Sweden-Scotland Healthcare Innovation Exchange

Across the 9th and 10th April 2025, the Chief Scientists Office (CSO) hosted a 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 in Edinburgh with Swedish colleagues to 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. The Swedish delegation, representing companies, healthcare innovators, and academia, visited Scotland to explore its dynamic life sciences and healthcare ecosystem. Focus areas included innovation, sustainability, and healthcare solutions. We were delighted to be part of this visit to harness the power of research and innovation to transform healthcare delivery and look forward to further opportunities in the autumn.

Building Bridges: Learn more about the Swedish delegation 

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘄𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻 – 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲

𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

Wednesday was the first of the Healthcare Innovation Exchange between Sweden and Scotland in Edinburgh. An exchange organised by Scottish Government, Scottish Development International and SweCare. It was a day rich in insight, collaboration, and bold ideas for the future of healthcare.

From the outset, the energy in the room was clear: both nations are facing shared challenges – rising health inequalities, chronic disease management, remote and rural care, and digital infrastructure gaps – but there’s an honest willingness to learn from each other and build solutions together. This is emphasised by the Memorandum of Understanding between Sweden and UK, which aims to strengthen collaboration – particularly in areas like precision medicine, data sharing, and innovation.

Key themes from the day included:

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀:
Both countries are focusing on earlier diagnosis, health equity, prevention, and mental health, with an emphasis on system-wide transformation.

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀:
We explored how to better connect academia, industry, and public systems across borders – particularly around AI, digital health, and precision medicine.
𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮:
A shared need for secure, anonymised, and accessible health data emerged as a crucial enabler for innovation, alongside robust frameworks to navigate regulatory complexity.
𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀:
Conversations touched on how to internationalise healthcare SMEs, build sustainable partnerships, and ensure there are defined “entry points” or safe landing zones for companies looking to expand.

It’s clear we have the potential to build strong bi-national ecosystems that accelerate change – through twinned projects, living labs, and shared health data initiatives. The question now: how do we operationalise this vision and turn insight into action?

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘄𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻–𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲

On Thursday, we gathered at Edinburgh’s BioQuarter – where the focus shifted from dialogue to delivery. The morning began with tours of the Usher Building and the Institute for Regeneration and Repair, offering a first-hand look at Scotland’s investment in translational research infrastructure.

The sessions that followed tackled three vital themes for health innovation:

𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Discussions led by Prof. Dame Anna Dominiczak explored the crucial role of structured pathways like ANIA (Accelerated National Innovation Adoption) and Scotland’s Innovation Design Authority in bridging the gap between research and real-world implementation. A key message from both Swedish and Scottish perspectives: scaling innovation requires national models that support adaptable procurement, cross-sector collaboration, and early citizen and patient engagement. As one speaker put it, “𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯” until barriers are overcome.
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
Scotland’s commitment to growing its trial capacity was highlighted through initiatives like CATALYST – the Collaborative Accelerator for Commercial Trial Delivery – and a network of Clinical Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) spanning Lothian, Glasgow, Grampian, and Tayside. Conversations underlined the need for flexible models to improve access for underserved and rural populations. International examples, including Sweden’s and Norway’s approaches to precision medicine, offered valuable parallels and lessons.
𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲
The health sector’s role in tackling the climate crisis was front and centre. Scotland’s Circular Economy Programme aims not only to decarbonise healthcare pathways but to rethink procurement and design for long-term resilience. Industry leaders such as AstraZeneca shared practical steps – like developing inhalers with low-emission propellants – and discussions stressed the importance of embedding sustainability from the earliest stages of innovation.

Conclusion:

Healthcare innovation demands alignment – across countries, systems, and sectors – to deliver both health and climate benefits at scale.

We were delighted to be part of this visit to harness the power of research and innovation to transform healthcare delivery and look forward to future opportunities for a reciprocate visit in the autumn