NETWORKS IN SCANDINAVIA Building Nordic networks Established bioregions across Scandinavia are increasingly joining forces in an effort to increase their international competitiveness. Paul Smaglik gets connected. UNIV. OULU UNIV. aina Pihlajaniemi, director of Biocenter Oulu at the University of Oulu in Finland, T travelled thousands of miles to a meeting on angiogenesis at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York this March — only to find herself having lunch with colleagues from neighbouring Sweden and Norway. Between courses, the conversation BIOCENTER OULU turned from the conference Taina Pihlajaniemi is building links for Oulu University. to each scientist’s interest in extracellular matrixes. The More recently, the countries quality of the science. meal ended with a predictable have turned their attention to Pihlajaniemi sees both sides dessert. “We decided to their neighbours, seeking to of the argument. On the plus combine our efforts and apply create formal and informal side, she says, stimulating for European Union funding,” connections with each other, pan-European cooperation is Pihlajaniemi says. The three and with nations beyond positive. “It really forces Scandinavian scientists have Scandinavia — particularly in scientists to try to work since gathered more European the Baltic region. together,” she says. But she is collaborators to seek funding also concerned about the from the European FORCEFUL FRAMEWORK emphasis on research of social Commission’s Sixth Framework relevance and applied research. necessary because networks Programme, which aims to The Sixth Framework She says that she would prefer require a large amount of time award grants to researchers who Programme, which came into an emphasis on basic research and effort from all the parties set up cross-border networks in effect last month, is providing that also fosters collaboration. involved if they are to work. applied research. probably the largest incentive The Sixth Framework issues Without good communication Many other Scandinavian for this outbreak of cross- a challenge to scientists to build and coordination, duplicated researchers find themselves in a border networking. Ideally, it networks from the top down. efforts can trump any benefit similar situation, being driven wants to inspire collaborations But Scandinavian researchers of interacting and waste any together by varying degrees of that involve several partners — are finding success by building gains that might have resulted serendipity, proximity and and wealthier countries are networks from the bottom from sharing resources or necessity. Of these, necessity encouraged to work with up — relying on informal infrastructure. And the broader is perhaps the dominant force. groups from less-developed collaborations as the basis for and more far-flung the network, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and regions. But this focus, along bigger endeavours. They are the greater the challenge. Finland are physically large, but with the emphasis on applied also cementing those extended A core element of one of they have small populations research targeted at specific relationships by having the most ambitious pan- and limited resources. So over social outcomes, has drawn principals from one network Scandinavian initiatives has the past decade, each has built fire from many European sit on the boards of similar informal origins. A loose up research networks within its researchers, who say that endeavours in a similar network coalition among Nordic own borders in an effort to funding decisions should be in a neighbouring country. resource centres for microarray maximize what they have. made solely on the basis of the These machinations are production and analysis A3 NATURE | VOL 420 | SUPP | 12 DECEMBER 2002 | www.nature.com/nature© 2002 Nature Publishing Group NETWORKS IN SCANDINAVIA SWEGENE SWEGENE: a spreading network for functional genomics. emerged out of contacts made contacted by Borg. The end by Ola Myklebost, professor of result is an equal three-way biochemistry at the University partnership to generate a library of Oslo, and Åke Borg, an of 30,000 complementary associate professor in the human DNA probes. oncology department at Lund Now these ties are being University, during their careers. strengthened by MedCoast Both Borg and Myklebost Scandinavia, an initiative from Growth industry: Scandinavia seeks strength in research. were collaborating with a lab at several universities in Sweden the US National Institutes of and Norway that aims to the infrastructure is built. when the emphasis is on Health that specialized in using harmonize efforts between Meanwhile, another fostering links with researchers microarrays for cancer research. Norway’s FUGE and Sweden’s putative player, the