Representatives of the Lithuanian biotechnology sector are taking part in a biotechnology event organised by Norway Health Tech, the largest health sector cluster in Norway, as part of Oslo Innovation Week. The cluster brings together around 290 members, including over 100 start-ups, companies, research institutes, hospitals and municipalities.
According to Erika Kuročkina, Advisor to the Minister of the Economy and Innovation, this is the first joint Lithuanian-Norwegian event on the topic of life sciences, and aims to identify prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation and to find out what the ecosystems of Norway and Lithuania have to offer to innovative health businesses.
"The biotechnology companies operating in Lithuania, their contribution to the global life sciences sector, the production of vaccines and the high qualification of our country's scientists make us justifiably proud of our achievements in this field. We can be strong partners in clinical trials, and even in cell and gene editing. We have around 60 start-ups in life sciences, so we are interested in attracting innovative businesses", says Erika Kuročkina, Adviser to the Minister of the Economy and Innovation.
Norwegian life sciences representatives are invited to attend Life Sciences Baltics, the largest life sciences forum in the Baltics, which brings together life sciences experts, businesses and start-ups from around the world every two years, in Lithuania in September 2023.
The life sciences sector is one of the fastest growing industries in Lithuania, with the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors growing by 62% last year only. There are approximately 600 life sciences companies in the country, employing more than 7,500 people, and approximately 15,000 scientists working on life science projects. Exports account for about 95% of production, with the USA and Germany being the main export markets.
