Calculated Risks

NATURE|Vol 449|13 September 2007 REGIONS T. THÖRNLUND; T. WESTBERG; ORASIS FOTO WESTBERG; T. THÖRNLUND; T. Stockholm (bottom right) and Uppsala are flagship regions in Sweden’s efforts to boost its reputation for scientific endeavour. services for both academia and business. everyone just says ‘go, go, go’.” A measure called the Swedish Teachers’ Exemption, Life sciences has become an important sector for which allows researchers to own the intellectual- Sweden’s economy. In Uppsala, every tenth job is in property rights for their inventions, is likely to affect biotech, with some 7,500 employees and an annual how these facilities will generate intellectual property. turnover of US$1.4 billion. But the highly competitive Some say that it gives inventors the incentive to look industry forces small firms to search for niches, after their ideas in the early phases; others contend says Ulf Pettersson, vice-rector of the University that inventions tend to lie idle for too long because of Uppsala. He cites Uppsala-based Q-Med as an researchers have to raise the patenting costs themselves. example. Founded in 1987 and running in its present Scientists are often not business savvy, and this is form since 1995, the company develops and markets where Karolinska Development and similar initiatives medical implants such as antiwrinkle products. It is step in. “We only knew how to do science in the now worth millions of dollars. academic world,” says Mona Ståhle, a dermatologist at The region was hit hard five years ago when the Karolinska Institute who co-founded the biotech Pharmacia, a large Swedish drug company, merged firm LipoPeptide, which develops products to facilitate with Pfizer, then disappeared from Sweden altogether. wound healing and tissue regeneration. “The guys at Pharmacia had been a real attractor for the region Karolinska Development helped us to structure our and when it moved, lots of competent people were left ideas into a business model,” she says. “They knew behind — which is not altogether a bad thing. Many the right people and they know all the regulations, former managers have since taken up work at smaller formulations and tricks it takes to spin off an idea.” enterprises in the region. Stepping into business was time-consuming, she says, But there is still a bridge to be built, says Kirsebom. but the experience has been fruitful for her research and “If we could get more of these people back into the for the way she runs her lab. Much more emphasis is academic system, and update them on the science, now put on documenting every step and checking that they could be a great help in setting up commercial experiments can be reproduced, for example. projects at an early stage.” “Going from nowhere to a position where you have Calculated risks Björn Ekström says the something to offer is difficult,” says Björn Ekström, a Other start-up entrepreneurs have had similar Stockholm–Uppsala region former research manager with Pharmacia, who in 2004 experiences, and many have found it difficult to attract has much to offer science became co-founder and chief executive of Uppsala investment. Venture capitalists have become more entrepreneurs. Science Park’s Olink Bioscience. But the Stockholm– cautious, says Leif Kirsebom, whose Uppsala-based Uppsala region now has plenty to offer the ambitious company, Bioimics, develops antibiotics. Rather scientist-turned-businessman. “Being in this region than just a concept, many now demand ideas that are means it is easy to find a role model.” ■ further along in development. Quirin Schiermeier is Nature’s Germany “Getting the US$10,000 or so that you need to get Web links correspondent. started can be damn hard,” agrees Tore Bengtsson, a Karolinska Development Correction cell physiologist at Stockholm University who helped ➧ www. The Naturejobs special report ‘Climate of opportunity’ set up Glucox Biotech, which focuses on drugs for karolinskadevelopment.ki.se (Nature 448, 618–619; 2007) stated that the number type II diabetes and insulin resistance. But as in the Uppsala University Holding of US undergraduates enrolling in meteorology courses United States and the rest of Europe, academia’s Company outnumbered the number of jobs available. In fact, it is the aversion to business is waning. “When I started in ➧ www.uuab.uu.se/default. growth rate in enrolment that is five to ten times higher than 1998 everybody was sort of against you,” he says. “Now php?lang=eng the growth rate of jobs. 255.

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