Biotech exploring the same questions That technology filtered SWEGENE functional-genomics Research and Innovation from different angles rather through to Oslo and Lund when programmes. Center (BRIC), Denmark’s than on sharing data in formal Myklebost met a Swedish equivalent of FUGE and repositories. That is why contact at a microarray meeting FORM AND FUNCTION SWEGENE, is barely off the Morten Overgaard, a graduate run by the European drawing board. After years of student in the department of Bioinformatics Institute. The Norwegian government discussion, plans for a 27,000- psychology at the University Myklebost was put in touch started FUGE this year with an square-metre research facility of Aarhus in Denmark, formed with Joakim Lundeberg at the initial grant of 100 million that BRIC will share with the the Nordic Network for Royal Institute of Technology kroner (US$13.5 million), University of Copenhagen and Consciousness Studies two years in Stockholm as the central which is set to rise to 150 the Copenhagen Hospital ago. It allows him to interact contact for microarray million kroner in 2003. Corporation have only just with, say, a Finnish philosopher technology within the SWEGENE, meanwhile, gets been approved. But once the on issues of introspection and Wallenberg Consortium North 60 million Swedish kronor initiative is up and running, it first-order consciousness. (see page A19). He contacted (US$6.6 million) a year, from is expected to join MedCoast. Although in this Internet Lundeberg and was, in turn, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Per Belfrage, chairman of the age proximity seems less of Foundation, a Stockholm- Biomedical Center at Lund a concern, it still has its Per Belfrage: establishing based charitable organization University and a member of advantages, and it emphasizes networks takes time. that funds scientific research SWEGENE’s board, sympathizes the informal nature on which and education. Eventually, with the difficulties involved the network was founded. “We MedCoast hopes to collaborate in trying to integrate several have easy mobility for people with Medicon Valley, which projects on different schedules. to visit each other’s labs helps to coordinate research “It takes a long time,” he says. without much planning or activities in Lund, Malmö and A very personal kind of expense,” says Overgaard. Copenhagen (see pages A24 networking is needed to smooth The need to share and A27). those considerations, says Claus infrastructure may be driving One of the challenges faced Braestrup, an executive vice- the Nordic nations together, by MedCoast is the fact that the president at Copenhagen-based but the demand for personnel programmes are at different drug firm Lundbeck, and is making some scientists look stages of development. FUGE chairman of BRIC. To foster to the Baltic. Leaders of several is just starting up, whereas ties with the Swedish shore of Scandinavian networks last SWEGENE began in 2000. MedCoast, he also sits on year formed ScanBalt, which In fact, the Wallenberg SWEGENE’s board and aims to increase mobility for Foundation is likely to stop anticipates that scientists in both scientists between Scandinavia funding SWEGENE in 2005, projects will share resources. and neighbouring countries with the expectation that the Collaborations between such as Poland, Latvia, Estonia, government will take over once several countries are even easier Lithuania and western Russia, A5 NATURE | VOL 420 | SUPP | 12 DECEMBER 2002 | www.nature.com/nature© 2002 Nature Publishing Group NETWORKS IN SCANDINAVIA and structural-biology centres Baltimore, Maryland. And in now being developed in October, the Swedish Consulate Scandinavia by FUGE and initiated a joint biotechnology SWEGENE. ScanBalt would venture fund with California ideally match the two. “We can (see “On the road to make some of the infrastructure California”, page A9). and some of the advanced In Finland, the University research equipment available of Kuopio is actively seeking to researchers in the east,” international partners. A says Diderichsen. delegation recently returned The tricky part will be from Minnesota, where it promoting a flow of talent to reactivated an agreement to Scandinavia without exploiting exchange students, researchers it. “We are opposed to any and teachers between Kuopio notion of a brain drain in the and the University of Baltic regions,” he says. Instead, Minnesota. he would like to see a Such free exchange of circulation of talent. One way research is benefiting all of the to do that would be to create scientists involved. When, in Finn-Medi Centre part of Finland’s fresh impetus in R&D. a ScanBalt University in the 1996, Howy Jacobs left the Baltics, perhaps in Poland, United Kingdom for a post especially St Petersburg.