance to meet and pitch to venture capitalists, business angels and fund managers.
Industry report shows: Sweden's drug pipeline is growing
The recent report The Swedish Drug Discovery and Development Pipeline 2026, which was presented during the conference, shows that Sweden has a broad and mature drug development pipeline spanning 518 projects from 152 companies, of which more than half are in clinical phase.
The report, produced by SwedenBIO in collaboration with Citeline and Vinnova, describes a sector on the rise with 11 new approved drugs and over USD 1,1 billion in acquisition deal value since 2023. It also shows that over 200 Swedish drug candidates and projects are currently available for partnerships, with many companies actively seeking international licensing deals to drive development further.
A reason why licensing deals are seen as a preferred exit is the challenges of driving costly projects in-house, albeit the financial upside of a positive outcome in later phases could be significantly higher. Here, Jessica Martinsson, CEO of SwedenBIO, identifies a bottleneck in the system;
- While the overall outlook remains positive, the latest data reveals, once again, persistent challenges – particularly in advancing projects from phase II to phase III. A main reason being insufficient funding. Attracting international investors is an area where Sweden could – and should – improve, she notes in the report.
In another comment, Carl Kilander, partner at HealthCap, notes that the Swedish companies come with significant advantages that investors should be attracted to.
– Sweden consistently punches above its weight in life sciences, combining world-class scientific talent, a strong track record of globally competitive companies, and a collaborative echo system bridging academia, industry, and investors. For international investors, this creates unique opportunities to tap in on high-quality innovation with proven pathways to global markets, he comments in the report.
Nordic cooperation attracts capital
The report supports Kilander's statement and points out that Sweden, Denmark and Finland together form a powerful engine in Europe's life science development. Sweden ranks at the top in the EU Innovation Index 2025 and in second place in the Global Innovation Index. Research, digitalisation and sustainable production make the region competitive in the global market.
This is also noticeable when it comes to investments: in 2025, Swedish companies like AnaCardio, Gesynta, Oncorena and Tribune Therapeutics secured significant capital rounds of between SEK 130 million and 400 million. Venture funds such as HealthCap, Industrifonden, Hadean Ventures and EQT Life Sciences are recurring players in these deals, which underlines that investors see a mature market here that can deliver global success.
Voices from the floor highlight networking, energy and Nordic openness
On social media, event participants testify to an inspiring conference climate. Under the hashtag #NLSDays on LinkedIn, visitors describe the event as the perfect balance between professionalism and spontaneity. Several voices highlight the open conversation culture and the Nordic collaboratory spirit as a driver for partnerships and the advancement of Nordic innovation.