ScanBalt Project News: Life science competencies in ScanBalt BioRegion

The EU funded ScanBalt CompetenceRegion project contributes to create and promote visibility in the ScanBalt BioRegion. As one of the projects` action lines, the mapping aims to identify the key competencies and resources of the life science networks as well as closing the information gaps with quantitative and qualitative data. The data collection focuses on well established life science networks like MediconValley Academy, BioTurku, MedCoast Scandinavia or BioCon Valley and upcoming life science networks in the new member states around the Baltic Sea and North-West Russia. During the project meeting 31st January 2006 in Hamburg, the mapping results were presented by Oxford Research A/S who was subcontracted to the ScanBalt CompetenceRegion project.

Based on the idea of the “product-life-cycle”, the ScanBalt networks are characterized by different parameters, they show different status of development.  An important role plays the relationship between academia, industry and politics. The mapping identifies so called “drivers” such as R&D input, risk capital, human capital, biotech workforce and current impact as well as “enablers” such as R&D programs, university policies related to patents, tax incentives etc.. Besides the absolute data, the mapping contains descriptions of the indicators, the data resources and a lot of useful links.  Main sources of information have been regional and institutional websites, annual reviews and reports.  For the realization of this first and comprehensive mapping of the Scanbalt BioRegion it was essential that the project partners have contributed their data and reviewed the collected data.

The mapping will be the basis for international benchmark studies, individual scorecards and best practice analyses. Furthermore it will serve as a valuable instrument for cooperation and knowledge sharing between networks, organizations and other stakeholders in the ScanBalt BioRegion.

As a next step in the ScanBalt CompetenceRegion project, the mapping will serve as basis for a scorecard concept and a following analysis of the life science networks. That includes a permanent update of quantitative and qualitative data as well as a structuring and categorization of the data. The mapping results will be linked with an existing data management system of ScanBalt and will be published until end of 2006.

Contact: Careen Krüger
Project Coordinator
BioCon Valley GmbH
Walther-Rathenau-Str. 49a
D-17489 Greifswald
mailto :
phone : +49 (0)3834 515 300
mobile: +49 (0) 151 16752789
Read more about the ScanBalt project CompetenceRegion here.