European HEALTH CITIES partners visit Lund to explore life science ecosystem development
How can European cities and regions strengthen their health and life science ecosystems through collaboration, peer learning, and exchange of good practices?
This was the focus when Lund welcomed partners from across Europe for a three-day study visit as part of the Interreg Europe HEALTH CITIES initiative. In the project, Medicon Village and the City of Lund jointly represent Lund in a consortium spanning 9 partner organisations, 8 cities and 7 European countries including Spain, the Netherlands, France, Ukraine, Hungary, Denmark, and Sweden. Together, the partners are working to improve local policy instruments that support the growth of health and life science ecosystems, particularly for entrepreneurs and startups.
The Lund study visit was organised by Medicon Village and the City of Lund, in collaboration with several key actors in the regional life science ecosystem. Throughout the programme, participants explored four themes central to Lund and Skåne’s continued development as a competitive life science region: commercialisation, capital, competence, and governance.
The visit began at Medicon Village with an introduction to Lund’s life science ecosystem and the role of physical innovation environments in connecting companies, researchers, healthcare-related actors, investors, and public sector stakeholders. A roundtable on commercialisation brought together perspectives from LU Innovation, SmiLe Venture Hub and Innovation Skåne, focusing on how research-based ideas and early-stage companies can be supported on their journey towards market and patient benefit. The discussion was followed by a visit to SmiLe Venture Hub, where participants gained further insight into specialised life science incubation, startup support, and laboratory infrastructure.
Capital was another key topic, with speakers from LU Venture and SmiLe Inject sharing perspectives on financing, investment readiness and support for early-stage life science companies. Medicon Village also presented the Medicon Village Investor Panel, an initiative designed to connect selected life science companies with Nordic and international investors in a curated format that strengthens both feedback and investor readiness.
The competence roundtable, held at International Citizen Hub Lund, focused on how regions can attract, welcome and retain the international talent needed in knowledge-intensive sectors such as life science. Speakers from International Citizen Hub Lund, the Cross Border Talent Bridge project, ESS and Region Skåne contributed perspectives on talent attraction, integration, cross-border mobility and long-term regional competitiveness.
On the second day, participants visited MAX IV, where they heard presentations on the unique, cutting-edge research infrastructure in Lund, represented by ESS and MAX IV, followed by a guided tour of the facility. The programme then continued to the ATMP Centre at Skåne University Hospital, illustrating Lund’s combination of advanced research infrastructure and clinical innovation capacity.
The programme also included a session on Lund Innovation District, focusing on how Lund’s strong but distinct environments – including Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Medicon Village, Ideon Science Park, Science Village, MAX IV and ESS – can be connected into a more coherent and internationally visible innovation geography.
On the final day, the study visit expanded to the wider regional context, with a visit to Medeon in Malmö, including a presentation on Forsknings- och innovationsrådet i Skåne, FIRS. The programme concluded with a visit to Medicon Valley Alliance in Copenhagen, placing Lund and Skåne within the broader Greater Copenhagen and Medicon Valley ecosystem, where cross-border collaboration, specialised infrastructure, and strong networks play an important role in strengthening the region’s international position.
For Medicon Village, the HEALTH CITIES study visit was an opportunity to share good practices from Lund and Skåne, while also learning from other European cities and regions facing similar challenges. By exchanging experiences across regions, HEALTH CITIES contributes to a deeper understanding of how local and regional ecosystems can become more connected, competitive, and better equipped to turn health and life science innovation into societal value.
We are pleased to have welcomed the HEALTH CITIES partners to Lund and look forward to continued collaboration and learning across Europe.
For more information on HEALTH CITIES, see: https://www.interregeurope.eu/health-cities